TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT 25 



to carry on a large part of the particular class of work indepen- 

 dently and thus save the time of an expensive man. The cost 

 of mechanical analyses of soils has been reduced between 50 

 and 75 per cent. As an illustration of how the price decreases 

 with quantity, I have the honor to refer you to the history of 

 our cement testing. In the fiscal year 1906 we tested fourteen 

 cements; in 1907, one hundred eighty-five; in 1908, one thousand 

 seven hundred nineteen; in 1909, three thousand five hundred 

 ninety-six; in 1910, three thousand two hundred sixty-two; in 

 1911, three thousand seven hundred twenty-eight; in 1912, seven 

 thousand nine hundred sixty-six; and during 1913 we tested 

 more than nine thousand five hundred samples. In 1906 our 

 authorized charge for cements was ^30 per sample ; in 1907, ^15 

 per sample; and at the present time it is ?0.60 for the same 

 class of test. In the same manner, the cost of analyzing samples 

 of water decreases rapidly when many samples are analyzed at 

 one time. In the decreased cost of work with the increase in 

 volume is to be found the strongest argument for the segregation 

 of the scientific work of the entire Government in one institution 

 like our own. Even when it is all brought together in one class, 

 certain tests are so few in number that the unit cost of per- 

 forming them becomes very high. 



In general, people expect to pay more when work is done by 

 a government laboratory because they have the prestige of the 

 Government back of the results. We have avoided taking advan- 

 tage of this as shown by the fact that our scheduled charges are 

 consistently very much lower than the charges made by equally 

 reputable commercial and other institutions or laboratories of 

 the United States. Our continued effort is to be of as much 

 assistance as possible, and often we carry work farther than is 

 requested w^hen it is evident that the public can be benefited. 

 For example, sometimes individuals draw conclusions from analy- 

 ses on the basis of findings in other countries. Often this is 

 erroneous, and we endeavor to settle the problem by careful 

 research. 



The results of many of the investigations of the Bureau of 

 Science, although available at present, do not become of most 

 value until they are utilized from an industrial, commercial, 

 or educational standpoint. Research work indicates the latent 

 wealth of the nation, and bears the same relation to the commer- 

 cial world that blocked-out ore does to a developed mine. The 

 intrinsic value and the potential importance of this work are 

 becoming more and more evident as its practical application is 

 demonstrated and appreciated. It is not always easy to antici- 



