OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 15 



Mr. Fltnn". I was interested, in your one reference to the sea when 

 you call it the highway of the sea. I think that has long been the ac- 

 tual situation in this country that the sea has served as a highway to 

 bring both men and industry and business and commerce to this Na- 

 tion. 



It would appear that that meaning is directed to a preliminary 

 meeting largely to see whether or not, financially speaking, the ex- 

 penditure of money necessary for this study can be justified. 



In the sense that the sea is the highway which will serve the people, 

 business, and industry of this country, do you believe that this study 

 would provide for the sea to become a faster highway, a safer high- 

 way ? 



Mr. Vetter. Yes, I do. I think that the oceans provide a very vital 

 and efficient way of transporting materials from one part of the earth 

 to another and I should think that any increase in this efficiency 

 would benefit the entire Nation, not just the coastal States, and I be- 

 lieve that by studying the oceans we can increase the efficiency as my 

 other illustration earlier this morning pointed out. 



Mr. Flynn. Might one of the end results of the study be that we 

 would find a faster means of using the highway and a cheaper means 

 of using the liighway and a safer means of using the highway ? 



Mr. Veiter. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Flynn. And would this, in your opinion, result economically 

 in a saving to the people generally, to those who use the sea? 



Mr. Vetter. Yes, it would, a tremendous saving. 



Mr. Flynn. Do you believe that that saving would justify the ex- 

 penditure of money that would be needed to carry on this study? 



Mr. Vetter. Well, I believe that the savings from only this one ap- 

 plication of oceanographic wave research to problems of routing ships 

 that belong to our country can and will pay back all of the money that 

 is being asked for in this report. This is just one isolated case. 



Mr. Flynn. Doctor, I agree with Mr. Dingell that this should not 

 have to be justified from the financial position alone. However, I 

 believe that many people are going to attempt to have us justify the 

 expenditure from a financial gain point of view and I was trying to 

 see if we could get into the record enough financial gain to justify 

 this expenditure of money. 



In this regard, I have noted in my home area, which is on the shores 

 of Lake Michigan, that the lake was the highway that originally 

 brought the white man there to settle and develop the lake shore on 

 which the great cities have grown and today, with the St. Lawrence 

 Seaway coming through, it is the direct cause of the most tremen- 

 dous development that there is any place in the country outside of 

 possibly California. 



I was wondering whether or not the study that we are making of 

 the sea would not cause the sea to become a faster, safer and speedier 

 highway so that it would benefit the entire country similar to the 

 way the lake ports are being benefited by the St. Lawrence Seaway ? 



Mr. Vetter. Yes, I believe it will. I do not see how it is possible 

 not to benefit the entire country by increasing the efficiency of our 

 merchant marine, and particularly with the opening of the St. Law- 

 rence Seaway in effect we now have that much more coastline to 

 utilize. 



