Mat 12, 191 OJ 



SCIENCE 



661 



these scientist pioneers in Alaska is our 

 own Dr. Dall, the credit for whose half 

 century of scientific work under govern- 

 ment auspices is shared by the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey and the Geological Sur- 

 vey. In connection with its engineering 

 work also, the Coast and Geodetic Survey 

 has made important scientific contributions 

 that are distinctly geologic in character, 

 and as geologists we are almost inclined to 

 lay claim to Hayford's work on isostasy 

 and Bowie's gravity determinations. 



Every geologist who works in that attrac- 

 tive borderland where both the products of 

 geologic processes and the processes them- 

 selves can be studied side by side — our Con- 

 tinental shore line — has made large use of 

 the Coast and Geodetic Survey charts, and 

 as competent witnesses we gladly testify to 

 the accuracy of these charts and we compli- 

 ment their makers. Such geologic investi- 

 gations as the study of changing shore 

 lines, the history of the submerged margins 

 of the continent, and the origin of sedi- 

 ments are being given attention by the Geo- 

 logical Survey, and all these studies must 

 be based upon the surveys and resurveys 

 made by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



This brief review of the relations exist- 

 ing between these two bureaus may serve a 

 larger purpose than the sincere expression 

 of congratulations to the Coast and Geo- 

 detic Survey on this centennial occasion. 

 For nearly four decades these two Surveys 

 have been working side by side from 

 Florida to Alaska without the specific statu- 

 tory separation of functions deemed ad- 

 visable by the National Academy and there- 

 fore with full opportunity to overlap their 

 fields of operation, to duplicate work, and 

 thus to waste public monej'. The fact that 

 there has resulted economical coordination 

 rather than wasteful competition stands 

 to the credit of those in administrative con- 

 trol of the two bureaus, especially the 



superintendents and directors of the earlier 

 years of this period of successful coopera- 

 tion. Naturally too the spirit of hearty co- 

 operation is equally shown between the 

 scientific assistants of the two services. 



In these days, when as American citizens 

 we have so deep concern in the question of 

 public regulation of private business — a' 

 nation-wide concern arising from a broad- 

 ening appreciation of society's interest in 

 the individual — it may be opportune for 

 some of us as public officials to pause and 

 consider the question of regulation of pub- 

 lic business. Do we apply the same rules 

 to our conduct of the business of these 

 federal bureaus that we advocate for the 

 control of corporations? Some of us as 

 scientists may feel that the comparison of a 

 scientific bureau with an industrial cor- 

 poration is forced if not absurd. Yet I 

 trust that the two are alike in being not 

 only productive but productive without 

 undue waste. The National Academy re- 

 port of 1878 to which I have referred con- 

 tains a significant phrase : in presenting to 

 Congress the ideal for a scientific bureau 

 as they saw it these scientists described the 

 ideal plan as one that would yield the 

 "best results at the least possible cost." 

 Those few words express a practical admin- 

 istrative policy equally good for big busi- 

 ness and pure science. And it is as illogical 

 for a scientific bureau as for a munitions 

 plant to shy at a cost-keeping system. 



Here at the federal capital we have some 

 two score scientific bureaus distributed 

 through several executive departments. 

 There exists no general plan of division of 

 duties among these different agencies for 

 public service, but as a fundamental policy 

 we have pinned our faith to a sort of 

 declaration of independence that all scien- 

 tific bureaus were created free and equal. 

 My acquaintance with bureau chiefs and 

 their intimate advisers perhaps warrants 



