82 



20; 32 Stat. 767) [Census office was transferred to Department of 

 Commerce and Labor by act of February 14, 1903.] 



February 14, 1903: Department of Commerce and Labor created by 

 act of Congress. Section 12 authorized the President to transfer 

 to the new department at any time all or part of any unit en- 

 gaged in "statitistical or scientific work" from the Departments 

 of State, Treasury, War, Justice, Post Office, Navy, and Interior. 

 (Public Law 87; 32 Stat. 825) 



1903: A Committee on Organization of Scientific Work was appoint- 

 ed by President Theodore Roosevelt to consider the central orga- 

 nization of government scientific bureaus with primary emphasis 

 on eliminating duplication. During the four months of its exist- 

 ence the Committee prepared a series of reports on individual 

 government bureaus. 



April 28, 1904: An act to incorporate the Carnegie Institution of 

 Washington. The objects of the corporation "shall be to encour- 

 age * * * investigation, research, and discovery, and the applica- 

 tion of knowledge to the improvement of mankind." (Public Law 

 260; 33 Stat. 575) 



February 1, 1905: Transfer of forest reserves from Department of 

 the Interior to Department of Agriculture; change of name of Di- 

 vision of Forestry to Forest Service. (Public Law 35; 33 Stat. 628) 



March 16, 1906: The Adams Act of 1906 strengthened both finan- 

 cial support for agricultural experiment stations and their con- 

 trol by the Federal government, increasing annual funding but 

 also restricting use of funds to "conducting original researches or 

 experiments bearing directly on the agricultural industry of the 

 United States." (Public Law 47; 34 Stat. 63) 



April 23, 1908: A reorganization of the Medical Department of the 

 U.S. Army providing for a Medical Corps and Medical Reserve 

 Corps as well as the existing Hospital corps, nurse corps and 

 dental surgeons. (Public Law 101; 35 Stat. 66) 



May 16, 1910: Bureau of Mines established in the Department of 

 the Interior. The principal duties of the bureau related to ways 

 to improve conditions and safety in mines. 



Functions authorized to be transferred from the U.S. Geologi- 

 cal Survey related to investigations of structural materials, anal- 

 yses of fuel substances (coal, lignites and other mineral fuels), 

 and investigation of causes of mine explosions. (Public Law 179; 



36 Stat. 369) 



August 14, 1912: Under an act, the name Public Health and 

 Marine Hospital Service was changed to Public Health Service. 

 The legislation also authorized the Public Health Service to con- 

 duct field investigations and studies and, in particular, investiga- 

 tions of the diseases of man and pollution of navigable streams. 

 The significance of this legislation was that by opening the whole 

 field of public health to research by the government, it was rec- 

 ognized as a legitimate area of Federal activity. (Public Law 265: 



37 Stat. 309) 



February 25, 1913: By a new organic act the field of the Bureau of 

 Mines was expanded by definition to include "Mining, metallur- 

 gy, and mineral technology," thus extending the activities 

 beyond the coal industry and for prevention of waste as well as 

 mine safety. (Public Law 386; 37 Stat. 681) 



