ADVANCEMENT OF MARINE SCIENCES 89 



Comptroller General of the United States, 



Washington, May 11, 1061. 

 B-140845 



Hon. Warren G. Magnuson, 

 Chairman, Committee on Commerce, 

 U.S. Senate. 



Dear Mr. Chairman: Further reference is made to your letter of 

 February 13, 1961, acknowledged on February 14, requesting the 

 comments of the General Accounting Office concerning S. 901, 87th 

 Congress, 1st session, entitled "A bill to advance the marine sciences, 

 to establish a comprehensive ten-year program of oceanographic 

 research and survey's, to promote commerce and navigation, to secure 

 the national defense, to expand ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes 

 resources, to authorize the construction of research and survey ships 

 and laboratory facilities, to expedite oceanographic instrumentation, 

 to assure systematic studies of effects of radioactive materials in 

 marine environments, to enhance the public health and general 

 welfare, and for other purposes." 



The general purpose of S. 901 is a matter of policy for the deter- 

 mination of the Congress. However, in the consideration of the bill, 

 we recommend the following corrections and claiifications : 



We believe that because of the number of agencies and the amount 

 of funds involved in carr^dng out the purposes of the bill, it might be 

 well to consider the vesting of specific authority for controlling and 

 coordinating the oceanographic programs of the several agencies in 

 one organization to prevent duplication of effort and to assure the 

 most effective and economical operation of the program. 



Section 8(a) of the proposed legislation authorizes appropriations to 

 the Coast and Geodetic Survey as are necessary for the construction 

 of eight survey ships. The Coast and Geodetic Survey has requested 

 funds in the amount of $9,425,000 to be appropriated in fiscal year 1962 

 for one oceanographic surveying vessel under its existing ship con- 

 struction legislation (33 U.S.C. 883i). The Bureau has also proposed 

 in its 1962 budget justifications a program for construction of seven 

 additional oceanographic ships and it expects to request the necessary 

 funds during fiscal years 1963 through 1965. It is not clear whether 

 the eight ships required to be constructed b}^ section 8(a) of the bill 

 are the same as or in addition to the eight ships included in the Coast 

 and Geodetic Survey's proposed oceanographic program. 



Section 8(b) does not place any limitation on the cost of operating 

 new Coast and Geodetic ^Survey ships, while a 10-year limitation is 

 imposed on the National Science Foundation by section 4(b) and 

 annual hmitations are imposed on the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 by section 6(b) and on the Navy bj^ section 14. We recommend 

 clarification on this point. 



Section 8(i) imposes a qualification that any person receiving 

 training or education at the expense of the Department of Commerce 

 must agree to continue emplo^nnent in the Department for a period 

 of not less than 3 years for each year of training received. However, 

 the bill does not contain a similar qualification for training and 

 educational programs of other agencies. In view thereof, and since 

 we are unable to ascertain whether such a limitation was intended for 

 other agencies, we recommend that this phase of the matter be 

 clarified. 



70982—61 7 



