Evening star., 1934-12-14

port, is fundamental to. the further
DEVELOPMENT of household and indus
trial refrigeration and Of air condi-
tioning.
A variety of special investigations
Of mineral resources, knowledge OF
which is essential for sound national
planning. Ordinarily this has been
one of the functions Of the Geological
Survey, but the appropriations of this
bureau have been cut so seriously that
the work has not kept up with the
requirements.
Geographical and geological surveys.
These include the securing OF basic
data regarding the interior OF the
earth and the mapping or marginal
areas to lessen agricultural risk.
Investigation of the social problems
arising from mechanization and the
various proposals advanced for solv-
ing these-such as reduction in work.
ing hours when machinery Is intro
duced to displace labor, temporary
tax on all new labor saving machinery
the proceeds to be applied for the
beneflt of the unemployed, or CO.
operation between industries to abb
sorb labor displaced by machinery.
THE problems thus created" says the
report, ARE Of enormous social i'm
port. Much half-baked and sensa-
tional discussion has centered about
them in the past few years. There
can be no doubt, however, that mech
anization of industry will continue
and this presents a challenge to our
best engineering and social talent"
Research Grants Urged.
1t also is proposed that the Federal
Government make grants for various
selected research projects outlined by
engineering societies and universities,
which promise to furnish fundamental
data toward national recovery.
The members of the Science Ad-
yisory Board, in addition to DR.. Comp
ton are: DR.. w. w. Campbell, presl-
dent of the National Academy OF
Sciences: DR.. Isaiah Bowman. cnalr-
man of the National Research Council;
Gano Dunn, president Of the J. q.
White Engineering Corp; Frank B.
Jewett. vice president of the American
Telephone g. Telegraph Co.; Charles
F. Kettering, vice president OF the
General Motors Corp; c. K. Leith OF
the University of Wisconsin,; John G.
Merriam, president Of the Carnegie
Institution Of Washington; Robert A.
Millikan Of the California Institute OF
Technology; Roger Adams. president
elect OF the American Chemical So
ciety; DR.. Simon Flexner, director OF
the Rockefeller Institute for Medical
Research: Frank r. Lille of the Uni
versity Of Chicago, Milton j. Rosenau
of Harvard University and DR.. Thomas
Parran, State health commissioner OF
New York.
Besides the six-year program several
specific recommendations for the
scientific work of Government bureaus
are made. These include:
Some decentralization OF the
Weather Bureau and establishment OF
more district forecast centers and de-
velopment of research work looking
toward long range forecasting.
Institution of cost accounting
system at the Bureau of Standards
and adoption of a policy which will
make impossible obtaining OF patents
for personal profits by employees in the
line Of research to which they are
assigned.
New Bureau Proposed.
rstahl;sbroep+ ~ pau h,Ireau of
mineral economics and statistics, to
take over some activities now dis
tributed between the Geological Survey
and the Bureau of Mines, to be either
under the Department of the Interior
or the Department Of Commerce. The
committee refused to recommend q
proposal that the Bureau Of Mines and
the Geological Survey be combined.
The committee stresses that. be-
cause of the crowding Of the Interior
Building, where 1t Is housed, the Geo
logical Survey is working under ad-
verse conditions intolerable for scien-
tific work. Nothing approaching
such adverse conditions" says the re-
port, "can be found in any other re-
search organization in the country,
public or private" 1t has been actu-
ally necessary to throw away much
invaluable scientific material-the
type rock specimens upon which geo.
logical classics have been based-be-
cause there was no room to store
them.
The report urges that the super
vision of mineral leases on public
lands be transferred to the Bureau of
Mines and that work in geophysics,
largely concerned with locating ore
deposits, be transferred from the Bu-
reau of Mines to the Geological Sur
Vey.
Considering the vast importance to
the country of its mineral resources.
the report points out, appropriations
for both the Bureau of Mines and the
Geological Survey have been grossly
inadequate.
Far-reaching programs are set forth
for studies, largely by the Department
Of Agriculture, of the pressing prob
lens Of soil erosion and land utili-
Zation.