35 



Naturally we were also quite aware of tlie fact that we were en- 

 gaging in an examination of the continuing i)rocess. What wo say 

 today may not at some future period of time accord with tlie realities 

 that will arise as knowledge increases and as the Nation's economy 

 changes. It may be that somewhere down the road many years from 

 now a different type of organization will be called for. We had that in 

 mind and tried to assure a degree of flexibility in this Agency that will 

 permit sensible and prudent changes when sensible and prudent 

 changes are called for. 



Thank you. 



Dr. Stratton. Thank you, Mr. Reedy. 



The report then concludes with a discussion of costs, and this, as 

 you will well imagine, presented us with one of the most difficult 

 problems. 



I would like to ask that Dr. Lawrence, Executive Director, give 

 you a brief account of how we went about that task, not taking time to 

 emphasize the particular figures by what the premises wore, wdiat the 

 limitation is, uncertainties might be, and how we proceeded. 



Dr. Lawrence. 



STATEMENT OF DE. SAMUEL A. LAWRENCE, EXECUTIVE DIEEC- 

 TOR, COMMISSION ON MARINE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND 

 RESOURCES 



Dr. Lawrence. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, 



The material on costs begins at the bottom of page 23 of the high- 

 lights statement. "We have also attached as attachment 2 two tables 

 which appear in the Commission's report and which summarize the 

 estimates which were developed by the Commission. 



I might mention at this time, Mr, Chairman, that there is a third 

 attachment to this highlights statement which represents the staff's 

 effort to identify those recommendations of the Commission which 

 would require legislative action, those where legislative action might 

 be desirable and those where administrative authority appears to be 

 sufficient to carry on. 



The problem of projecting estimates for any program is difficult 

 but it is compounded where one is dealing with fields which are rapidly 

 developing, in which new technology is being brought to bear, and 

 where proposals are being advanced for new programs regarding which 

 there is little information or experience on which to base estimates. 



As Mr. Reedy pointed out, there is also a large ongoing body of 

 activity and experience on which the Commission is building. The 

 estimates which have been developed by the Commission, therefore, 

 represent a combination of projections on which we have fairly firm 

 data on which to base our estimates for the future and estimates w^hich 

 have had to be developed with only very scanty knowledge to repre- 

 sent an approximate level of effort for getting new things done on 

 which there is no experience. 



Some of the national projects necessarily fall into the second cate 

 gory, whereas in the area of developing marine fisheries there are 

 ongoing programs. We know the approximate costs for survey activ- 

 ities that are being anticipated. Indeed, in that particular case we 

 are able to draw on program papers which have been already deveL- 



