Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
I. The Executive Committee met at the call of the Chairman at 9:15 a.m., Saturday, December 15, 1934, at the office of the American Institute of Physics Incorporated, 11 East 38th Street, New York, N. Y.
Present: Chairman Compton, Messrs. Bingham, Fletcher, Palmer, Pegram, Richtmyer, the Director, Mr. Barton, and the Treasurer, Mr. Buffum.
II. Journal of Chemical Physics:
On motion the following resolution was adopted:
Resolved: that the following be appointed Associate Editors of the Journal of Chemical Physics for the term from January 1, 1935 to December 31, 1937:
| F. G. Brickwedde | J. H. Van Vleck |
| Louis S. Kassel | Don M. Yost |
| G. B. Kistiakowsky | W. H. Zachariasen |
(Replacing Donald H. Andrews, E. U. Condon, C. N. Hinshelwood, A. C. G. Mitchell, W. A. Noyes Jr., Linus Pauling, term expired.)
III. Reprints:
On motion the following resolution was adopted:
Resolved: that in accordance with the contracts with the member societies in which the Institute handles reprints the cost of reprint manufacture shall be included with other costs of publication of journals before calculating the 15% Institute service charge, and that this shall apply as from January 1, 1934
IV. Differential Charge:
On motion the following resolution was adopted:
Resolved: that since the approval of the several member societies concerned has been specifically obtained it is ordered that in all of the journal contracts under Section 4, Paragraphs 2, the weighting factor shall be set at zero beginning as of January 1, 1934 and until further notice.
V. Research Associates:
On motion the following resolution was adopted:
Resolved: that the Executive Committee recommend to the governing Board that it revoke the action of the Board at its meeting on April 7, 1934 on the subject of Research Associates providing that “associates shall also receive Science Abstracts A”.
VI. Allocation of Grant from National Research Council:
On motion the following resolution was adopted:
Resolved: that the grant of $1,500 made by the National Academy of Sciences at its meeting on May 8, 1934 to the American Institute of Physics Incorporated be applied toward meeting the 1934 cost of publication of the journal REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS and further that a statement of the income and expenses of the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS showing this item so applied be sent to the Treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences.
VII. Informal Report of Treasurer:
The Treasurer presented an informal report indicating that there was cash in the bank of $10,000 and about the same amount of unpaid bills.
VIII. Grants, Contributions, Dues of Associates:
The Director presented a statement of extraordinary income received or promised in 1934 as follows:
| Grants and contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Journal of Optical Society for R.S.I. | $1448.95 | |||
| 128.00 | $1576.99 | |||
| From Rockefeller Fund for Admin. Exp. | 1653.28 | |||
| From Nat. Acad. Science for R.S.I. | 1500.00 | |||
| From R.S.I. subscribers (estimate) | 2170.00 | |||
| 6900.27 | ||||
| Associate dues (for 1934) | ||||
| Bell Telephone Laboratories | 175.00 | |||
| Bausch & Lomb | 175.00 | 350.00 | ||
| Associate contributions | ||||
| Chemical Foundation | 1000.00 | |||
| Amer. Tel. & Tel. Co. | 1000.00 | |||
| General Electric Co. (conditional) | 1000.00 | |||
| Eastman Kodak Co. | 1000 | |||
| (Less Opt. Soc. share) | 500 | 500.00 | ||
| DuPont | 500.00 | |||
| Research Corp. | 1000.00 | 5000.00 | ||
| Non-associate contribution | ||||
| Gulf Co. | 1000.00 | |||
| Westinghouse | 500.00 | 1500.00 | ||
| Total | $13750.27 | |||
| Deficit | 1933 | $13653.28 | ||
| 1934 (est) | 10280.00 | |||
| $23933.28 | ||||
IX. Allocation of Contributions
On motion it was voted:
to ratify the action of the Treasurer in applying the contributions received by the Institute from industrial companies to the current expenses of the Institute.
X. Salary Policy
The Director asked for a discussion of the question of a salary policy for employees possibly a definite schedule of advances. It was agreed that it would be appropriate to make adjustments that seemed fair in individual cases but that at present no definite schedule of advances should be attempted.
The effect of the state of health of Miss Mitchell on the work of the Institute was discussed and the question of an adjustment of her salary, a leave of absence, and possibly a grant to cover her travelling expenses, was left to the Director and Treasurer with power to act.
XI. Review of Scientific Instruments
There was a general discussion of the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS which is the main expense of the Institute at the present time. Mr. Fletcher asked if it could be said that the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS will not succeed in helping carry the other journals. Mr. Buffum replied in the negative and called attention to the fact that the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS now already carries a large part of the overhead of the Institute. Mr. Richtmyer argued that the desirable course is to make the journal still more attractive. Mr. Fletcher asked if a charge could be made to the member societies for the subscriptions going to their members.
