Page images
PDF
EPUB

The value of the public-land resources involved, when developed will amount to billions of dollars. The current annual business requires consideration and report on nearly 10,000 individual cases, which, handled as they should be, will serve to maintain and augment annual production valued from $50,000,000 in a year of low production and prices to more than $100,000,000 in a year of higher production and prices and bring to the Treasury an annual income in rentals, royalties, and other charges ranging between five and ten million dollars.

Table No. 2 shows the principal types and number of technical reports rendered, and reflects the changing nature of the advisory work resultant from classification activities. In general, the handling of these cases, a major Washington office activity, is requiring more and more time and effort as public land disposal approaches a limit and the nature of conflicting claims and values becomes more complicated.

Field investigations are prerequisite to normal progress in determining what unwithdrawn and unclassified lands require protection of their mineral and water resources in the public interest, in determining the mineral or nonmineral character of some 48,000,000 acres of land still under mineral withdrawal in the public-land States, and in determining the actual value for power or storage purposes of some 7,000,000 acres in outstanding power-site and reservoir-site withdrawals in those States. This appropriation will provide only for satisfaction of those needs for geologic and hydrographic findings that arise currently in the administration of the public-land laws, and permit only negligible progress to be made annually in the unfinished task of classifying lands of the public domain including the vast areas that were withdrawn for mineral and power appraisal more than a quarter-century ago.

Until such time as the appropriation can be increased, the Survey must defer enlargement of the permanent field forces, the employment of necessary field parties, and the much-needed extension of its field activities, which would assure early resumption of land-classification activities on a scale more nearly comparable with existing needs and early resumption of accumulated and proposed river survey reports, geologic examinations and mapping of oil and gas fields under unit operation, preparation of structure contour maps of defined oil and gas structures, and the examination of dam sites.

Only that portion of the available appropriation over and above the minimum requirements for personal services in the District of Columbia is available for basic field work. Table No. 3, “Available funds and approximate expenditures by the Geological Survey for public-land classification," shows for the period 1928-33 the serious and almost continuous reduction in funds that should be expended for field investigations as to power and minerals, and the nearly complete cessation of such work during 1934, 1935, and 1936. As a result of the slight increase in the appropriation for 1936, the transfer of agricultural and grazing utility investigations to the Grazing Service, and small increases in the appropriation during 1939, 1940, and 1941, following the indicated recession during 1937 and 1938, some slight improvement is shown for the period 1936–41, inclusive.

Two important divisions of the Conservation Branch are financed from this appropriation. These are the Mineral Classification Division, with a field office at Denver, Colo., and the Water and Power Division, with field offices at Denver, Colo., Sacramento, Calif., and Tacoma, Wash.

Mineral Classification Division.-The existing field force has been unable to meet the increasing demand for structure contour maps of unitized oil and gas fields involving Federal lands, and it has been necessary to rely upon geologic maps and other data supplied by the larger oil companies as guides to the delineation of the outer boundaries of units. Disputes or controversies arising in connection with the delineation of participating areas, the outcome of which will directly affect the incomes of the lessees and the Federal Government, must now be settled on the basis of maps prepared by the proponents of the unit plans. Many of the difficulties anticipated by reason of probable changes in participating areas could be eliminated if reliable geologic contour maps are independently prepared by the Geological Survey. At this time there are 118 approved-unit plans, involving 1,715,797 acres of land, the majority of the areas having been designated on the basis of information supplied by the proponents. In addition to the mapping of the unit areas, structure contour maps of all defined oil and gas structures showing development to date and detailed topographic and geologic maps of mining lease areas are needed for the proper administration of the Mining Leasing Act. There are 171 known geologic structures of producing oil and gas fields defined by the Geological Survey, embracing

1,381,094 acres. The studies and examinations prerequisite to such mapping may be made in conjunction with the leasing division, as in many fields a large volume of subsurface information has been accumulated. Engineering studies, conveniently and economically made at the same time, will be extremely valuable to the future administration of the mineral leasing law.

Such maps will facilitate proper mine development layouts, will specifically delineate the known productive areas, and will consequently directly concern the degree of participation or affect the amount of bonuses, rentals, and royalties received by the Federal Government. Delay in commencing this work retards or prevents adequate conservation of the mineral resources involved, and is resulting in decreased revenues to the Treasury in amounts far greater than the costs necessary to commence and carry it to completion.

