664 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



act for forest research in the Department of Agriculture, with all that 

 this implies in recognition, standing, etc. A group of objectives, 

 including the scope of the research, the field units at which it is to be 

 done, and the 10-year financial program in accordance with which it 

 is to be carried out, are given the full authority of congressional enact- 

 ment. From the standpoint of the development of research in the 

 Forest Service this legislation ranks in importance second only to the 

 consolidation of the work in the Branch of Research and the segrega- 

 tion of administrative and research activities in the Forest Service. 



The merit of the policy of adequate financing is not likely to be 

 questioned except during a serious economic depression when Federal 

 receipts are at a low level, the burden of taxation is severely felt, and 

 public opinion is striking out at expenditures in general without very 

 much consideration of their necessity or promise. The results of 

 the policy must be judged on the basis of whether a scientific founda- 

 tion for forest-land use or the lowest possible Federal appropriations 

 are more in the public interest, and of whether the required effort 

 could have been made by any other agencies. Finally, it should be 

 borne in mind that the increases in appropriations indicated below 

 were made during a period when adequate funds were available and 

 that the amounts are insignificant in comparison with expenditures 

 for other public purposes, or with the values at stake. 



For the fiscal year 1915, $286,578 was available for all classes of 

 research, and for 1932, $1,793,300, not counting cooperative contribu- 

 tions which would add about $100,000, nor $900,000 for a Forest 

 Products Laboratory building, nor about $140,000 for emergency 

 contruction purposes at the forest experiment stations. The average 

 annual increase in appropriations for the 14 years preceding the 

 passage of the McSweeney Act was about $55,000, while that for the 

 3 years, not including tne depression year of 1933, following the 

 passage of the act has been $250,000. The rate of expansion may be 

 indicated still more specifically by classes of work. 



The appropriation for forest management research in 1921 was 

 $50,000; that for 1932 was $562,000, an increase of approximately 

 11 times in as many years. The appropriation for forest economics 

 in 1925 was $25,800, while that for 1932 was $355,000, or an increase 

 of nearly 14 times in 7 years. During the 15 years from 1917 to 1932 

 forest products appropriations increased approximately 5 times from 

 $135,000 to $641,300. During the 5 years between 1927 and 1932 

 range research appropriations more than tripled, from $40,320 to 

 $130,000. The first appropriation of $30,000 for erosion-streamflow 

 research became available in 1930. That for 1932 was $100,000. 



The expansion of the larger field units has been in proportion. 

 Funds available for the Forest Products Laboratory between 1915 

 and 1932 increased from $130,744 to $534,430. The Southern 

 Forest Experiment Station was established in 1922, with an initial 

 allotment of $14,860 and the funds available in 1932 were $180,800. 

 The Pacific Northwest station handled its work in 1922 with $7,040, 

 and in 1932 was allotted $167,300. In 1926 the California station 

 expended $7,085, and in 1932 was allotted $141,680. The Lake 

 States station was established in 1924 with an appropriation of 

 $23,555, and this had been increased to $103,390 in 1932. Field 

 stations other than the Forest Products Laboratory received in 1921 

 a total allotment of less than $50,000, while in 1932 they received 

 $1,048,580, a twentyfold increase. 