The Committee discussed at length the possibilities of combining the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS and PHYSICS considering especially two procedures were suggested:
- to combine PHYSICS with the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS and circulate the latter essentially as at present or perhaps only to members.
- to combine the Instruments Section of the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS with PHYSICS and to circulate the residue either as at present or only to members.
On motion it was voted:
that in case the present publication scheme continues into 1936 free distribution of the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS to non-member subscribers be discontinued.
On motion it was further voted:
that a committee consisting of Messrs. Tate, Richtmyer, and Barton be appointed to consider the matter of consolidation or change of the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS and PHYSICS and to bring the recommendations to the Governing Board.
It was understood that this committee would obtain the advice of the Council of the Physical Society insofar as projects concerning the journal PHYSICS were concerned.
On motion it was resolved:
that it is the sense of the Executive Committee that some one journal with advertising, physics notes, news and forum should go to all members of the founding societies.
Finances and Budget:
The finances of the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS and the Institute non-journal acitivites were discussed at length on the basis of estimates presented by the Director for the closing year 1934 which estimates were compared with the budget originally laid out.
Copies of these estimates, four pages, are attached to the official copy of these Minutes.
A budget for 1935 was then discussed and approved as follows:
| Income | |
|---|---|
| Service charge | $10,500 |
| Associate Dues | 2,200 |
| Interest and Miscellaneous | 50 |
| $12,750 | |
| Expense | |
| Salaries | 6,300 |
| Direct publicity | (2,000 |
| Miscellaneous promotional | ( |
| Rent | (1,500 |
| Office expense | ( |
| Traveling | 1,200 |
| $11,000 | |
| Excess Income over Expense | $1,750 |
| Loss on REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS | $ 7,000 |
| Deficit | $ 5,250 |
XIII. Joint National Meeting:
Mr. Barton suggested that the Institute hold at some convenient date in the future a joint national meeting of all the member societies in place of or supplementing one of their regular meetings. The project for such a meeting was discussed particularly in relation to its effect in consolidating the association of the member societies in the Institute.
On motion it was voted:
that this committee approves the idea of a joint meeting of all the member societies at a suitable time and place, also that the meeting should deal particularly with applied physics, and that arrangements for the meeting should be referred to an appropriate committee.
It was understood that this committee should be instructed to consider borderline fields in connection with this meeting, engaging the cooperation of representatives of societies of engineering, chemistry, etc.
XIV. Conference on Applied Physics:
The Conference on Applied Physics, jointly sponsored by the Institute and the Division of Physical Sciences of the National Research Council was then reported to the Committee briefly, together with the action of the Conference in suggesting that the Institute appoint a committee to carry out the Conference’s recommendations and continue work along the lines which the Conference commenced.
On motion it was resolved:
that a special committee be appointed by the Chairman to consider ways and means of increasing the interest in and effectiveness of work in applied physics.
(It was understood that the previous resolution was to be referred to this committee.)
There was discussion as to the personnel of the committee and it was informally agreed that it should be a large committee comprising all of those who attended the conference and, additionally, representatives of the member societies, of engineering societies and others. Suggestions or nominations for its personnel are to be solicited from the secretaries. It was further suggested that this large committee should have a working sub-committee of convenient size.
The committee discussed briefly the need of education of the member societies regarding the activities and policies of the Institute. It was informally agreed that the Director should look over old Minutes of the Board and of the Executive Committee and prepare a report for the REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS showing what matters the Governing Board has considered and what constructive actions have been taken.
XV. Publication of Long Articles:
At the request of Mr. Richtmyer, the Committee discussed the problem of publishing extensive tabular material, the question having been raised in a recent meeting of the Executive Committee of the Division of Physical Sciences, National Research Council. Three solutions of this financial problem were suggested:
- that there be a central repository for lengthy manuscripts.
- that the possibilities of mimeographing and inexpensive reproducing methods be investigated, and
- that such tabular material be published in the regular journals and financed through a higher charge per page.
The committee took no action but requested Mr. Richtmyer to report the discussion back to the National Research Council committee.
XVI. Location of Institute:
The Committee adjourned for lunch at one p.m. After luncheon informal discussion continued around the question of future housing for the Institute. The possibility of moving to the neighborhood of Columbia University was discussed as was also the possibility of leasing or buying a small house. Several aspects of various geographical locations in Manhattan were discussed but it was concluded that this was a consideration distinctly secondary to that of economy and usability of space. It was felt that further discussion would have to await specific proposals.
XVII. Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at two-thirty p.m.