Water and Power Division.-The present permanent field force consists of but two engineers and one clerk in the Denver, Colo., office, two engineers in Sacramento, Calif., office, and two engineers in the Tacoma, Wash., office. The employment of several additional engineers, necessary temporary employees, and clerical assistance, when funds are available, will assure early completion of many long-delayed river-survey reports and timely dam-site examinations and surveys in all three jurisdictions.

During the past 7 years approximately 7,000 miles of rivers, hundreds of square miles of reservoir sites, and a large number of dam sites have been surveyed. The major portion of this work was accomplished with funds allotted by the Public Works Administration, but was limited to surveys only. Reports of water utilization which, according to earlier practice, promptly followed the surveys, have been made for less than 300 miles of the rivers surveyed under Public Works Administration projects. It is of the utmost importance that water-utilization reports for these rivers be made as soon as practicable so as to provide a basis for classification and withdrawal of lands valuable for power and irrigation uses. Timely preparation of these reports cannot be accomplished until additional funds are made available to provide an adequate engineering and clerical staff in each of the field offices.

The examinations, surveys, and preparation of maps and reports looking to the timely and proper classification of the public lands of the United States should be expedited to obtain the greatest benefit from large expenditures of Federal funds being made for the construction of dams and the prevention of soil erosion. Reports of this type would save the Government money by drawing attention to factors to be expected or to be avoided in a proposed site, and cautioning prospective builders, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, the War Department, or the Soil Erosion Service, against these hazards in general.

The funds made available under this appropriation will be utilized by the existing personnel to carry on, to the maximum extent possible, all routine geologic and hydrographic investigations that arise in connection with the administration of the public land laws, and in addition, if possible to do so, attempt will be made to reduce, by classification, the vast area of withdrawn mineral lands awaiting such classification. Sincere effort will be made toward accomplishing some portion of those projected geologic investigations, and the preparation of those mineral lease maps, structural contour maps of defined oil and gas fields, and maps of unitized areas mentioned herein.

TABLE 1.-Mineral withdrawals outstanding Dec. 1, 1940, in acres

[blocks in formation]

TABLE 2.-Principal types and number of technical reports involving the natural resources of public lands requested and rendered by the Geological Survey in specified fiscal years

[blocks in formation]

1 Includes cases pending at beginning of years as follows: 1,671, July 1, 1938; 346, July 1, 1939; 795, July 1,

1940.

* Included in joint mineral and water.

TABLE 3.-Available funds and approximate expenditures by the Geological Survey for public-land classification, by fiscal years

[blocks in formation]

1 Chiefly personal services; includes field salaries of personnel with Washington headquarters, except that, in 1936, all grazing expenditures are excluded; includes also major items for equipment for field use.

Includes all field expenses and the salaries of personnel with permanent field headquarters, and, in 1936, all grazing expenditures whether in Washington or in the field.

3 Includes $15,000 transferred under sec. 317 of the Economy Act, of which $10.870 remained unexpended mainly by reason of changed accounting system under which obligations of 1933 were met by cash withdrawals in 1934.

4 Authorized cash withdrawals, of which $4,220, distributed among the several items, was expended for work done in 1933.

Including transfers and funds for 5-percent salary restorations.

PRINTING AND BINDING

Mr. FITZPATRICK. The next item is printing and binding, at page 423 of the bill. The estimate for 1942 is $324,900, as against the appropriation for 1941 of $328,400. There is a reduction there of $3,500.

JUSTIFICATION OF ESTIMATE

Dr. MENDENHALL. The following justification is submitted for the record:

PRINTING AND BINDING

"Printing and binding" is the first of three subitems in a general item entitled "Printing and Binding, etc.," which provides for publishing the results of the Survey's work. (The other two subitems are discussed and justified separately.)

The appropriation under the subheading "Printing and Binding" is used in lesser part for the printing of necessary forms, regulations, engineering field notebooks, etc., and for binding and rebinding the valuable books and technical journals of the Survey's library. In major part it is used for publishing the bulletins, professional papers, and water-supply papers that describe and make available the results of the Survey's scientific and technical investigations. Obviously, the value of these results is greatly enhanced if they can be published promptly.

The amount of $125,000 proposed for 1942 is $5,000 less than the appropriation this year, and is a minimum figure for these essential purposes.

PREPARATION OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The appropriation under this subheading provides for the staff of skilled artists and draftsmen who prepare, from rough copy submitted by Survey authors, the complex maps, diagrams, and other illustrations that are necessary to accompany and make clear published Survey reports.

