42 



National Resources Convmittee 



outside of the bureau on the same or a related problem. 

 The probable returns from the research are weighed 

 against the estimated cost. 



Inauguration of work on a new research problem 

 may result from a special act of Congress directing that 

 such work be done and providing funds for the pur- 

 pose or from a specific order by the Secretary of Agri • 

 culture. New investigations may be stimulated also by 

 the request of another Government agency or of an 

 association of producers or consumers of agricultural 

 products, by the suggestion of some scientist within 

 the bureau, or by letters from a large number of indi- 

 viduals requesting unavailable infonnation on a par- 

 ticular subject. 



The usual procedure in formulating a research proj- 

 ect is for the chief of the bureau to call into conference 

 the chiefs of divisions directly and indirectly concerned 

 in the proposed research, other administrative officials 

 of the bureau, and representatives of such other Gov- 

 ernment agencies and nongovernmental organizations 

 or groups as may be interested. The scope of the prob- 

 lem, the phases first needing attention, possible 

 methods of attack, and the feasibility of undertaking 

 the work are discussed; and if the proposed research 

 is cooperative in nature, the conditions of cooperation 

 are agreed upon. Before work is actually started, this 

 agreement is usually confirmed by memoranda of un- 

 derstanding or formal agreements or contracts. If the 

 proposed research is approved by the chief of the bu- 

 reau, it is formulated as a project with statements as 

 to historical background, objectives, procedure, and 

 estimated cost. This must be approved by the Depart- 

 ment's office of budget and finance, and ultimately by 

 the Secretary of Agriculture. If legal authority for 

 the work does not exist already, or if additional funds 

 will be required, the proposed research must be ap- 

 proved by the Bureau of the Budget and must await 

 Congressional appropriation. If there is legal author- 

 ity and funds are available for the work, the project 

 may be started immediately after approval by the 

 Secretary. 



The execution of a research project, or of one bu- 

 reau's part in a cooperative project, is usually made 

 the responsibility of a single division of a bureau, al- 

 though other divisions may assist in some phases of 

 the work. The operating unit is a work i:)roject, wliich 

 is usually broken down into research line projects, each 

 of which covers a particular phase of the work and is 

 designed to be completed within a limited time. As 

 research line projects are completed, new research line 

 projects are started, after apj^roval by the bui-eau chief. 

 Incidental investigations requiring more than two 

 weeks for completion may not be undertaken without 

 first having them approved as research line projects 

 by the bureau chief. The direct leaders of research 



line projects or work projects may work indejjend- 

 ently or with the assistance of other scientists, under 

 the supervision of the division chiefs. The latter are 

 required to make quarterly and annual reports to the 

 chief of the bureau on the progress of the work, to 

 account for the money expended and obligated, and 

 to submit estimates of the funds required for continua- 

 tion of the work. 



The administrative arrangements within the vari- 

 ous bureaus differ. Some, like the Forest Service and 

 the Soil Conservation Service, conduct research largelj' 

 through regional field laboratories; while others, such 

 as the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils and the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry, rely more largely on the state ex- 

 periment stations for field studies and have their major 

 laboratories in and near Washington. The function of 

 the bureau chief, however, is essentially the same in 

 each case, so that the analysis offered by the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry may serve for all. 



In effect, the chief of the bureau carries the responsibility 

 for activities in the field of investigation allocated to his bu- 

 reau. He stands between the investigators, with their sugges- 

 tions for problems, methods of attack, or requests for financial 

 allotments, and the demands for researches on the part of tlie 

 interested public or other bureaus of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. He presents the needs of the bureau to the appropriat- 

 ing agencies. Through his administrative personnel he re- 

 duces as much as passible the routine of personnel matters, and 

 the necessary accounting that must surround the handling 

 of public money and property. In these matters he generally 

 depends upon his division chiefs or section heads for recom- 

 mendations so that they carry the immediate responsibility. 



It is characteristic of the Department of Agriculture, 

 as of most scientific agencies of the Government, that 

 those directly responsible for the administration of re- 

 search are themselves scientists. Insofar as adminis- 

 trative ability as well as scientific achievement is a 

 factor in the choice of bureau heads, the arrangement 

 has much to commend it, and as it usually works out 

 in the particular department here being considered, it 

 is generally successful. The reason, however, lies less 

 in the scientific qualifications of the administrator than 

 in the fact that he has with some exceptions risen to 

 his executive position from the lower ranlis in the same 

 bureau, and has acquired the necessary knowledge of 

 governmental procedure in the process. 



Because he is responsible for the scientific program 

 of his bureau, the bureau chief must have wide knowl- 

 edge of its field of operations; but he must also justify 

 its program to the Secretary, to the Bureau of the 

 Budget, and finally to Congress. He must, therefore, 

 possess not only technical qualifications, but also con- 

 siderable skill as a salesman. Wlien he appears before 

 Congressional committees on appropriations he must 

 justify his program not in terms of scientific advance- 

 ment but on the basis of the public benefits that will 

 result from it. 



