HISTORY 27 



fication of the public lands by the Survey constitutes an in- 

 tegral part of their administration. 



In the last decade the functions of the Survey have not ma- 

 terially changed. Rather there has been a marked development 

 of the existing functions of the Survey in the direction of in- 

 creasing the popularity and practical value of the results of its 

 work. This tendency is seen particularly in the more popular 

 character of some of the publications, in the more prompt 

 publication of statistics of mineral resources, and in the vig- 

 orous prosecution of geologic and mineralogic inquiries having 

 for their purpose the location of deposits of phosphates, ni- 

 trates, petroleum, potash, and other minerals for which there 

 is an urgent industrial need. 



The Survey and the War. Many of the early surveys of 

 the West were largely military. Among their objects was 

 the ascertainment of the most practicable routes of transpor- 

 tation in a country not supplied with railroads, the topography 

 of the country as bearing on the conduct of military opera- 

 tions, and the resources and development of the country with 

 respect to its ability to furnish supplies for troops. As the 

 West developed and as the Geological Survey extended its 

 topographic mapping over larger and larger areas of the coun- 

 try, the need for separate military surveys largely disappeared 

 and the maintenance of a corps of topographical engineers by 

 the Army was discontinued. 



In 1916 the War Department received an appropriation of 

 $35,000 for the conduct of certain topographical surveys 

 deemed necessary in connection with the development of plans 

 for the national defense. An agreement was entered into be- 

 tween the War Department and the Survey by which the appro- 

 priation was expended by the Survey under the direction of 

 the War Department. In the execution of this work the Sur- 

 vey prepared a specimen topographical map similar to that 

 developed by the best European practice in military mapping. 



In March, 191 7, the recognition of the urgent needs of the 



