301
159
at £167 and that with the present rates the sum payable annually would be £112. Inquiries which had been made showed that the Bureau could not be exempted from the payment of rates under the Act of 1843.
(c) As regards the contribution from the Government of India, which alone refused to increase its contribution (i.e., £500 to £1,000) as recommended at the Imperial Entomological Conference, Dr. Marshall stated that he understood this decision to have been made not for financial reasons, but mainly for reasons con- nected with proposals for the initiation of work in India on lines similar to that performed by the Bureau. It should, however, be noted that at the last meeting of the Government Entomologists, in India, high appreciation of the work of the Bureau was expressed, and the view was taken that the mere publication of the Review of Applied Entomology was in itself a sufficient return for a contribution of £1,000 per annum. The present contribution of £500 was guaranteed for the five years 1919-1923; no doubt the question of asking for a renewal of that contri- bution, even if no increase were possible, would be taken up in 1923.
(d) In reply to a question from the Chairman, the Director stated that new volumes were now purchased through the Stationery Office, but that the Assistant Director had to make his own arrangements for the purchase of back numbers of publications required for the Library. In this connexion, Sir Sidney Harmer referred to the complete collection of zoological literature which was now being organized, and he urged the importance of each Institution making every endeavour to complete the collection of journals dealing with the subject in which it is primarily interested.
(e) The report, which was regarded by the Committee as most satisfactory, was approved generally; and approval was given specifically for the publication of the summary of legislation against insect pests throughout the British Empire.
4. A report from the Finance Sub-Committee was received. (Copy annexed.) (a) Sir Sidney Harmer pointed out that the report was one of special import- ance, as it included the new scales of salary and the Rules for a Provident Fund, which had been introduced from the 1st of April, 1921, in accordance with the The annual recommendations made by the Imperial Entomological Conference. expenditure on salaries showed a large increase, but the increased contributions to the Bureau had been so framed as to cover this increase as well as all other expen- diture connected with the working of the Bureau.
(b) Covering approval was given by the Committee to the action in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the report, and approval was given for the publication of systematic papers on entomology as recommended in paragraph 6 of the report.
(c) In connexion with the preparation of the Rules for the Provident Fund, the Committee wished to place on record their thanks for the assistance which had been given by Mr. Herbert Smith, of the Crown Agents Office, and the Legal Assistant in the Colonial Office.
(d) The Committee further accepted the following recommendations of the Sub- Committee, which were formulated at a meeting held earlier in the afternoon, and the reasons for which were explained by Sir Sidney Harmer :—
(i) The Sub-Committee recommend that the post of Assistant Librarian should be abolished, and the post of Librarian substituted with salary at the rate of £120 per annum, rising by annual increments of £10 to £200 per annum; and that Mr. C. J. Golledge should be appointed Librarian with effect from the 19th of May, 1921.
(ii) The Sub-Committee are in sympathy with the proposal that five per cent. of pay issued to present members of the staff of the Bureau from the 1st of October, 1909, to the 31st of March, 1921, should be credited to their accounts in the Provident Fund, but they recommend that two and a-half per cent. only should be credited forthwith, and that the question of crediting an additional two and a-half per cent. should be considered at the end of the financial year in the light of the financial position of the Bureau; and that of the sums so credited, the amounts in respect of service from the 1st of October, 1909 to the 30th of June, 1913-i.e.. prior to the inception of the Bureau-should be debited to the Tropical African Fund.
5. Copies of Colonial Office letter of the 7th of February, 1921,* to the Director, on the subject of contributions to the Bureau, were received.
The Chairman said that he felt sure that the Committee would share the satis- faction expressed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies at the response made to his appeal for increased contributions, and at the general recognition of the value of the work of the Bureau.
15843
Annexure 1.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE IMPERIAL BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY.
Ar our last meeting it was reported that in response to the despatches issued by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the Dominions, Colonies, and other Dependencies urging them to increase their contributions to this Bureau, replies had been received from sixteen countries. We have now had definite answers from all the forty-two Governments concerned, including the Imperial Treasury, and in every instance the sum suggested at the Entomological Conference held last summer has been agreed to, except in the case of India.
In their communication, the Indian authorities state that they do not consider that the benefits likely to accrue to India would justify the increase of the present grant of £500 to £1,000. On the other hand, unofficial information has been received to the effect that at the annual meeting of entomologists held at Pusa, Bihar, in February, 1921, a resolution was passed expressing appreciation of the work done by our Bureau and agreeing that the publication of the Review of Applied Entomology alone would be a sufficient quid pro quo for a Government contribution of £1,000 a year. The period of the current grant terminates at the end of 1923.
Thus the total revenue of the Bureau from official grants for the forthcoming year will be £12,500 affording very satisfactory and practical testimony as to the appreciation of the work done by our organization in the past.
In Appendix I will be found a statement of the moneys actually received and expended during the past financial year. As compared with the previous year, there is an advance of £2,125 under the head of salaries, as a result of the various increases in the cost of living bonus. The expenditure on the library is higher by £76, which is partly due to the rise in the cost of binding and of subscriptions to various periodicals, but also to the fact that a certain number of back volumes of various important journals have been purchased in order to complete our sets. The amount under General Expenses shows an increase of £115; this is due to the fact that the large stocks of certain lines of stationery that were fortunately purchased at the beginning of the War have recently run out; a single item of 10,000 envelopes for posting our publications cost £68.
Appendix II shows the financial position on the 31st March last. The general reserve has entirely disappeared, and the balance of the Tropical African Fund is temporarily reduced by £428, but this will be readjusted in the course of the present year, in which our income will certainly exceed our expenditure. The estimate of the cost of the parts of the Review and Bulletin that have been published, but not charged for, is based on the prices for 1919. Owing to the recent advance in Government Stocks the depreciation on our holding of Funding Loan is now only £250, as compared with £375 six months ago.
In Appendix III will be found an estimate of the income and expenditure for the current year, showing a probable surplus of £2,340. Two of the higher posts, the Senior Assistants, with a commencing salary of £747 each, have not yet been filled, and are not included in the estimate; there are now no other vacant positions. Publication Office.-The move from our old offices at 88, Queen's Gate into the premises of the Entomological Society at 41, Queen's Gate was satisfactorily effected early in January, by Messrs. Shoolbred & Co., at a cost of £52, including the removal of the heavy surplus stocks of our two publications, some of which had been stored in our own offices and some in the basement of the Natural History Museum, thanks to the kind permission of the Museum authorities.
As was previously indicated, the move involved a good deal of additional expenditure in other directions. It was necessary to purchase more electric light fittings, tables, chairs, shelving, linoleum, and stair-carpets, and the total sum sanctioned by the Finance Sub-Committee was £250. The exact cost cannot yet be stated as accounts have not yet been rendered by the Office of Works, but it is estimated that it will not amount to much more than £240.
The new premises are undoubtedly a great improvement on the old ones, in which some of our staff had to work in badly lighted rooms in the basement; the fact that we have been able to reserve a special reading room for visitors who come to consult the library has also proved a great convenience. Moreover, we still have two empty rooms which are available for future expansion.
The question as to what rates, if any, we shall have to pay is still under con- sideration by the Kensington Borough Council.
* No. 180.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
885/25
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO