I am wrestling with the same problems that you are raising, and trying to find out where it is right to draw the line. Mr. CANNON. You will let us have, then, an estimate of the comparative expenditures of the various governments on agricultural research? Mr. SILCOX. Yes. (A digest of Dr. Compton's statement is presented herewith:) BRIEF DIGEST OF A PAPER ON THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES IN SCIENCE (By Karl T. Compton, president, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) This paper gives a brief sketch of the problem of the Government's present responsibilities in science, together with some suggestions as to ways in which these responsibilities may be profitably extended. These suggestions are the result of the activities of the Science Advisory Board, created by President Roosevelt in July 1933, to furnish the Federal Government disinterested and competent advice upon scientific matters. The Board, composed of some 15 distinguished scientists, acts under the jurisdiction of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council. It was hoped that in this way the scientific forces of the country might be strengthened and put to work more effectively for the national welfare. The first activities of the Board and of various subcommittees were designed to see where the Government now fits into the picture of scientific activities of the country and to examine the effectiveness of organization and of other features of the Federal research units. The Board found approximately $100,000,000 spent for research per year, of which the Federal Government, the largest individual scientific agency, spends roughly half. A large part of the Government's expenditures for scientific work are not strictly for research but rather for the accumulation of scientific and technical data or the administration of technical services. The total Federal expenditure is less than 0.3 of 1 percent of the total budget of the Federal Government. This is certainly not a large proportion in comparison with the importance of scientific work to the country. One might well raise the question as to whether an increase in this amount might not bring advantages to the country which are large in comparison with those resulting from many other far larger expenditures. During the past several years the Board has examined in detail the organi zation and activities of a considerable number of Federal bureaus engaged in scientific work and made suggestions for their improvement. In summarizing the work under way Compton calls attention to the fact that it is somewhat disheartenin g to note that our country, with all of its boasted progressiveness, has paid less attention to science as a means of combating our present difficulties than any of the other great powers. Russia is basing her whole economic program on science and her annual appropriations for research are reported to be larger than any other item in her budget-even the military and defense item. Great Britain has taken decisive steps to utilize science for social and economic improvements although her unemployment crisis came sooner and her taxes are higher. Italy has mobilized her research facilities on a broad scale in an attempt to rehabilitate her economic position and counteract her deficiency in raw materials. Germany's scientific strength, though imperiled by recent developments, is still probably Germany's strongest asset. Japan, for years, has been bending every effort to introduce western technology into her industrial procedures. Compare this picture with that of our own country. As soon as we got into trouble we cut our governmental expenditures for scientific work more severely than those of any other Government activity. We gave no consideration either to unemployed scientists or to the public value of their work in our emergency measures for relief of unemployment or for economic rehabilitation. And yet we have prided ourselves as being the most advanced nation on earth. The truth is that we have been fortunate enough to have great natural reSources, which we have exploited riotously; we have had a pioneering spirit which has bred some great inventors; this same pioneering spirit has developed some industrial giants who have plunged into big things and have brought "quantity production" into operation; we have been blessed with a few great philanthropists whose altrusitic vision has led them generously to support Address at Sigma Xi initiation, Yale University, 1935. scientific work and other activities for human welfare in universities and other private institutions. But, as a people and therefore as reflected in our national policies, we have been more lucky than intelligent. Now that we are no longer able to thrive on the unrestricted exploitation of the gifts of Nature, it is imperative that we take steps to utilize our resources more intelligently and effectivelyand this means scientific research on an increasing scale. WORK OF FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY, MADISON, WIS. Mr. CANNON. I notice that you are asking for an increase of 75 percent in the amount provided for investigations and experiments as to the strength of wood. Mr. SILCOX. I would like to have Mr. Trayer explain that. He is assigned to our forest products staff. Mr. CANNON. In what respect are you associated with the Madison Laboratory? Mr. TRAYER. I have been for 16 years with the Madison Laboratory on the technical staff. I have recently been transferred to Washington in charge of the Division of Forest Products. Mr. CANNON. What is the history of the Madison Laboratory? Mr. TRAYER. The Madison Laboratory was established in 1910 in Wisconsin largely for geographical reasons. Mr. CANNON. Is it an activity of the State? Mr. TRAYER. It was established-in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin-to work on national wood-use problems. For a considerable period we occupied buildings furnished by the State of Wisconsin. Mr. CANNON. In