International > Report of the Governing body of the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation > 1931

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“ Decides to apply in future to the applicant associations the rules recommended in
this report, the Directors’ Committee being empowered to grant premises if occasion arises,
subject to reporting its action to the Governing Body at the next session.”
The report also submitted to the Council of the League of Nations by the International
Committee on Intellectual Co-operation, gives a detailed account of the Institute’s work.
There is, consequently, no need, in the present report, to emphasise the value of the work
accomplished in spite of the various difficulties encountered in a year of transition and
retrenchment.
It can only be hoped that the financial position of the Institute will improve in future
in such a way that it may take full advantage of all the possibilities of work which are now
open to it.
[Signed) Dr. H. A. Kruss,
Rapporteur.
Appendix 1.
REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
INTELLECTUAL CO-OPERATION TO THE GOVERNING BODY, APPROVED BY
THE LATTER AT ITS EIGHTH SESSION, JULY 1931.
1. Reorganisation of the Institute.
The principles of the reorganisation of the Institute were established by the International
Committee on Intellectual Co-operation at its session of last July and put into force by the
Executive Committee at its November session. Since then, their application from the admi¬
nistrative point of view has been followed by the Directors’ Committee, which has held four
sessions under the presidency of M. Paul Painleve.
The International Committee had recommended that the allocation of work and distri¬
bution of staff should be adapted to the plan of work, and that any rigidity in the internal
organisation of the Institute should be avoided. It has been constantly borne in mind during
the year that the Institute is the Committee’s instrument of work, and its efforts have been
concentrated on those parts of the programme entrusted to it by the Committee. Officials
who, through previous experience either in the Institute or in their own countries, had a special
knowledge of a question have, of course, dealt specially with that subject ; but there have
been very numerous cases in which members of the staff have joined forces for the sake of
speed. For instance, in the case of educational questions which are in the province of the Infor¬
mation Centre, reorganised in accordance with the decisions of the Committee and the
Assembly, assistance has been given by several officials who are not directly attached to that
centre but have special knowledge on certain subjects, such as broadcasting, adult education,
etc. The Institute has thus endeavoured to use to the best advantage both the experience
gained by certain of its officials and the methods of elasticity and co-operation recommended
by the Committee.
In some special cases it is, of course, necessary for officials to work together continuously
—for example, in connection with the contributions to the Intellectual Co-operation Bulletin,
which necessitates a perpetual exchange of information between officials, and the meetings
of officials which are held from time to time to prepare the work, particularly before the
meetings of the Executive Committee.
In accordance with the Committee’s suggestions, the central services of the Institute were
reduced from the beginning of November 1930, and the number of officials decreased by about
thirty. A certain number of posts provided for were, moreover, left vacant ; most of these have
been filled since that date. The last vacant post of principal secretary has been occupied since
the month of May by an official who has specially taken in hand the reorganisation of the Educa¬
tional Information Centre. 1
Two posts of secretaries have yet to be filled ; the Executive Committee decided at its
November session that their holders should, in principle, be of British and Polish nationality
respectively.
2. Budget.
The budget for 1931 was established in November by the Directors’ Committee. The
Governing Body has to decide on the terms of the 1932 budget at its present session.
With regard to the financial year 1931, there are only two points to be noted. The first
is that, contrary to the information given to the Directors’ Committee at its last meeting in
April, there is no need to consider the reconstitution of the Reserve Fund. Since that meeting,
1 List of principal secretaries and secretaries annexed.