SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



MATTERS OP SCIENTIFIC INTEREST IN CONGRESS^ 



The bill for a tariff on scientific instruments, etc. (H. R. 7785)^ was 

 brought up on the Senate calendar on April 5, but was passed over. 

 On April 28, Mr. Knox offered an amendment providing for the exemp- 

 tion from import duty of "guaranteed disks, ten inches or more in diam- 

 eter, for astronomical telescopes." 



The Second Deficiency bill for 1920 (H. R. 12046) passed the House 

 on February 5, and the Senate on February 20. After two conferences 

 the House and Senate agreed to final passage on March 2 and 3, and 

 the bill became Public Law 155 on March 8. A proposed appropriation 

 of $100,000 to enable the Bureau of Mines to investigate gases in 

 vehicular tunnels,^ in anticipation of the construction of such a tunnel 

 under the Hudson Ri\-er, was thrown out by the Senate on a point of 

 order. 



The widely differing viewpoints of members of Congress regarding 

 research were brought out in discussions of certain paragraphs of this 

 bill and other appropriation bills. Three principles that are more or 

 less obvious to workers in scientific subjects are far from being uni- 

 versally accepted in Congress, namely: (i) that a successful research 

 institution is a result of years of growth, and continuity is essential to 

 its success; (2) that any nation which expects to keep to the front in 

 world competition must encourage research; and (3) that, when ac- 

 counting is made in terms of decades rather than years, research is the 

 best paying business in the world. Mr. Mann, for example, in objecting 

 to certain appropriations, says on February 2 : "The Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey is a good service. It is mainly scientific. They do good work, 

 but a good deal of it is useless. Very little of it is absolutely necessary 



to-morrow If we are ever to ha v^e economy we have got to 



commence on these things which are not essential." Mr. McLaughlin 

 of Michigan, on the other hand, discussing an item for chemical research, 

 says on February 11: "In regard to this, as in regard to other highly 

 scientific and investigational matters, it is difficult for the Committee 

 to determine whether or not the money is needed or whether or not 

 the work done by the expenditure of the money is satisfactory. We 

 all know that wonderful results have followed experiments and scientific 



investigations Splendid results have been found in the 



most unpromising field, and when scientific gentlemen in whom we have 

 confidence come before us and ask for appropriations to enable them 

 to carry on work, we are loath to refuse them as we hesitate to criticize 

 the work they are doing." 



1 Preceding report: this Journal, 10: 243. 1920. 

 * This Journal, 9: 454. 1919. 

 ^ See this Journal, 10: 54. 1920. 



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