3. The science film program, $50,000 On the advice of the scientific advisory committee, we are constructing a small theater in which will be shown a continuous program of scientific films of high quality which will have broad audience appeal and enlarge the public's understanding of the various exhibits in the science pavilion. If it must be done, we shall cancel this program, which is budgeted at $50,000. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION PARTICIPATION IN CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION (House hearings, pp. 885-898) Appropriated to date_ 1962 supplemental request, H. Doc. No. 231– House committee allowance_ House committee reduction from 1962 supplemental estimate.. AMENDMENT REQUESTED On page 3, of H.R. 9169 insert: $9, 000, 000 1, 000, 000 None 1, 000, 000 1, 000, 000 "GENERAL ADMINISTRATION "PARTICIPATION IN CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION "For an additional amount for participation in Century 21 Exposition, for expenses necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act of September 2, 1958 (72 Stat. 1703), as amended (73 Stat. 486), $1,000,000, to remain available until expended." HOUSE REPORT NO. 1175 "Participation in Century 21 Exposition: The committee recommends that the $1 million request for additional funds for Federal participation in the Century 21 Exposition be denied. A $9 million appropriation was provided in 1960 to cover all costs for such participation. The committee is confident that first-class exhibits can be developed within the funds heretofore provided and the scope of the project should be planned within the sum." JUSTIFICATION The House committee denied the request for additional funds amounting to $1 million for the Federal Science Pavilion at Century 21. We believe it is necessary to secure the additional amount so that an exhibit will be of top quality and worthy of the United States. None of this money is being requested for personnel or buildings. All of it will be put into exhibits designed to bring home to the American public the scope and purpose of the tremendous scientific effort in which we are engaged. When this program was originally proposed, no one had or could have had any firm idea of what it would cost to do a first-class job. Unless it is first class, there is little justification for the effort. Over 2 years of work have gone into planning the Federal science pavilion and its contents. It forms a coherent package, removal of any part of which, like excision of a chapter from a well-constructed story, will do damage to the whole. We are convinced that the additional money requested will make a tremendous improvement in the overall effect of the exhibit. If it is not granted certain exhibits in the physical and biological sciences must be eliminated. The program of exhibits for young people must be cut back, and the science films and demonstrations which are being planned will be curtailed. APPEAL LETTER Mr. NIELSON. Senator Holland, with your permission I would like to insert the letter from the Secretary to the chairman of the committee, which appeals various items of the Department, together with the appeal material, if that is agreeable to the chairman." LETTER FROM UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE Senator HOLLAND. Without objection, the letter covering not only this item, but the other items that are appealed from, will be inserted at this point; the letter of September 18th to Chairman Hayden, from Secretary Hodges, signed by Acting Secretary Edward Gudeman. (The letter referred to follows:) Hon. CARL HAYDEN, Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, SEPTEMBER 18, 1961. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Reference is made to H.R. 9169, the supplemental appropriation bill, 1962, as reported by the House Appropriations Committee on September 12, 1961. It is my purpose now to advise you of the effects of the action by the House committee, and to request amendments to the House bill so as to restore the reductions for reasons as indicated below. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS The House committee reduction of $37,000 from a total requirement of $185,000 will seriously affect the fulfillment of the Bureau of the Census program in support of the Geneva Trade Agreement. Basic data is required to support the established system of voluntary quotas and restrictions. The major textile importing and exporting countries reached agreement at Geneva in July 1961 under which voluntary quotas may be imposed upon request by the U.S. Government under certain agreed conditions. Within the amount provided by the House committee, it will be possible to accumulate the basic figures and computations in a prompt manner, but funds will not be available for an adequate analysis and investigation of questionable figures. It is believed that the latter deficiency should be corrected through provision of the necessary funds. Restoration of the reduction of $37,000 is requested. PARTICIPATION IN CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION The effect of the House committee action in denying funds for this purpose would be a serious curtailment in the scope and quality of the Federal science exhibit. The number of exhibits would need to be reduced, and the quality and appeal of the remainder would be lessened. The exhibits and programs planned