Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/362

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��TUB COSSOLIDATION OF THE GOV- ERNMENT SCIENTIFIC WORK.

Ova readers are already aware that the con- gresnonal committee uppoinC^ to consider the organization or the eurveje and other scientific work of the government made no report at the last seasioo of coDgreaa. The commission was, however, continued as a commission of the Rucceeding congress. The expired places of Messrs. Pene acted on by the commission.

Mujor Powell's statements naturally include a very detailed account of the methods, work, organization, ftn<l exijenscs of the survey over which he presides. He also submitted his views upon the best method of consolidating the geological and const surveys with the other scientific bureaus of the government. This is the really important question before the com- mission, since upon its decision must turn the general elBciency of the governmeut scientific service for a long time to come. The neces- sity for some such consolidation is strongly felt in congress as well as outsiile of it. The one danger to be avoided b that of some hasty plan being adopted, which may suit the exi- gencies of the moment, but may not work well after those exigencies hate passed.

One very strong reason for placing the scientific bureaus under one head, or in one department, is that scientific work has many features peculiar to itself, which require it to be conducted upon principles different in some respects from those which prevail in other departments. The head of an ordinary bureau or department of the government, and indeed every man in public life, is conversant only with offices and duties which there is no serious difficulty in satisfactorily filling, with the aid of that knowledge of men and of the world which he acquires through his dally intercourse with others. Such a person is accustomed to find- ing scores of caodidales for every offloe, (roa whom a snttable selection is alwava poflubk. The idea of an office for which there may be no applicants, or, if there are any, for wbicfa it is morally certain that the applicanta are all unGtted, no matter how good their recom- mendations, is one which he finds it diffictUt to assimilate. Indeed, in the case of the purely scientific office, the ability to find the proper men must be a part of the life education of the man who is to make the selection. It is safe to say that the best ofBoers who have served in the coast and geological surveys are men, who, under the ordinary sy5t«m of govcmiaent appointments, would never have been heard of in connection with the positions which they so ably fiU.

The same thing is true of the administraUoa of a scientific bureau. No uniform system can be devised which will apply to all the de- tails of a great scientiQc work. When we go beyond the regular routine o]>erations, it ii needful that the duties shall be accommodated to the man, an<l that in many coses a larger measure of liberty shall be allowed the latter tlian could be toleral*d in the usual operations of a government department. All this requires, on the part of the administrative head of the department, an appreciation of the subject which can only be acquired by long familiarity- If the bend is not specially charged with mas- tering the peculiar methods of administrotiOD thus rendered necessary, the chances are that he will fall into one of two opposite errors: either he will leave the heads of the scientific bureaus to manage things in their own way, without any administrative control whatever, or he will exert his authority in such a way as to endanger the efficiency of the work. The former is undoubtedly the more natural course to take, and thus arise the friction and dupli- cation of work which so seriously impair effi- ciency and discipline.

Yet another feature of government scientiflo

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