26 



National Resources Convmittee 



study, other agencies of the Government are not per- 

 mitted to increase the usefuhiess of their employees in 

 this way. In certain cases, notably that of the Weather 

 Bureau, the performance of service functions is seri- 

 ously handicapped by inability to train members of the 

 scientific staff in newly developed techniques. 



VI. // t?ie research of the Federal Government is to 

 he of maximum value, findings must he -promptly puh- 

 lished or otherwise made available for general u«e. — 

 Printing appropriations have failed to keep pace with 

 the general expansion of scientific work by the Govern- 

 ment, and in recent instances have been materially 

 reduced. Governmental research, with the exception 

 of projects of a secret nature bearing on the national 

 defense, fails of its purpose in.sofar as findings are 

 unavailable to those who may be interested in them. 



VII. Coordination hetween Federal research agen- 

 cies is essential in the interest hoth of science and of 

 efficiency. — In so large an organization as the Govern- 

 ment establishment, it is inevitable that there will be 

 points at which the work of the various bureaus con- 

 verges or overlaps. At these points coordination is 

 efl'ected in various ways, such as interbureau commit- 

 tees, contractual agreements, and interchange of per- 

 sonnel. The primary bar to coordination is inade- 

 quate information as to the functions of other agencies. 



VIII. Administrative techniques employed hy the 

 scientific agencies of the GovernTnent are conditioning 

 factors in the success of their research programs. — Gov- 

 ernmental research is essentially a group product to 

 which many individuals contribute, and the organiza- 

 tion of these individuals so as 1o obtain maximum 

 returns with the least possible friction is therefore a 

 problem of major importance. Various types of ad- 

 ministrative organization for research purposes have 

 been worked out by the individual departments in 

 terms of their particular needs. 



IX. Present p-rocedures with respect to authorizing 

 and financing research projects tend to limit rather 

 than to promote intelligent consideration of the Gov- 

 ermnenVs scientific progrann as a whole. — Among the 

 bureaus doing research in natural science, appropria- 

 tions are made for specific research projects, usually 

 quite detailed, and each project is considered in itself 

 rather than in its relation to the larger pattern of a 

 general scientific program. Restrictions on funds for 

 equipment, travel, and other items also demonstrate 

 a failure to appreciate the governmental research func- 

 tion in its entirety. 



X. Governmental research serves to stimulate and to 

 catalyze scientific activity hy nongovernmental agen- 

 cies. — In many fields new lines of research are expen- 

 sive and returns may be small or long delayed. 

 Industiv cannot afford to ejiter such fields unless there 



is reasonable prospect of definite financial gain within 

 a predictable future, and it is under such circum- 

 stances that Government agencies may lead the way, 

 leaving the field to industry when conunercially 

 applicable processes have been developed. 



XI. There is no uniform policy on the part of the 

 Federal Government with respect to patents growing 

 out of the work of the research agencies. — The Gov- 

 ernment retains a "shop right" to make use of all 

 patents issued as a result of work done in its labora- 

 tories, but in some cases commercial rights are retained 

 by the employee responsible for the invention, while in 

 others patents are dedicated to the public. Neither 

 system offers a satisfactory answer to the patent 

 problem. 



Responsibility for Research 



There are certain fields of natural science and tech- 

 nology in which the Federal Government is obligated 

 to carry on research. — Scientific research has become a 

 necessary instrument in carrying out many of the 

 assigned fimctions of the Federal Government. Na- 

 tional defense, for example, is now as largely a matter 

 of scientific ingenuity in devising weapons as it is of 

 maintaining armed forces, and the constitutional obli- 

 gation of the Government in this regard consequently 

 includes scientific research. 



National Defense 



The national defense is the specific task of the War 

 and Navy Departments, and the major part of govern- 

 mental research for defense purposes is conducted by 

 the various technical bureaus of these services. A con- 

 siderable volume of reseai"ch of military value is also 

 carried on, however, by other agencies of the Govern- 

 ment such as the Bureau of Standards, the Bureau of 

 Mines, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronau- 

 tics, the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, and the Ten- 

 nessee Valley Authority. 



The development of war materials and supplies re- 

 quires research of a highly specialized nature. Phj-s- 

 ics, chemistrj', metallurgy, and engineering are 

 combined in the production of ordnance, armor plate, 

 mines and torpedoes, bombs and ammunition. In other 

 fields, research is directed toward the discovery of 

 chemicals which may be effectively employed in war- 

 fare, such as smoke and incendiary materials and toxic 

 gases: and toward the adaptation and improvement of 

 radio, telephony and telegraphy, and other means of 

 communication for military use. All phases of ship 

 construction and propulsion are studied by the various 

 bureaus of the Navy Department; and both service 

 branches are concerned with aeronautics, optics, and 

 ballistics, as well as with problems of construction in- 