The present staff, by intensive effort, is barely able to cope with the increasing volume of work placed upon it, especially through the large number of reports on strategic-minerals investigations which, for national-defense purposes, must be given priority handling. However, no increase in this appropriation is requested for 1942.

ENGRAVING AND PRINTING GEOLOGIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

The funds appropriated under this third subitem provide for reproducing and publishing, in the Survey's own plant, the geologic, topographic, and other maps that result from the field surveys of scientists and engineers and that do not form illustrations in the reports published through the Government Printing Office. The requested increase of $1,500 relates solely to the purchase of essential equipment and provides for no additional personnel, though it is greatly needed to bring up arrearages in map reproduction work.

At the close of the last fiscal year there were nearly 600 maps of all kinds on hand in the Division of Engraving and Printing, in various stages of reproduction or awaiting attention; about a third of these were new topographic and other maps, and the rest were maps for reprinting. In addition, there were nearly 100 new topographic maps in the Section of Inspection and Editing, Topographic Branch, that could have been quickly made ready for reproduction but that were not transmitted because of the large accumulation in the reproduction plant. This year, further congestion in the plant will be caused by receipt of maps for which surveys were made previously under regular funds, State cooperative funds, and Public Works allotments; and later in the year, through expediting the field surveys and office preparation of the maps of strategic areas under the War Department transfer, some of the resulting maps should reach the plant. Next year, 1942, in addition to the regular work, the maps of strategic areas will flow into the reproduction plant in ever-increasing volume and speed; and if there is then long delay in their reproduction and availability to the War

Department, the national defense will correspondingly suffer. Other Federal agencies, the States, and the general public are calling for these maps, but the Survey, with its present staff and equipment, is powerless to respond adequately. Only additional personnel, equipment, and materials could bring the work current and thereafter keep it abreast of the growing demand for the maps. The work in the reproduction plant in the fiscal year 1940 resulted in the following completed products: 102 new maps of all kinds printed and delivered (as contrasted with 124 in the preceding year), 68 of which were newly engraved topographic maps and 34 were special maps; and reprint editions of 322 maps of all kinds were delivered (as contrasted with 226 in the preceding year), 300 of which were engraved topographic maps and 22 were photolithographed State and other maps. In addition, much engraving and other work was accomplished on numerous maps but cannot be readily shown in a table because the maps were not brought to completion during the year.

Included in the estimate for 1942 is $19,500 for the purchase of equipment that is urgently needed to speed up the output, guard against serious breakdown in antiquated equipment, and provide economies in the work. In detail, the items are a plate-graining machine ($3,000), an ink mill (1,000), a type press ($500), and a 22- by 34-inch offset lithographic press ($15,000), intended as the last in a series of replacements of the Survey's former map presses that were more than 40 years oid and virtually worn out.

PURCHASE OF PRESS

Dr. MENDENHALL. Mr. Chairman, may I make a statement there?
Mr. FITZPATRICK. If you wish.

Dr. MENDENHALL. This year, 1941, you allowed us in the appropriation for "Printing and binding," under the subitem of "Engraving and printing maps," the amount of $18,000 for the purchase of a press. That is a press that is very badly needed and was recommended by the Bureau of the Budget after an examination of our map-reproduction plant. We called for bids for such a press. On the first call we got no response at all. There were no bids. On the second call we had a bid of more than $28,000 for this press. In short, we cannot buy with the $18,000 the specific press that you authorized us to buy with $18,000.

We have in our 1942 estimates, approved by the Bureau of the Budget, an item of $15,000 for a smaller press that we were going to buy after we bought this larger and badly needed press. We should like your consent, since we cannot buy the $18,000 press, this year at least, for $18,000, to use that $18,000 authorized for the more expensive press to purchase now this $15,000 press-or as much of the $18,000 as is needed.

In other words, we cannot buy in 1941 the specific press that you authorized us to buy this year.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. You have still got that money in reserve?
Dr. MENDENHALL. That money is now appropriated.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. And you want to have it reappropriated?

Dr. MENDENHALL. No; it does not need to be reappropriated. It is in the appropriation act for 1941. But instead of buying that expensive press, which we cannot buy at this time for $18,000, we would like to buy a cheaper one.

Mr. SHEPPARD. In other words, you would like an expression in the record justifying this procedure?

Dr. MENDENHALL. Yes, sir.

Mr. FITZPATRICK. You will have to have it made available for the next fiscal year.

« PreviousContinue »