for the Junior Science Laboratory for children would have to be severely curtailed or perhaps omitted, and the program of science films and demonstrations cut back. The impact of the entire exhibit would be lessened considerably. Restoration of the requested supplemental appropriation of $1 million will make the difference between an average exhibit and one that is outstanding. WEATHER BUREAU The request of $53 million to cover the satellite program of the Weather Bureau was based on the best estimate of cost which existed at the time the budget was prepared. The reduction of $5 million as well as some cost increases which have occurred since the estimates were prepared will seriously impair the operational aspects of the program. In fact, it is likely that one operational satellite will have to be omitted or, as an alternative, one of the two proposed readout stations will not be constructed. Restoration of the full amount of the supplemental estimate is requested. AREA REDEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION The supplemental estimate, as submitted by the President to the Congress, in brief provided for two principal elements, i.e., (1) an operations appropriation of $11 million to provide $6,500,000 for expenses of supervision, coordination and direction of the Area Redevelopment Administration, and $4,500,000 for furnishing technical assistance studies; and (2) $40 million for grants for public facilities. No funds were requested for commercial, industrial, and public facility loans since under section 9 of the Area Redevelopment Act, an area redevelopment fund was established to provide for financing by borrowings from the Treasury. In its action on this estimate, the House committee submitted a bill which in effect cut the "Operations" appropriation in half, allowed the estimate of $40 million for grants, and added $122,500,000 for loans by direct appropriation. The House committee report stated that the administrative expenses were reduced 50 percent because "seven existing Government agencies will share the work." In this connection, it should be noted that, while it is true that other Government agencies do share our area redevelopment responsibilities, individual efforts are financed from the funds requested. The 50 percent reduction for operational expenses would necessarily sharply curtail the services for which we are requesting funds. The funds provided by the House committee would leave the Department of Commerce's own activity, as well as those of other agencies, inadequately staffed to perform duties which represent an intrinsic part of the program as passed by the Congress. To cite an example, the budget proposal by the Department included funds for field staff for the Area Redevelopment Administration to cover areas needing immediate assistance. The reduction would have severely limited us in carrying out this program. Especially during the initial stages of this program technical assistance would be rendered to redevelopment areas. To carry out our responsibility as outlined in the basic act, we need $4.5 million to assist areas to develop economic programs through the provision of technical competence. This must include basic studies of the resources and potential of both the individual redevelopment areas and regions. Such basic information is essential so that Federal participation will be logically guided in respect to loans and grants. With respect to the House committee action, which would substitute direct appropriations in lieu of Treasury financing of loans, it should be noted that the merits of the various financing methods were fully debated and considered by the Congress in enacting the Area Redevelopment Act. Whereas the President's supplemental request followed the congressional intent, the proposal by the House committee did not. Point of order was raised to the House committee bill when it was presented to the House, and was sustained. The effect of this action eliminated all funds for fulfilling the responsibilities of the Area Redevelopment Administration. Under the circumstances, it is suggested that the Senate Appropriations Committee should consider the original request for funds as submitted by the President, in order that necessary action can be taken by this Congress to effectuate the purposes of the Area Redevelopment Act of 1961. Amendments to accomplish this are provided with this letter. NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS The elimination of the National Bureau of Standards items for research, and for plant and facilities, is disturbing. Critical gaps exist in the Bureau's ability to provide precise and accurate measurement standards for our military and space technology. An intensification of research effort is required to overcome the adverse effects of these gaps. The supplemental request is an attempt to at least meet the most pressing needs of the Bureau and a delay for another year not only means a delay in catching up but a retrogression since during that period the unmet demands increase. Restoration of this item is requested. Enclosed is a table setting forth the supplemental budget estimates, the House committee allowances, and the restoration requested, together with statements in the form of amendments with page and line references to the bill and explanation of the effects of the House committee reductions and justification for the