Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-19
WORK DONE PAST YEAR
President of Carnegie Mstitu-
ton Makes Report.
LARGE AND SMALL GRANTS
Ship Chartered for Pacific Ocean Elk
petition.
AGGREGATE OF ALL0TMENTS
Plans for Future Outlined by Presi-
dent Woodward-Duties of
Executive Department.
OF ALLoTMENTs

OF she institution, r. 9. Woodward who
says that the work has progressed satisfac-
torily on the whole and has resulted in
much good
One of the great problems that has faced
the trustees has been whether to concen-
trate their efforts and their money on a
few large projects or to aid so far as possible
a number Of smaller projects. There have
been strong arguments advanced for and
against both of these methods, and for the
present the institution has compromised by
dividing the work into small and large
grants in proportion to their Importance
and the amount of money devoted to them.
The allotments made for large problems
was 1850 and for smaller grants $50, 625
Research assistants. publications and ad-
mintstration brought the total appropria-
tons for the institution up to $511 ,7S2, and
there was an unallotted balance of STA, S94.
The larger grants covered wide range
OF subjects among which were: The Desert
Laboratory for Botanical Research at Tue
son, Ariz., which received $4,000 The sta
ton for experimental evolution at Cold
Spring Harbor, L. l., received $4,000, and
the Marine Biological Laboratory at the
Dry Tortugas received $15,7 C0. An allot-
ment of $4,000 was made to Luther Bur-
bank for his horticultural work. 1t has not
yet been possible to get comprehensive
report on this work, and 1t will probably
take five years to complete the problems
now being studied to the satisfaction of the
investigators and the scientists concerned.
Pacific Expedition.
A ship has been chartered and an ex-
petition sent to the Pacific ocean for the
study of terrestrial magnetism. AS the
oceans aggregate about three times the
area Of the land. the plans for a compre-
hensive magnetic survey Of the oceans can
not fail to be productive OF much data
heretofore unavailable to scientists.
There has been appropriation of $780,
coo made for the solar observatory near
Pasadena, Cal. This Is the largest appro-
prfation that has been made for any single
work, and the results are expected to be
correspondingly important.
There have been smaller grants made for
work In the departments of archaeology,
anthropology, physics, chemistry and as
tronomy. But the aggregate of the work
Is enormous and promises the accumula-
ton of mass of valuable data for the flu
ture.
Plans for Future Work.
The work of the Carnegie Institution in the
future has been dealt with at some length
by President Woodward in his annual re-
port. On the subject of large and small
grants he says:
Nationally considered. the development
of novel institution, like the Carnegie
institution of Washington, cannot be ex-
pected to proceed without encountering diff
hculties and dangers. That the mere es-
adjustment of such an institution is no
easy matter is witnessed by the fact that
the Congress of the United States debated
the question of founding the Smithsonian
Institution for a decade before attaining a
definite plan of procedure. Although the
Carnegie Institution of Washington has
been free in large measure from difficulties
in the way of initial organiza ton 1t has
nevertheless met with other difficulties of
somewhat omin0us character. Among these
is that of the relative merits of large and
M joro
grants.
IN the absence of experience 1t Nigh,
well appear doubtful whether the income
of the institution may be best used in pro-
not likely to be undertaken by other agen-
Giles, or whether the income may be best
used in promoting a large number of small
projects for which the ways and means
are already in part available. Strong
priori arguments may be adduced in support
of each of these extreme methods of admin
istration of the income, and the executive
committee has no doubt acted wisely in
taking mean course, testing thus stimuli
taneously, by actual experience, the merits
of both methods.
Grave Objections Outlined.
while careful observation and study of
these methods during one year only may
not justify the recommendation OF any radi-
cal departure from the course hitherto fol-
lowed, 1t seems essential to indicate certain
grave objections to the policy of awarding
numerous small grants. These objections
are:
First. the excessive amount of time and
energy required in the consideration of ap-
plications for and in the administration Of
small grants Thus far the Institution has
formally considered about 200 applications
for such grants and has made awards to
about 800 applicants; but the amount of at
tention given to the consideration of for
NAL applications represents only a part
of the time and labor consumed in the i'm
portunties incident to If not inherent In
the system in question"
Continuing. he says:
mo similar difficulties have arisen in the
administration of the larger projects of the
however, the ways and means are proyid-
ed by rather than for, and the investigators
are chosen by rather than for the institu-
ton. In short, the institution is, in this
case, enabled to assume and fix RESPONSE
bility in the conduct of its affairs and to
push them energetically; whereas, in the
other case. responsibility is divided. energy
is generally lacking and time and money
are in constant danger of being frttered
away among a multitude of minor inter-
eStS.
Applicants for Small Grants.
THE demands for attention from appli-
cants for small grants have left scant time
during the year for the consideration of
within the scope of the institution It has
been deemed essential. also. to devote most
OF this time to the larger projects already
under way, with q view of increasing their
facilities and insuring their success. Never
theless. many new projects have been con-
templated. and several of these may be
formulated for action without undue delay
1yherayer the iustItution Ia ready IN cop.