234 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



and in the next breath they were told the ship was to be laid up. The 

 very next day we were given a communication from the National 

 Academy of Sciences, telling us how backward the United States was 

 in ocean research, how far behind other countries we were in the 

 United States, but we were not told why the ship was laid up. 



Chairman Miller. I don't know, captain, if we can give you that 

 answer until we have all the data before us. 



Captain Hiller. I wrote to Rear Admiral Momsen, who is retired 

 from the Navy. He is very much interested in oceanography and 

 ocean research. His answer was that laying up the ship was wrong, 

 and he could not see any justification for it. Thas has been the voice 

 of everyone I have talked to. I don't see any reason for it and have 

 never heard an}^ answer to it. 



I am wondering if this committee is the ultimate one to make any 

 decision on it. 



Chairman Miller. We have jurisdiction on legislative matters so 

 far as they pertain to the work of the Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 There are other committees which handle the finances for this agency. 

 I do not know if this committee is in a position to say to the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service that we are a court of appeals and we can override 

 one of their administrative decisions. Of couree, I don't need to tell 

 you that decision is an administrative matter. 



Captain Hiller. Yes. 



Chairman Miller. If they have the money which has been directly 

 appropriated for the Service it should be used for the Service. Of 

 course, we are tiying to determine on our own, just what the facts 

 are, and out of these facts make some representation to them, to the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service. I don't think I can say if the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service can justify its decision, but I don't think they will 

 disregard any recommendations we might: make after weighing all the 

 facts. 



Captain Hiller. There has been some talk about a new ship, but 

 I can't see that a new ship will solve any of the problems or the rea- 

 sons given for taking this one out of service. I don't think tlie rea- 

 sons given, that she is unseaworthy, the unseaworthiness of the ship, 

 or the crew, I don't think they will solve the problems. I think they 

 will be increased, because in breaking in a new ship there are several 

 years before you get the ship the way you want it. There will be 

 several years lost before you get a new ship where you have the 

 Albatross. 



The reasons given for the wage increase, as I understand it, and it 

 was a surprise to the members of the crew, a surprise to them as it was 

 to me. I understood the Wages Reviewing Board would make the 

 annual survey and possibly this year there would be a little decrease, 

 but all of a sudden there was a substantial increase. 



We can, of course, all use the money, we need it, but it hasn't helped 

 anybody yet. 



Chairman Miller. Your statement that labor trouble contributed 

 to the laying up of the ship is new to us. That is entirely new to us. 



Captain Hiller. I liave also some of the correspondence on it. I 

 think some of the difficulties attributable to the fact that the union 

 moved in is con-ect. I have seen letters, 1 cannot quote them, but I 

 have seen letters from some higher-ups in the Bureau of Commercial 