requested restorations. + I believe that the requested restorations merit careful consideration. Staff of this Department stand ready to supply such further information as you may require in reaching a decision. Sincerely yours, EDWARD GUDEMAN, Under Secretary of Commerce. Summary of 1962 estimates, House allowances, and restoration requested Mr. NIELSON. Mr. Chairman, Dr. Spilhaus, the head of Century 21, is here and will handle this particular item. The House committee did not act favorably on our request for a million dollars, and we are asking for restoration of this amount. Dr. Spilhaus, I think, would like to make a statement regarding this. Senator HOLLAND. Doctor, you may proceed. Dr. SPILHAUS. Mr. Chairman, I should like first of all to put in the record the last three pages of this document, which is a general statement outlining the need for this money for the U.S. science exhibit at the Seattle World's Fair. Senator HOLLAND. Isn't that the justification? Dr. SPILHAUS. Sir, this is a summary of the justification. I should like to enlarge on it if I may. Senator HOLLAND. That has already been placed in the record. Dr. SPILHAUS. I became Commissioner of the U.S. Science Exhibit at the Century 21 Seattle World's Fair on June 11 of this year. And normally I am dean of the Institute of Technology at the Institute of Minnesota, and I have been long interested in the communication of science, particularly to lay people. I have written children's books on science, and I currently write a feature which is published in many of the Sunday newspapers in the comic pages, which is entitled "Our New Age"-that is not an advertisement, Mr. Chairman-which purports to interest people, lay people, in science. So that I am tremendously interested in this unique science exhibit at the Seattle World's Fair. I also have with me Dr. Richard Bolt, on my right, who is the Associate Director of the National Science Foundation, and Dr. Dael Wolfle, the executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. These two gentlemen are two of a distinguished committee that has been working on this exhibit for much longer than I have, and they may be able to say some things that I cannot say from my brief association with it. SCIENCE EXHIBIT This science exhibit, Mr. Chairman, is a continuous story. I say it is unique, because it does not purport to show the outcomes of science, as technological devices. We are trying to show the true face of American science, as science. We feel that the other part of the fair will show the outcomes of science--examples of the great technology and production of the United States. We want to tell the story of the great efforts of the United States in the methods of science and in the pure research that ultimately leads to these things, and we want to tell this story, not to scientists, but so that it is comprehensible to lay people, adults, and above all to youngsters, because the only people who are going to be living in century 21 are the youngsters living and working. TOTAL REQUEST Now, the total amount that we request is a million dollars. I may say that this is a bare minimum that I consider for a first-class science exhibit. And I do not see the reason for doing an exhibit of this kind unless it is first class. This total amount is needed for three principal things, outlined in this document. I will briefly go into them. First of all, we need about half that amount for the actual costs of exhibits. We have magnificent buildings there, with 2 acres of floor space, but there is a pitifully small amount of money to construct the exhibits, which is the main purpose of that space in the building. Now, these exhibits are a little bit different from the ordinary static museum exhibit, or, indeed, from the kind of exhibits that have been shown in fairs of science and technology before. Earlier fairs have usually shown the outcomes of science, the machines, the outcomes of our productivitiy. These exhibits show how science develops, the methods of science, the history of science. They have to be designed and worked up from scratch. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION EXHIBIT Furthermore, in order to make a real lasting impact on the visitors to this science exhibit, we have made these exhibits so that at least 20 percent of them are exhibits where the audience actually participates-participation exhibits, not just passive viewing. A large majority of the exhibits are active. There are very few that are mere graphic displays. And 5 percent of them, at least, are live. These are principally concerned with the problem of thinking and learning, where we human beings learn by watching how animals learn. And we have a whole zoo of pigeons and chickens and rats learning things; this is the way the psychologists get at our own learning processes. These kinds of exhibits are more expensive than the ordinary static cardboard type. This is the reason that we need this money to make a first-class exposition of science in which there is participation, action, and live exhibits in the biological and psychological sides. Secondly, I have continually thought, since I have been associated with this exhibit, of what permanent values we can attain out of it. After the exhibition closes, what permanent impact will there be on the American public and on the youngsters to stimulate their interest and awareness in science? |