COMMITTEE ON FEDERAL AND STATE RELATIONS

The committee reports that its chief activity throughout the year, has been the endeavor to secure a cheaper postal rate upon books, in which effort it has been unsuccessful. Attempts were made to have books included in the parcel post bill of 1912, and also to have the rate on books made the same as the second class rate on magazines when sent by individuals. At the regular and extra sessions of Congress, the Chairman of the Committees of Congress on Post Offices and Post Roads, were interviewed, and the Postmaster-General was urged to give the favorable influence of his department toward the end desired. There seems to be no probability of an immediate alteration in the rate upon books, unless a complete revision of the parcel post section of the postal laws be made, and there is some question as to whether it is desirable for books to be included in the parcel post, with the present zone system, inasmuch as under it, the postage upon books within certain zones would be actually greater than under the existing law. The activity of those desiring a one cent postage upon letters, also causes members of Congress to hesitate in making any reduction such as we desire.

When the new tariff bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, the Committee addressed a communication to the Committee on Ways and Means, so as to secure the retention of the privilege of free entry for books imported by public libraries. The Treasury Department on April 19 decided "that small importations through the mails for colleges or other institutions entitled to import books free of duty under Par. 519 of the Tariff Act will be passed without requiring an affidavit in each instance, provided such institutions will file with the Collector of Customs a copy of its charter or article of association showing it to be entitled to pass such importations free of duty." Libraries desiring to avail themselves of this privilege should forward this information promptly to the Collector of Customs at the port where they receive books.

BERNARD C. STEINER, Chairman.

COMMITTEE ON LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION

Part of your Committee's report is simply supplementary to that of last year, constituting with it a survey of methods used in certain libraries in carrying out two common operations—accessioning and the charging of issue. Last year the selected libraries were asked simply to describe these operations closely, being urged to leave out no detail, no matter how trivial and unimportant. It was thought that no set of questions, however minute, would provide for all such details, and that a questionnaire might result in many omissions and make the operations, as performed by the contributing libraries, appear to be more uniform than is really the case. The event proved, however, the necessity of some sort of a questionnaire, and after a study of last year's results the following was prepared by Mr. George F. Bowerman, of this committee, and sent out by the chairman both to the libraries named in the last report and to certain others. Data have been received from the following institutions:

Public or Circulating Libraries