Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-21
GEODET|C SURVEY
! SHORT OF EXPERTS
Director Patton in Annual Re.
port Says Situation Is
Most Serious.
Lack Of technical employees ID termed

Lack Of technical employees b termed
the "most serious situation" confronting
the United States Coast and Geodetic
Survey by Capt. r. S. Patton, the d.
rector, in his annual report to the Sec
rotary of Commerce today.
The report. which is for the fiscal
year ending June 80 last, marks COM
pletion of liz years Of active service Of
the survey. In 1916, when field work
was begun, the scope was limited to
surveys and subsequent operations neces-
sary to the production Of charts for
the guidance of mariners traverSing the
waters adjacent to the Atlantic Coast.
Pointing out that the scope has ex-
banded with the growth OF the Nation,
Capt. Patton reported the present fu1c-
Sions Of the bureau, defined in terms OF
the products given to the public Tor It's
use, consist of:
The nautical chart; related nautical
publications; control surveys in the In
terror; tidal and current surveys and
data; terrestrial magnetism; inveStiga-
tons and data; seismology, including
investigations and data; airway maps
and technical work for other Federal
agencies.
Two items of outstanding interest
for the past year are significant, he says
In his report, mot of past achievement,
but because of the opportunities they
afford for greater future accomplish
ment" One is the authorization to
complete in a period of 20 years the
topographic map of the United States,
including the necessary control surveys.
The other is the acquisition OF the
yacht, Corsair II, which j. p. Morgan
donated for the use of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey.
Stream Of Information.
Commenting on the bureaus chart
publication, Capt Patton reported:
There flows into this bureau con-
slant stream of information resulting
from its own surveys in the field or fur
nished by the scores of cooperating
agencies Federal, State, municipal and
private on work to which the
collection Of data of value to the chart
Is an incidental by-product." The bu-
reau publishes 576 charts of the coasts
Of the United States, Porto Rico. Canal
Zone, Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands.
During the past year." Capt. Patton
reported, $4,000 charts were dis
tributed to Government agencies and
the public, an increase Of Is per cent
over the previous year. OF this num-
Der, $4,000 were sold, the receipts to-
falling more than $4,000 so per cent
increase over the sale OF five years ago,
and the largest number sold In the his
tory Of the bureau. These figures show
the rapidly increasing demand for our
products and the ever expanding service
to the public"
The report pointed out that II new
charts were issued during the year, as
compared with 16 the previous year. "A
list Of IA new charts, urgently de-
manded. which have been tentatively
approved, faces the bureau at this time,
but there is need for many more" the
report said.
Adoption Of a program for expedit-
ing completion of the control surveys
of the United States was emphasized
by Capt. Patton as one Of the items Of
outstanding Importance. A control
survey, unlike chart which Is q tangi-
bic thing, is, Capt. Patton pointed out,
"a tool for reducing the cost and insur-
ing the accuracy Of all those engineer
ing operations which involve an exact
knowledge of the relationships between
points located throughout an extensive
portion of the earth's surface"
In the work of establishing this con-
troll survey, two separate networks are
being spread over the whole of the
United States. the first consisting Of