418 . THE NEW WORLD OF SCIENCE 



close cooperation, both in the planning and execution of re- 

 search, requisite to bring to the nation the largest possible re- 

 wards from scientific investigation. Clearly, there are other 

 methods than those represented by the Research Council 

 whereby to achieve these desired ends, and a few words of 

 comment may serve to exhibit the considerations which have 

 justified the course pursued. 



The policy adopted by certain other countries, notably Great 

 Britain, Japan, Italy, the Dominions of Australia and Canada, 

 might with modifications have been imitated. In this case, 

 research in its largest bearings would be made dependent upon 

 the control and financial support of the Federal Government, 

 which might create its own agencies through which to work or 

 might allot subventions for purposes of research to extant 

 organizations, whether directly under Government control or 

 not. Assuming that Congressional appropriations might be 

 secured in necessary amounts, this type of plan might be ex- 

 pected to produce results upon a large scale more rapidly than 

 any other, but experience has shown that under the actual con- 

 ditions in the United States, direct federal supervision of scien- 

 tific work is likely to carry with it substantial limitations which 

 would in the long run seriously reduce the efficiency of re- 

 search. 



Another possible method would be the creation through pri- 

 vate benefactions of a colossal endowment to be administered 

 v like certain of the present research institutes. The great dif- 

 ficulty here is the magnitude of the capital required to cover so 

 wide a field as is represented by the National Research Council. 

 The institutes referred to follow as a rule only a single branch 

 of work. On the other hand, the Council as a federation of 

 scientific agencies would be free from the objection sometimes 

 urged against these research foundations, i.e., that they are 

 purely private organizations, and as such, are likely to be auto- 

 cratic and arbitrary in their methods. 



In its present organization, the National Research Council 

 represents the attempt to accomplish in a democracy, and by 



