International Agricultural Institute. 



the Institute and the Delegates to the Permanent Com- 

 mittee; and between the Institute and the adhering Govern- 

 ments. It is, moreover, responsible for discipline among the 

 Staff. 



The Bursar's Office contains only one official, who super- 

 intends the subsidiary Staff, as well as the heating and 

 lighting arrangements, the furniture, &c, and the purchase 

 of the working material which is needed. In addition to his 

 ordinary duties, the Bursar has supervised the extra work of 

 furnishing the Institute, to the order of the Royal Italian 

 Commission or of the Institute itself, involving the con- 

 siderable expenditure of nearly ^4,800. 



The Accounts Branch remains in charge of an Italian 

 Government official, who receives a gratuity for his services. 

 The accounts are kept by the Bank of Italy, which also 

 receives on deposit whatever money is available for that 

 purpose. Salaries and small accounts are paid by cheque 

 drawn on the Bank of Italy by the President of the Institute. 

 It would have been difficult, in my opinion, to find a more 

 simple, certain, precise, and economical system of payment. 

 The Institute has had the advantage of following the plan 

 adopted by the Royal Italian Commission, which had pro- 

 duced excellent results, as is proved by the fact that the 

 Institute obtained ^520 interest from the money on deposit 

 during the year 1909, whereas the bank charges only amounted 

 to ^24. 



Library. 



The second section of the General Secretary's Branch, 

 i.e., the Library, is of the utmost importance to the Institute. 

 It is the very heart of the organisation, collecting the material 

 and distributing it to the various parts. In order to fulfil 

 its important function the first object was to obtain suitable 

 periodical or other publications, and an application was 

 made, with this intention, to the adhering Governments on 

 the 29th April, 1909. The letter explained the aims and 

 work of the Institute, and it invited the Governments to 

 supply official publications on subjects of interest to the 

 Institute, which they had issued during the previous ten 

 years, with a request to continue the supply in future. 



