26 PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM IN OCEANOGRAPHY 



1962 for one oceanographic surveying vessel under its existing ship 

 construction legislation (33 U.S.C. 883i). The Bureau has also pro- 

 posed in its 1962 budget justifications a program for construction of 

 seven additional oceanographic ships and it expects to request the 

 necessary funds during fiscal years 1963 through 1965. It is not clear 

 whether the eight ships required to be constructed by section 8(a) of 

 the bill are the same as or in addition to the eight ships included in 

 the Coast and Geodetic Survey's proposed oceanogi-aphic program. 



Section 8(b) does not place any limitation on the cost of operating 

 new Coast and Geodetic Survey ships, while a 10-year limitation is 

 imposed on the National Science Foundation by section 4(b) and 

 annual limitations are imposed on the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 by section 6(b) and on the Navy by section 14. We recommend 

 clarification on this point. 



Section 8(i) imposes a qualification that any person receiving train- 

 ing or education at the expense of the Department of Commerce must 

 agree to continue employment in the Department for a period of not 

 less than 3 years for each year of training received. However, the 

 bill does not contain a similar qualification for training and educational 

 programs of other agencies. In view thereof, and since we are unable 

 to ascertain whether such a limitation was intended for other agencies, 

 we recommend that this phase of the matter be clarified. 



By making oceanographic research one of the primary duties of the 

 Coast Guard, under this bill, it appears that under the authority of 

 14 U.S.C. 92(d) the Secretary of the Treasury could then construct 

 vessels for the exclusive purpose of oceanographic research. It is not 

 clear, however, whether the Coast Guard was intended to have this 

 additional ship construction authority since the bill would place a 

 monetary limitation on the amount of scientific equipment that may be 

 installed on each Coast Guard vessel assigned oceanographic research 

 duties. Accordingly, we recommend that the bill clearly indicate 

 whether this additional ship construction authority is intended to be 

 granted to the Coast Guard. 



We suggest that the term "operating costs" on page 39, line 20, be 

 clarified to indicate the actual costs intended to be included. We have 

 been advised informally by the Department of the Navy that they 

 overlooked this provision in their review of the prior bill and that 

 careful consideration would be given therto in their study of the 

 present bill. We observe that operating costs of ships are also 

 referred to in various other sections of the bill without indication of 

 the costs intended to be included, e.g., fine 23, page 8; lines 3 and 5, 

 page 16; and line 18, page 24. 

 Sincerely yours, 



Joseph Campbell, 

 Comptroller General of the United States. 



Department of the Navy, 



OrncE OF the Secretary, 

 Washington, D.C., December 6, 1961. 

 Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, 



Chairman, Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 House oj Representatives, Washington, D.C. 



My Dear Mr. Chairman: Your request for comment on S. 901, 

 an act to advance the marine sciences, to establish a comprehensive 



