巴菲特致股东的信（1996年）⑬其它事项

Miscellaneous

Though it was a close decision, Charlie and I have decided to enter the 20th Century. Accordingly, we are going to put future quarterly and annual reports of Berkshire on the Internet, where they can be accessed via http://www.berkshirehathaway.com. We will always "post" these reports on a Saturday so that anyone interested will have ample time to digest the information before trading begins. Our publishing schedule for the next 12 months is May 17, 1997, August 16, 1997, November 15, 1997, and March 14, 1998. We will also post any press releases that we issue.

其它事项

虽然这个是给最新的决定，但查理跟我本人已决定正式跨入二十世纪，我们决定从现在开始将在公司网站上公布每季与每年最新的伯克希尔报告，大家可以在这个网址 www.berkshirehathaway.com 找到相关的讯息，我们会固定选在周六发布这些报告，主要的目的是希望大家能够有充足的时间在股市开盘做出进出的决定，预计未来一年内公布报告的时间为 1997 年 5 月 17 日、8 月 16 日、11 月 15 日以及 1998 年 3月 14 日，同时网站上也会有我们对外发布的其它公开讯息。

At some point, we may stop mailing our quarterly reports and simply post these on the Internet. This move would eliminate significant costs. Also, we have a large number of "street name" holders and have found that the distribution of our quarterlies to them is highly erratic: Some holders receive their mailings weeks later than others.

在此同时，我们也将停止过去邮寄每季季报的习惯，而直接将它们公布在公司网站上，此举不但可以大幅减少邮寄的成本，同时也因为我们有一些股东的股份是登记在别人的名下，这使得季报最后送到真正股东手上的时间很不一定，有的股东收到报告的时间整整比其它股东晚了好几个礼拜。

The drawback to Internet-only distribution is that many of our shareholders lack computers. Most of these holders, however, could easily obtain printouts at work or through friends. Please let me know if you prefer that we continue mailing quarterlies. We want your input - starting with whether you even read these reports - and at a minimum will make no change in 1997. Also, we will definitely keep delivering the annual report in its present form in addition to publishing it on the Internet.

当然通过网络公布也有一个很大的缺点，那就是许多我们的股东从来不使用计算机，当然大家还是可以通过同事或朋友的帮助把它们给打印下来，如果大家觉得还是用寄比较好的话可以向我反应，我们很想听听大家的意见，至少在 1997 年还是会持续原来的做法，另外必须强调的是，每年的年报除了在网络上公布之外，依然还是会用邮寄的方式送到各位的手上。

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About 97.2% of all eligible shares participated in Berkshire's 1996 shareholder-designated contributions program. Contributions made were $13.3 million, and 3,910 charities were recipients. A full description of the shareholder-designated contributions program appears on pages 48-49.

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大约有 97.2%的有效股权参与 1996 年的股东指定捐赠计划，总计约 1,330 万美元捐出的款项分配给 3,910家慈善机构，详细的名单参阅附录。

Every year a few shareholders miss out on the program because they don't have their shares registered in their own names on the prescribed record date or because they fail to get the designation form back to us within the 60-day period allowed. This is distressing to Charlie and me. But if replies are received late, we have to reject them because we can't make exceptions for some shareholders while refusing to make them for others.

每年都有一小部分的股东由于没有将股份登记在本人的名下，或是没能在 60天的期限内，将指定捐赠的表格送回给我们，而没办法参加我们的指定捐赠计划，对此查理跟我感到相当头痛，不过我们必须忍痛将这些指定捐赠剔除，因为我们不可能在拒绝其它不符合规定股东的同时，还破例让这些人参与。

To participate in future programs, you must own Class A shares that are registered in the name of the actual owner, not the nominee name of a broker, bank or depository. Shares not so registered on August 31, 1997, will be ineligible for the 1997 program. When you get the form, return it promptly so that it does not get put aside or forgotten.

想要参加这项计划者，请必须拥有 A 级普通股，同时确定您的股份是登记在自己而非股票经纪人或保管银行的名下，同时必须在 1997 年 8 月 31 日之前完成登记，才有权利参与 1997 年的捐赠计划，当你收到表格后，请立即填写后寄回，以免被丢在一旁给忘记了。