318 I. TJie Admuiistrative Prohlem 



to determine the value of the methods recommended. This is the im- 

 mediate business of the department and the department rtiust have 

 research workers to whom it can look for advice. 



Beyond this administrative end however is the fundamental work, 

 the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. This is "free" research as 

 distinguished from "administrative" research. Men carrying out 

 administrative research often have to range so widely afield that they 

 do not see the need for further free research, and think that all research 

 might as well be carried out under the government department. But 

 this is a fundamental mistake, for a government department is unfitted 

 by its very nature to conduct fundamental research. 



In the first place governmental expenditure is subject to the closest 

 scrutiny and criticism by non-expert bodies. Research expenditure is 

 always liable to be overhauled by bodies such as the Treasury, the Public 

 Accounts Committee, and the Committee on National Expenditure, 

 i.e. expenditure has to be justified before non-expert bodies charged with 

 the sole task of cutting down expenses. As an example one may adduce 

 the reports of the United States Committee on Appropriations where 

 you may read of the sorry spectacle of the scientist trying to justify his 

 scientific research before them. Economic research has to justify itself 

 in the long run by results, but it should be judged by its peers. 



Such a situation reacts inevitably upon the scientific man himself. 

 In self-protection he is driven to produce hypothetical balance sheets 

 and to advertise himself. He is tempted to take a short point of view 

 and not only to do work which will give immediate results but to produce 

 these results very early. Awful examples can be quoted. Agriculture 

 progresses in yearly cycles. The first year's investigation results in a 

 hypothesis upon which the second year's work is based, but the second 

 year's work often wipes out the first year's hypothesis. If however 

 under compulsion of justification a man has tied himself to his first year's 

 hypothesis and promised results, there is much danger that the rest of 

 the work is forced to conform to the initial misconception. 



The control of fundamental research must be in the hands of some 

 University or some kindred body which exempts the scientific man from 

 non-technical criticism. Such a control must impose its own criticism, 

 butthis is informed and does not demand immediate results. The govern- 

 ment department merely allocates to the research institutions certain 

 monies and only asks a receipt to show that these have been spent pro- 

 perly. It is merely a cash tiansaction which ]>roduces a voucher which 

 may be shown to auditors. 



In the second place the staff of a government department is graded 



I 



