307 



think we are getting as much reciprocity as possible now and I believe 

 there will be even more mutuality in the future." ^^ 



IV. Assessment of ORG in the Light of Congressional Objectives 



It is probably too early to draw any firm conclusions as to the con- 

 tributions of the Ofiice of Coal Research toward the objectives for the 

 coal industry or the Congress, or of the witnesses who testified in 

 1956-57 before the Special Subcommittee on Coal Research. The 

 •'plight*' of the coal industry, as described in those hearings, was 

 mainly that of the 90 percent or so of tlie Nation's 8,000-odd coal mines 

 that might be characterized as "small businesses." It seems almost 

 inherent that the effect of the increasing capitalization that accom- 

 panies mechanization of the coal mines, except under the most favor- 

 able circmnstances, will be to freeze smaller producers progressively 

 out of the picture. Although the research sponsored by OCR is aimed — 

 hopefully with success — at expanding tlie markets for coal in the 

 United States and abroad, it is again inherent in technology itself that 

 the main benefits of new uses of coal will be felt by the operators of 

 larger mines in the most extensive and consistent of coal deposits. 



Nevertheless, research that elevates coal as a basic material by 

 deriving new useful products from it can be expected to stimulate 

 new industries and create new opportunities for employment in the 

 coal-producing regions, whether in small or large enterprises. And 

 there is always the hope that small as well as large coal producers can 

 share in any expanded market for coal. 



In a small way, OCR appears to have patterned its operation upon 

 that of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and is attempting to 

 demonstrate the utility of large R. & D. contracts for public purposes 

 outside of the fields of defense and aerospace. If enough of the pilot 

 plant programs of the agency mature into economically practicable 

 and successful industries, then OCR might indeed become the proto- 

 type for other public investment in the large-scale application of 

 science and technology to the resources of nature. 



Consideration of the information- gathering procedures leading to the 

 Coal Research Act 

 The information-gathering procedure of the Special Subcommittee 

 on Coal Research warrants further analysis. It provided the basic 

 data on which all subsequent legislative proposals, and legislative 

 committee action on coal research depended. The subcommittee began 

 by presentmg its hypothesis as to the need for some kind of action, and 

 then challenged the best available specialists in the executive branch 

 to present their proposals as to what the detailed circumstances were 

 and what action should be taken in response. Then, by going out into 

 the regions most concerned, the subcommittee was able to obtain at 

 first hand the relevant sociological data. It secured the opinions of 

 the producers and workers most intimately concerned, in order to 

 evaluate the political urgency of ameliorative action. Also, by con- 

 sulting with a broad spectrum of coal producers, consumers, and 

 technological authorities in the coal industry, the subcommittee accu- 

 mulated a partial consensus as to the kind of action that might be 



63 House, "Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1968," 

 hearings, op. cit., pp. 144-145. 



