RELATION U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TO PUBLIC 





\2~ reprint-, of maps, and tiftee-n special 

 maps a si-parate publication for every 

 day of the year, with a strand total of 

 copic^ is-iu-d of over <><> :>.<x'jo. The total 

 distribution of these- publications was 

 nearly 850,000 copi 



After this review of the different 

 phases of the work of the Initcd 

 State-- ( '.e-olo^-ical Survey it may be 

 appropriate to speak of the policy gov- 

 erning this branch of the public serv- 

 ice. I have -aid that the Survey had 

 it- origin in an appreciation ,,f the im- 

 portance to the Nation <.f its mineral 

 iv-ources. In i$~<). the treasure house 

 of the country had barely been opened : 

 the value of last year's mineral output 

 wa- approximately six times that of the 

 product of 1880. 



This phenomenal growth of the min- 

 i ral industry during the life of the 

 Survey has emphasized the industrial 

 dependence of the country upon its 

 mineral wealth, and the present year 

 has seen a nation awakening to a 

 realization of its future needs. Thus 

 it is that the Survey's duty to the peo- 

 ple has caused its role to change in 

 these thirty years from that of the pro- 

 moter of the development of the min- 

 eral industry to that of the conserver 

 of these sources of wealth. The Na- 

 tion, under the lead of 1 'resident 

 Ko. ,-cvelt. ha- begun to take thought 

 of the morrow, and it has turned to 

 it- scientific bureaus for authoritative 

 information. 



The problem before the American 

 people to-day is the extension of the 

 life of its natural resouro It is 

 fortunate that the explorations and 

 investigation- <>f the ( leol- >gical Survey 

 m t only have contributed to the de- 

 velopment of these resources, but also 

 have furnished quantitative data that 

 are available at tbi- time of popular 

 awakening to the needs of national 

 conservation. Tin- practical value ->f 

 the Survey's scientific work has thus 

 won popular recognition and apprecia- 

 tion. SO that the I'urean can reali/e more 

 fully its purpose ,,f promoting the eco- 

 nomic devclopmeir of the country along 

 proper lin 



iservation as applied to mineral 



resources mean- tl ting of p: 



int-day needs \\itb an eye open to the 

 requirements <.f the morrow. To thi- 

 end, an invent-in of the country'- 

 prc-enl -upply of the ----eirial mate- 

 rial- i- the first step, and for a period 

 "f years the Survey has be-e-n engaged 

 in -lock taking The Surve-y geolo^i-t 

 has nu-asure-d the coal and iron re- 

 serve-; the Survey hydrograpber ha- 

 gaged the- -treams of the country, de- 

 termining their tlow and calculating Un- 

 available power; the Survey t"pogra- 

 pheT ha- explored and mapped the little- 

 known areas, furnishing us \\-ith relia- 

 ble data from which may be- de-te-rmined 

 the feasibility of reclamation by irriga- 

 tion or by drainage, and the Survey 

 statistician has determined and re-- 

 corded the increasing rate- of produc- 

 tion and consumption of mineral prod- 

 ucts. \Yith this information already at 

 band, the gre-a'<-t incentive to economy 

 is provided. The phenomenal indus- 

 trial growth of the- past few years can- 

 not continue without endangering tin- 

 future unless wasteful methods are- 

 stopped. 



The campaign of conservation must 

 be- one of education. In this educa- 

 tional service-, the- < ie-< 'logical Survey, 

 like the other scientific bureaus, long 

 since enlisted. It- policy ha- bee-n to 

 Infer economic condition- by the- in- 

 vc-tigation of the Nation's natural 

 urces Through such investiga- 

 tions by the- < K-olo-ical Survey the 

 Forest Service and the' Reclamation 



Service- both originated, the older bn- 

 ie-au by its preliminary work marking 

 <mt the- gre-at ti. Ids ope-n for the lar. 

 activities ( >f the- vounger organization-. 

 In the subject- other than forestry and 

 irrigation, the Surve-y ha- continued it- 

 work and to-day i- pre-sentini; to the 

 public facts that con-titute most forci- 

 ble' argunie-nt- f< -r national c. m<e-rvatii m. 

 The subject of "iir mineral fuels j^ 

 one of intense inteTe-t t-> the American 

 who de-sire-s hi- country's future- t-> be no 

 less brilliant than its present. < >n the 

 eve of the- < iovernors' ( 'on f-; viice at the 

 \Yhite House, the Survey i--iu-d a map 

 of 'he coal tie-1 Is "f the I'nited States. 

 This showed bo'h graphically anrl -t:i 



