Geology and Mineralogy. 105 



II. Geology and Mineralogy. 



1. Thirty -third Annual Report of the Director of the United 

 States Geological Survey, George Otis Smith, Director. Pp. 17. 

 — The advance sheets of this report have recently been issued 

 (Dec. 18). They show that the appropriations for the work 

 of the Survey for the fiscal year 1911-12 comprised items aggre- 

 gating a little more than $1,500,000. The great need of the 

 Department of a suitable Survey building, constructed to meet 

 the needs of the Department, is taken up in detail. No one who 

 has had direct knowledge of the very great difficulties under 

 which the work of the Survey is now carried forward in its pres- 

 ent quarters will fail to realize the importance of this matter. 

 Lack of fresh air and light, restricted space, and other similar 

 points affecting the general efficiency, are serious enough ; but 

 first of all comes the risk from fire, about which warning has been 

 given more than once in recent years. The fact that the value of 

 the material now in the Survey building is inventoried at nearly 

 $5,000,000 should lead Congress to take early action in the mat- 

 ter. Plans for a building such as the situation requires have 

 been put before Congress and the estimates run from about 

 $2,000,000 to nearly $5,000,000, according to proposed size and 

 material of construction. It is greatly to be hoped that the matter 

 may be speedily acted upon. 



The Director remarks that while the work of the Survey has of 

 necessity in recent years developed particularly along economic 

 lines, strictly scientific work has not been neglected, in fact the 

 two kinds of work must go forward hand in hand. He mentions 

 a series of studies, in part published, in part nearing completion, 

 w 7 hich show the value of the work accomplished by the Survey 

 for pure science. A number of these studies are on paleontology, 

 conspicuous among them the monograph now being issued from 

 the j3ress on the Cambrian Brachiopods, by Dr. Walcott. Remarks 

 are also made in regard to the progress of work on geologic 

 folios, in land classification, and also of publications (often carried 

 forward in cooperation with State Surveys) which have a definite 

 educational value. The Director in closing states that : "Although 

 the appropriations made directly for the Geological Survey showed 

 an increase of only $30,480 over those of 1911, there was a notable 

 increase in the amount of work done by the field service. The 

 funds available through cooperation with other Federal bureaus 

 and with the States amounted in 1912 to 27 per cent of the direct 

 appropriations and showed an increase over cooperative funds of 

 the preceding year of 42 per cent. This increase in the field work 

 involved a large increase of the work in the Washington office, to 

 which was added the greatly increased service rendered the Sec- 

 retary's Office, the General Land Office, and the Office of Indian 

 Affairs in connection with public-land administration." 



