108 Resolutions Passed by the Council 



RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THE COUNCIL, 



1 934- 1 940 



Resolution for Continuance of Scientific Work in the 



Government Bureaus 



Adopted by the Council, April 15, 1934 



Whereas, The American Association for the Advancement of Science, comprising 

 with affiliated American scientific societies a membership of a quarter of a million, ex- 

 ists because its members are convinced of the importance to America of the advance- 

 ment of science and its useful applications in this country ; 



Whereas, The Bureau of Standards plays an essential and unique role in supplying 

 American scientists with technical data and methods concerned with materials, measure- 

 ments and standards which are essential to the progress of science and not otherwise 

 available ; 



Whereas, This and other scientific bureaus of the Federal Government represent a 

 great capital investment of money, work and scientifically trained men, as well as a 

 prolific source of those elements essential to the national prosperity and welfare of the 

 future ; 



Whereas, The permanent importance to this country of the continued work of the 

 scientific bureaus maintained by the Federal Government is relatively far greater than 

 the half of one per cent of the Federal budget allotted to these scientific bureaus would 

 imply : 



Whereas, The recent cuts in appropriation to these bureaus have crippled their work 

 and disorganized their staffs so seriously as to impair their service and in large measure 

 destroy that capital investment of money, work and men on which the future technical 

 progress of the country depends ; and 



Whereas, A large, part of the budgetary savings effected by these curtailments are 

 false economies in that ( 1 ) the investment in some earlier work is lost, (2) some essen- 

 tial work is continued in a less efficient manner, (3) many former members of staffs 

 of these bureaus are now maintained at government expense on emergency Federal 

 projects of far less value and with far lower efficiency than that of the work from 

 which they were dropped in the economy program and (4) the technical effectiveness 

 of the country is receiving a blow from which it will take years at best to recover ; 

 therefore be it 



Resolved, That the attention of those responsible for the administration of the fed- 

 eral affairs be called to these unfortunate aspects of the present situation in the scien- 

 tific bureaus of the Government, and that they be requested to provide adequately for 

 the continuation of such scientific work as is, in the opinion of qualified scientists and 

 technical experts, essential to the national prosperity and not capable of or appropriate 

 for efficient continuation by non-governmental agencies ; and be it further 



Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States, 

 to the members of his Cabinet, to the Director of the Budget and to the Members of 

 Congress, and that it be published in the official organ of this Association. 



