98 MARINE SCIENCE 
great the need, or how adequate the budget, the fact is that for achieve- 
ment in any branch of science, the basic need is for creative, scholarly 
individuals. It is around such men that programs should be built. 
These men and groups should be supported sufficiently well so that 
they are not frustrated in their efforts; but are allowed to build their 
programs up to the optimum size. We should aim for earned growth 
rather than for creating full-blown large organizations which will 
need many years of experience before they can function as an effective 
team. 
(6) In oceanwide marine research the major institutions are inevi- 
tably fashioned around their ship facilities, and the size of the insti- 
tution and its total budget depend very largely on how many big 
ships they undertake to operate. From this viewpoint the cost of the 
ships and their initial equipment are not really the major factor. 
The starting point for planning is the operating costs of the ships. 
From statistics recently issued, the operating costs of an oceangoing 
research ship, of the kind now in use or in prospect in this country, 
varies from a quarter-million to a million dollars per year. This is 
simply the price of operating the ship, not of doing the science on it. 
Under present circumstances the shipboard and shore-based programs 
which the ship can support will cost at least five times the operating 
costs of the ship. A scientific program less than about five times the 
operating costs of the ship operations will, in general, not make full 
use of the capabilities of the ship. The capital investment is the cost 
of the ship and the approximately equal cost of the shore-based estab- 
lishment, but these capital investments should not be made unless one 
is prepared to budget for the continuing annual cost of a quarter- 
million to a million dollars for ship operations, and approximately five 
times that for scientific program. The ship is the unit about which a 
program in oceanography should be built, and any institution should 
have its growth in large steps as ships are added. 
(c) The major part of the research effort should be situated in 
academic institutions or in institutions or bureaus which have the 
broad interest and intellectual vigor which characterize the finest 
academic institutions. It is very rarely that one finds such charac- 
teristics dominant in a Government bureau, and indeed, in general 
they are probably not the most desirable characteristics for a Gov- 
ernment bureau. But they are essential to creative basic research. 
We must keep clearly in mind the need for pursuing both basic re- 
search and the very important surveys and applications; but let us 
not deceive ourselves that we are funding one when we are funding 
the other. 
(d) Continuity or stability of support and the creation of far 
more career positions are essential if the marine sciences are to be 
able to attract, train, and hold a fair share of the top grades of 
scientists. It appears that cooperation of Government, industry, 
foundations, and universities will be required. 
(e) Political influences in the allocation of Government support of 
basic research must be reduced. Clearly an increasing percentage 
of the support will come from Government. A difficult course must 
be steered between the hazards of allocating more of the research to 
Government laboratories on the one hand, or the demand to have one 
of each in each of the 50 States on the other hand. The problems 
