Relation of the Federal Government to Research 



5T 



Business schools and business research agencies have 

 been established and conducted by private enterprise 

 in tliis country primarily for the purpose of training 

 managers in practical affairs and of protecting and 

 promoting the interests of business enterprises, espe- 

 cially large businesses. The research which would 

 keep the whole Nation fully informed about business 

 has not been developed to anything like the level 

 readied in agriculture. The members of the staff of 

 this inquiry have sought diligently to discover the 

 reasons for tlie comparative inadequacy of research in 

 business in the program of the Federal Government. 

 They have been told that the spirit of competition is 

 much stronger in business than in agriculture, that the 

 agencies in Government which might undertake busi- 

 ness investigations are much less generously supported 

 by Congressional appropriations than are the agencies 

 which carry on research in agriculture, and that the 

 schools of business are far less mature and far less 

 helpful in promoting researches in business than are 

 the institutions which are responsible for research in 

 agriculture. 



It seems clear that research in business requires en- 

 couragement and promotion. The small business man 

 can no more support research than can the farmer. 

 It is true that in recent years a number of trade asso- 

 ciations have been organized through which business 

 concerns which are too small to conduct researches 

 independently have pooled their interests and secured 

 the advantages of cooperative action in the development 

 of applied science. It seems clear, however, that more 

 will have to be done in the future than has been done 

 up to the present time. The Government of England 

 has subsidized the activities of the trade associations 

 organized in that country. 



There is widespi'ead agreement among students of 

 business that elaborate investigations are needed in 

 order that more may be known than is now known 

 about business cycles and the conditions that lead to 

 depressions. There is here an area of research quite 

 as important as the areas which are recognized by 

 everyone as belonging to Government with respect to 

 hurricanes and flood control. 



The closer coordination of the educational institu- 

 tions of tlie country, including the schools of business, 

 with governmental research, is a matter deserving of 

 the most careful consideration. Advisory committees 

 are organized by many of the governmental agencies. 

 These bring to the seat of governmental activities, 

 usually only for short periods, some of the members of 

 university faculties and leaders in lines of activity 

 other than education. The contacts thus maintained 

 have the double advantage of stimulating activities in 

 the institutions in different parts of the country and 



122999—39 5 



of bringing to the service of Government valuable 

 counsel and sympathy. Advisory committees do not 

 seem to suffice. The people of the United States are 

 convinced of the importance and practical usefulness 

 of research in agriculture. This fact is to be explained 

 in part by the existence in each connnonwealth of an 

 institution which not only contributes to knowledge 

 about agriculture but keeps the legislature informed 

 about problems of the State and otherwise serves the 

 peoj^le of tlie State. There is at the present time no 

 such popular confidence in research in business. 



Appropriations for publication made to many agen- 

 cies of the Federal Government are inadequate. Not 

 only so, but the skepticism with regard to the pro- 

 priety of issuing published material, especially pub- 

 lished material that is attractive in form, manifests 

 itself in unfavorable comments made in congressional 

 hearings and in congressional debates. 



There are examples which can be cited in support of 

 the statements made. The reports which accompany 

 this as partial reports on social science research show 

 beyond the possibility of dispute that the Bureau of 

 the Census and the Office of Education are now in pos- 

 session of much valuable manuscript material which 

 would be of great use if it could be published. The 

 results of the investigations which were made by a 

 large staff that studied the experience accumulated 

 during the operations of the National Eecovery Ad- 

 ministration now lie in the files of the Federal Gov- 

 ernment unavailable alike to legislators and business 

 men because there is no money to publish what cost 

 great sums to accumulate. Wlien the officers of the 

 emergency relief agencies brought out an informing 

 and attractive pamphlet, vigorous criticism of the pub- 

 lication was voiced. 



Quotations from several of the statements submitted 

 by Federal research agencies are as follows : 



Recently, two very important reports of this Commission 

 were made public, but they have not yet been published. 



A greater embarrassment by far has been the inadequacy of 

 opportunity to publish manuscripts. There is always a series of 

 worthwliilc papers awaiting publication and sometimes 5 or 6 

 years go by before they can be issued. 



Practically no funds for the publication of research findings. 



Publication Facilities 



The facilities for communication of scientific find- 

 ings secured hy governmental research to the people 

 of the Nation are limited. — It is sometimes argued by 

 those who do not regard it as wise to appropriate pub- 

 lic funds for publications, that many of the manu- 

 scripts prepared by the scientific agencies are obscure 

 in language. That there is ground for this position 

 must be admitted. Scientific men are in the habit of 

 writing for their colleagues rather than for the gen- 



