HISTORY 19 



in the arid lands had been viewed by Congress or because of 

 the general tendency to reduce appropriations as a result of 

 the economic depression in the country, the appropriations to 

 the Survey suffered a heavy reduction in the period from 

 1890 to 1896. Up to and including the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 1890, the Survey's appropriations had increased with 

 every year, the increase being in one year as high as $150,000, 

 so that for the fiscal year 1890 the total amount appropriated 

 was over $875,000. For the fiscal year 1891 the appropria- 

 tion was reduced to less than $850,000, but the reduction was 

 due entirely to the elimination of the irrigation survey, the 

 appropriations for topographic and geologic surveys receiv- 

 ing a marked increase. In the following year the appropria- 

 tion for topographic surveys was somewhat reduced, so that 

 the total appropriations were but little more than $700,000. 

 During the next three years, however, the reductions were 

 exceedingly heavy, the amount for topographic surveys being 

 reduced successively from $250,000 to $240,000, $200,000 

 and $150,000; but the appropriation for geologic surveys, at 

 first reduced from $115,000 to $50,000, was subsequently in- 

 creased to $70,000 and $100,000. Proportionately, the heav- 

 iest reductions were made in the relatively small appropria- 

 tions for paleontological researches and chemical and physical 

 researches, the former being reduced from $40,000 in 1892 to 

 $10,000 for the three following years, and the latter from 

 $17,000 in 1892 to $5,000 in 1893 and 1894, and $7,000 in 

 1895. In 1895, accordingly, the total appropriation for the 

 Survey was but slightly over $500,000 ; less than had been ap- 

 propriated for the year 1886. With the fiscal year 1896 a 

 period of substantial increase again set in which has continued 

 without material interruption until the present time. 12 



The figures presented show that in the early nineties the 

 topographic work of the Survey had become perhaps its ma- 

 jor activity as determined by percentage of cost. The grow- 



12 All the appropriations for the Survey are shown in detail in tab- 

 ular form in Appendix 5. 



