ROSA: SCIENTIFIC WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT 353 



presently of such work, and you may judge whether it would be 

 profitable. 



While the Bureau of Standards maintains and makes available 

 the standards of measurement, of quality, of performance, and 

 of practice, for commerce and the industries, and engages in 

 research to develop the industries, the Bureau of Foreign and 

 Domestic Commerce is concerned with the development of 

 commerce and our export trade. The importance of foreign 

 trade to a great nation, and the opportunity and duty of the 

 government in fostering that trade in all legitimate ways, need 

 no emphasis on this occasion. In view of the position of America 

 as a world power, and in view of the general desire that our 

 foreign commerce may be not only profitably but creditably 

 conducted, it would seem that this function of the government 

 would be developed and strengthened. 



THE COAST SURVEY AND THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



1 2 . The Coast and Geodetic Survey is one of the oldest branches 

 of the government doing scientific and technical work, and until 

 the establishment of the Bureau of Standards, kept the standards 

 and did the testing of weights and measures. It is charged with 

 the survey of the coasts and rivers to the head of ship navigation, 

 and the publication of charts, giving the results of base measure- 

 ments, triangulation, topographic and hydrographic surveys, 

 deep sea soundings, temperature, magnetic observations, gravity 

 research, determination of heights, latitude, longitude, and 

 reference points for state surveys. The work is very funda- 

 mental and important and has been done with a high order of 

 precision and thoroughness, and with marked credit to the govern- 

 ment. 



The object of the Bureau of Fisheries is the stimulation of the 

 production and consumption of fish as an important source of 

 food. To stimulate production, scientific research on the habits 

 and propagation of fish is carried on. The breeding of fish and 

 their distribution into lakes and streams is done on a large scale. 

 In all of this work, but particularly in connection with the prop- 

 agation of fish and the protection of fish against lawlessness, 



