297 



research, he said, "* * * would run into the hundreds and hundreds of 

 millions of dollai"s * * *." ^^ Moreover, there was a shortage of trained 

 research personnel. "Unless you contract with somebody who already 

 has the necessary personnel to pursue a particular avenue of research, 

 you are apt to find them depending upon Bureau [of Mines] personnel 

 to carry on the program." ^° Earlier, he had said — 



As with all other natural sciences there is a shortage of competent trained per- 

 sonnel in all phases of coal research. Every effort should be made to increase the 

 supply of geologists, fuels technologists, mining engineers, chemists, chemical 

 engineers, and others necessary to carry out a large expanded coal research pro- 

 gram. A knowledge that increased emphasis will be placed on coal research in the 

 future may encourage the formation of a reservoir of capably trained i)ersonnel.^ 



Secretary Wormser was also reluctant to have the Bureau of Mines 

 enlarge its scope of coal research effort into short-term projects. For 

 example — 



I think that the Government should confine its research to those fundamental 

 projects that you cannot expect private industry to undertake because of the 

 very fact that there is no immediate profit motive involved and yet is a necessary 

 item of research to add to human knowledge.*^ 



In response to a question from the subcommittee chairman, the Acting 

 Director of the Bureau of Mines, Thomas H. Miller, provided a table 

 of expenditures by the Bureau for coal research over a 5-year period. 



EXPENDITURES BY BUREAU OF MINES FOR COAL RESEARCH' 



Coal except Synthetic 

 Year synthetic liquid fuels 



liquid fuels (coal portion 

 of program) 



1952 $2,060,000 $5,539,200 



1953.... 1,997,063 5,483,300 



1954... 2,472,558 2.655,600 



1955 1,860,000 2,285,200 



1956 1,957,030 2,830,040 



1 Ibid., p. 23. 



Some criticism was expressed to Secretary Wonnser concermig the 

 program of applied research in the conversion of coal to liquid fuels. 

 This program, which had been initiated in 1944, as a response to the 

 wartime shortage of petroleum fuels, had recently been terminated 

 by the Bureau. Of this program. Representative Aspinall remarked : 

 "We got no place. We spent some $45 million or something like that 

 and had nothing to show for it as far as answers, apparently.'" -^ 



Wlien the special subcommittee hearings were in their closing ses- 

 sion, almost a year later, one of the final witnesses was T. Reed Scollon, 

 chief of the division of bituminous coal of the Bureau of Mines. On 

 this occasion, a stronger representation was made for participation 

 by the Bureau in an expanded program of coal research. The follow- 

 ing are extracts from Mr. Scollon's testimony : 



The hearings have reflected almost complete unanimity on the need for ex- 

 panded coal research in this country. 



The coal industry is probably the only industry of any size in the United 

 States that has been forced to operate on such small profit margins over the 

 years. 



^Ibid., p. 14. 

 =«Ibl(l., p. 15. 



21 Ibid., p. 9. 



22 Ibid., p. IR. 

 « Ibid., p. 17. 



