The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-01-21
Proposal TO Unite All Existing Government
Bureaus for the Promotion Of Science.
ACCOUNT OF WHAT BUREAUS ARE DOING
They Arc WORDING Not Unly for the
Promotion OF Science but For tho
Developments Of the Resources of
she Country Amusing IIIustra.
sions OF Efforts 10 UnravcI Red Tape

ton of its industries.
In an article in Science. for January
lo' Mr.. Charles w. Dabney. Jr., AS
sistant Secretary of Agriculture. pub-
fishes Il summary of this work and it's
cost ana makes an argument for it's
consolidation into one department. He
shows that, emitting all those charged
with purely executive business, the
government schools. and the testing
laboratories OF the War and Navy De-
partments. TIE United States maintains
twenty-cight scientific bureaus for de-
HeiopinE our resources ana advancing
industry. NJ cost of nearly $1,000 900
annually. They employ over 5000 per-
sons, in the entire country.
WORK OF THE BUREAUS.
iheSe bureaus are, engaged in doing
All ENDS or scientific work. from deter
INNING the movements of the heavenly
bodies To studying insects ana bacteria.
we nave bureaus for studying the earth
anu It's products. the atmosphere and its
changes, economic plants and their Gull
lure domestic animals and their kind
W g nave surveys for measuring the land
ol Inc country ana sounding its waters:
bureaus for investigating many ccono-
mic problems, and statistical agencies
Tor collecting, compiling and discussing
the results of many Industries. We
nave agricultural experiment stations
Tor developing the products of the land.
improving The life OF our waters Other
bureaus teach us how To protect our
forests OF how "a save the forage re-
sources of our Western plains: still
others promote fruit culture or teach us
now TO protect our crops and fruits from
injurious insects or disease. Finally we
have great museums for collecting, pre-
serving ana exhibiting all objects Of art.
cthnolOSy, natural history, mineralopy
geology. the resources of our country,
and the products of our peoples work
As Mr. Ddbney says:
TheSa noble establishments for the
promotion of science both pure and an
piled. arc the most unique feature of
our Government and the admiration of
all foreigners. They represent the true
orican idea. 1t is the more To be re-
GREETED. therefore, that this grand idea
50 we'll established in our laws, is not
adequately represented in the organiza-
ton Of the Government
DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES.
As all these agencies have n common
purpose, namely. the development of the
resources of the country. one would eA-
poet To find them organized according
10 some definite plan, and directed by n
single head. As n matter OF fact they
are distributed among six different de-
partments OF The Government. two of
them being entirely Independent.
Much valuable work has been ana is
DcihS done by them. but the writer
thinks mat great deal more would be
and much money saved If
az Wv nurca"S' h"N!,lS ms common
n1rtmcnt Sc,itn,..I 49, th., ~ "mr az
through all the dnuortmcnt: ona,,tn1
under very inI.huit,, iav.s ana s,,nn,'
viscd nv SiGarnnt sccrn,,rins ,,S,,.ii
not scientific men ana oi,vovs o,.n,,,,,,
with other Wort, there il annie onnor'
tunity for confusion ana juniic,tinn 90
work and CONSEQUENT mss Of timn ma
energy.
The Goya,nmr. mas ror ox,,,n,.
three seporotn ana ,Iistinct nn.ncin., 60
men surinr Tho l1ul Of Inc cniIn'ry 80,
nartad win, ,wn ,iir,.r.,,t ,,.nn,.,n'a,,.
foir separate hyd,.,,t.,uhic nGicns 70,
sounding tho waters Of havs ,.i,-nr.
lakes. etc i'm fo,,,. iff,ai.. danar.nnnnts.
and i've scmar1t, "hemiraI l5harn to,,ioy
in The civ of Wosjiutrton aionn rrbo
statistics Of Tho na.,,rri rasnurcne and
products of tho country arc collacta,, h,.
,.jri,t different ,,,nnri.. cnnnncfod Iii,
six difTnrnnt dnn9rtmants ana huraa,,.
NOT counting IN. Cnueus which ,,snoIII,
roes over IN. whole ,aain TINS l.
doubtless ono reason whv Govarnn,anI
statistics orn sn nf,an discra,lited ~.
business men Tho pnndin.s nronosoI n
nil thc etItisticai hnreon,
and establish a permanent census. which
shall do, in a systematic way through