218 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 736 



for sundry civil expenses of the government 

 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, ap- 

 proved May 2Y, 1908, I transmit herewith for 

 the consideration of the Congress the report 

 of the National Academy of Sciences relating 

 to the conduct of the scientific vcork under the 

 "United States government. 



Theodoee Eoosevelt 

 The White House, 

 January 18, 1909 



National Academy of Sciences, 



Office of the President, 

 Baltimore, January 16, 1909 



Sir: The sundry civil act approved May 27, 

 1908, requests the National Academy of Sci- 

 ences to consider certain questions relating to 

 the conduct of the scientific work under the 

 United States government, and to report the 

 result of its investigations to Congress. 



Immediately after the passage of the act a 

 committee, consisting of five eminent men of 

 science, none of whom held emplo3rment under 

 the United States government, was appointed 

 to make the necessary investigation. The 

 memhers of that committee are : 



R. S. Woodward, president of the Carnegie In- 

 stitution of Washington, chairman. 



W. W. Campbell, director of the Lick Observa- 

 tory, Mount Hamilton, Cal. 



Edward L. Nichols, professor of physios, Cornell 

 University. 



Arthur A. Noyes, acting president of the Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology. 



Charles R. Van Hise, president of the University 

 of Wisconsin. 



Under date of January 9, 1909, this com- 

 mittee submitted its report to the council of 

 the academy. 



I have the honor to transmit herewith this 

 report to Congress. 



I am, sir, very respectfully, 



Ira Eemsen, 

 President National Academy of Sciences 

 The Speaker of the House 



OF Eepeesentatives 



REPORT OF committee ON CONDUCT OF SCIENTIFIC 

 WORK UNDER THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 



To the Council of the National Academy of 



During the first session of the Sixtieth Con- 



gress of the United States there was incor- 

 porated in the act making appropriations for 

 sundry civil expenses of the government for 

 the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, the fol- 

 lowing section, namely: 



Sec. 8. The National Academy of Sciences is 

 required, at their next meeting, to take into con- 

 sideration the methods and expenses of conducting 

 all surveys of a scientific character and all chem- 

 ical, testing and experimental laboratories and to 

 report to Congress as soon thereafter as may be 

 practicable a plan for consolidating such surveys, 

 chemical, testing, and experimental laboratories 

 so as to effectually prevent duplication of work 

 and reduce expenditures without detriment to the 

 public service. 



It is the judgment of Congress that any person 

 who holds employment under the United States, 

 or who is employed by and receives a regular 

 salary from any scientific bureau or institution 

 that is required to report to Congress, should 

 refrain from participation in the deliberations of 

 said National Academy of Sciences on this subject 

 and from voting on or joining in any recommenda- 

 tion hereunder. 



In compliance with the terms of this legis- 

 lation, the president of the National Academy 

 of Sciences appointed the undersigned com- 

 mittee to consider the questions specified in 

 said legislation, with a view of securing a 

 report on or before the next annual meeting 

 of the academy. This committee now has the 

 honor to submit a report. 



It should be explained, first, that in com- 

 pliance with a request addressed by the presi- 

 dent of the academy to the President of the 

 United States, all of the executive departments 

 of the government were directed to assist the 

 representatives of the National Academy of 

 Sciences in securing such information as 

 might be necessary in preparing this report. 

 The conununication from the President of the 

 United States announcing that such direction 

 had been issued bears the date June 29, 1908. 

 In conformity therewith numerous communi- 

 cations have been received by your committee 

 from heads of departments and from bureaus 

 and divisions of the government engaged in 

 the kinds of work specified in the legislative 

 act cited above. 



In the second place, it should be stated that 

 this committee has had access to the unpub- 



