Note from the Editor . . .

          I had hoped to have been  caught  up  on the backlog resulting
       from last year's special by now, but it looks  like it will be at
       least issue #40 before things are back to normal.

          I have done three things to help relieve the backlog. First, I
       have limited the number  of queries in this issue to 3 per person
       so as to represent a larger number of submitters.  (See  editor's
       note  in #36 about query selection methods.) As always, remaining
       queries  will appear  in  successive  issues.  Secondly,  I  have
       minimalized  editorial  space.  And finally,  I  have  set  aside
       several  queries  that  do not meet the word limitations for free
       queries. (Of course, paid-for  queries  having  extra  words  are
       unaffected.)

          This last point is important. Printing those  queries  results
       in  the  delay  of  the publication of those from people who have
       followed the guidelines.   For  instance,  I  have  set  aside  8
       queries having a total of 922 words.  As  a  result,  I have been
       able  to  print at least 18, possibly as many as 25, more queries
       than I otherwise could,  while advancing the cutoff date by about
       3 or  4  more  days. I have also decided to  discontinue  sending
       notices  to persons that do not adhere to the word limitation. It
       is the submitter's obligation  to  know  the guidelines. Founding
       Subscribers  can refer to NQF #2 about their  benefits  and  word
       limitations  or  send  an  SASE requesting a copy of the Founding
       Subscriber  guidelines.  (Founding  Subscribers  have  a  account
       number less than 1,000.)

          Although I am now publishing only six times a year, each issue
       this year has had about 100 more queries than those of last year.
       If this keeps up, by the  end of the year NQF will have published
       approximately as many queries as in 1993. But, even tho ugh there
       is  presently a backlog, don't stop sending in your queries! That
       could result in a dry period and fewer queries per issue later in
       the year.