- ■ ■ ■ ■ 112 



mlc problens, tho Feder?.l Governments c'^nnot he expooted tc und r- 

 t^ke hrondlv orgnni^^.o'^ or long continL^ing cxplorrtion of t^o h-^-sJc 

 problems o ■" physic^.l ■^nd biologic Oconnogr.-iphy . Undor present cor- 

 ditions private Institutions, ".lone, or tbo st'ite -universities, 0"n 

 originate "■nd c^rry on ^. coordin'^ted ntt"ck in f- is field, -"ini it 

 is by helping to fill ti"<is gap thr.t the proposed Institute would 

 hn.ve its grertest u.sefi^^lnes'^ . 



Nevertheless, ^-n^.lY3xs of the progr".ms of the severr'.l Federr.l 

 bureraiJc vv'^lch cnrry out m'-'rine work shows in Cn.np.da and the United 

 St-^tes tb"t they are in a position to offer pr"ctic-"l assistance cf 

 various sorts in an;/ I'-rge plan for oceanograpl^ic study that might 

 be initiated elsewhere under authoritative auspices. In this con- 

 nection t'-^e vague predictions of "full cooperation ■' s far as facil- 

 itis allow", such as inquiry would elicit from any of the Federal 

 agencies at all concerned with exploration of tie ocean, are of no 

 real help. What is needed is a definite estim'^te of the fields in 

 which the several bureaux c^n lend active aid and of the amount of 

 such assistance that can actu'-].ly be expected from. each. 



An important factor in making such an estimate is that the Fed- 

 eral Government of the United States, by "cts of Congress of April 

 12, 1892, and March 3, 1901^, allows t^-e us e of the Scientific — d 

 ■?'- Supplement to Revised Statutes of the United States, Vol. 2, 1892- 

 1901, pp. 71, 72- "nd Deficiency Appropriation Act, Ori-p. 8?1, Vol. 

 2, 1892-19r'l; Supp lem ent t o the Revised Statutes, p. 1552. 



and Technical research facilities of the Government h-r pri^^- te in- 

 vestigators or institutions. 



And since most of the U. S. Federal est" blis>^ments of present 

 concern "re exprnssl:,^ included j.n these "cts, "s aro the rest h-\r 

 iriplication, it is not too much to st"te that the United States 

 Government is definitolv committed in advance to the general policy 

 of coope;-"" tion in scientific undertakings as a whole, 



Ever^r governm.ental institution now at all concerned in ©ceano- 

 graph:?-^ whather Canadian or United 3t"tes, would, no doubt, gladly 

 expand its operations in that field if its appropriations would al- 

 low. For the reasons st"ted, hovirever, gre-iter liberalit:* in th"t 

 direction c"nnot be reckoned upon. Equally, without additional 

 funds fro.'T som.e source allocated to that particular nuri:ose, none 

 of them, can so expand. And any considerable p"rtiGlpatinn in a gen- 

 eral progr"m wo-'ild result in " dr"in on tho Bureau concerned both 

 as to the tnm.e of its personnel, and otherwise, which could be met 

 onlv on a s-Tiall scale, unless combined with regular duties. 



It is t>en, not so much a question of willingness in this re- 

 spect (this miay be postul"ted in advance), but the more practical 

 one of fie extent to w^-ich existing f-ciliti-.s ^'.n6 administrative 

 limitations will '^llow f^e government ost"blishment3 to lend active 

 assistance. 



An important factor- here is that f'"6 functions of each, of tho 

 bureaux is definitel" laid down, and that each, of them h"s been in 

 operation for so many ^-eopg that a precedent is established i^ t^- e 

 ■es not only of le^isl" tu-'^er but of t^Tj nuh'ic. Conseauentl -'•. 



t>-'ra < 