what studies and researches is this laboratory engaged? Mr. TRAYER. In seven broad classifications, which I can point out to you briefly. The strength properties of wood: We have some 800 species of trees, distinct and separate species. We are covering only the most important commercial species. Mr. CANNON. You have been studying that problem at the Madison Laboratory for 25 years? Mr. TRAYER. We have been studying the basic properties of those species with which we have been dealing, the same as the steel industry has to know the properties of steel. That meant the selection of material carefully chosen and the determination of its mechanical and physical properties. We have covered up to now some 167 species of wood. I am sorry to say that we are a little behind in our information on some of the second-growth, so-called, that is coming on. Mr. CANNON. You have spent 25 years in this study and have covered 167 species. This cost has been borne entirely by the Federal Government? Mr. TRAYER. Entirely by the Federal Government. Mr. CANNON. To what extent has the university cooperated? Mr. TRAYER. Their cooperation under the original agreement was to furnish us with a small building and to furnish certain heat and light and general running and operating expenses. Members of the university conduct some research in our field at the laboratory and our staff give some lectures at the university in courses dealing with forestry and wood utilization. Mr. CANNON. You now have your own buildings? Mr. CANNON. Erected by the Federal Government? Mr. TRAYER. Yes. Mr. CANNON. And your staff has grown to how many men? Mr. TRAYER. We have on the regular staff at the laboratory approximately 172 people at the present time. I wish to amend that statement, however, to this effect: Not all of those 172 people are carried by our present appropriation. It is not adequate. Some of them are carried by emergency funds. Mr. THURSTON. That includes laborers, and so forth? Mr. TRAYER. That includes everybody-carpenters, laborers, clerks, typists, the people who operate the testing machines, and so on. Mr. CANNON. Who did you say cooperated in carrying this staff? Mr. TRAYER. Certain emergency funds. Mr. CANNON. They are all Federal funds? Mr. TRAYER. Yes. Mr. THURSTON. What is the total of those funds? Mr. TRAYER. The laboratory's allotment of regular funds for the present year is $421,800; in 1935 it was $404,415. The entire forestproducts appropriations for those years were $508,361 and approximately $487,000, respectively. Mr. CANNON. Approximately half a million dollars? Mr. TRAYER. Yes; for the entire forest-products work. Mr. THURSTON. What was the cost of the buildings and equipment? Mr. TRAYER. The total investment in buildings and all, I should say, is approximately $2,000,000. The buildings cost $900,000, including the moving of the machinery over to the new building and setting it up, the architects' fees, and all that sort of thing. The general contract itself was approximately $750,000. Mr. CANNON. Would you now summarize in a word or two what has been accomplished in those 25 years? Mr. TRAYER. An outstanding accomplishment is a saving to the consuming public of conservatively $75,000,000 a year through lessening the weight of shipping containers on which the ultimate consumer has to pay the cost of increased freight rates, and lessening the loss and damage to goods in those shipping containers through improved construction; in kiln drying we have cut down lumber degrade and losses by improving the methods of kiln drying as well as natural air seasoning. All through our diversified work we have effected savings conservatively amounting to from $75,000,000 to $100,000,000 a year. If I may take the time to go through each one of these fields, I would like to point out some of the important accomplishments. Mr. THURSTON. It may be that he has a statement that he could submit by way of supplementing these remarks. Mr. CANNON. We would be glad to have that. (The statement referred to is as follows:) SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN FOREST PRODUCTS RESEARCH Forest products investigations have greatly extended fundamental knowledge of the properties of wood, its chemical composition, and its physical characteristics and structure. Upon this knowledge has been based substantial progress in the seasoning and conditioning of wood, the design of wood structures and fabricated products, the modification of wood properties to improve its resistance to decay, fire, and moisture, the production of valuable byproducts and extractives, the improvement of processes for making paper and fibrous materials, methods of preventing excessive shrinkage, and other technical developments which have led to greater efficiency in existing uses for wood, the creation of new uses, reduction in costs, and increased utilization of forest and mill wastes. Specific accomplishments in these fields are discussed briefly under the lines of work listed below. The end result shows an annual return on the investment of the public in forest products research of approximately $150 for every dollar appropriated. Advances made through these scientific developments are not only of immediate value but for the most part they promise a continuing return. Timber harvesting and conversion.- Millions of acres of cut-over lands barren of growing stock in the South, the East, and Lake States and of late in the West are the result of the general belief among timber operators that maximum returns necessitate taking all trees of a desirable species that would cut out any standard lumber. The owner of forest land is now becoming aware that practically his only chance of low-cost and high-yield production is to evaluate returns on the basis of figures such as the forest products laboratory has recently been making available which dictate removal of the larger trees and leaving the smaller to grow and restock the stand. Cutting limits and the basic figures underlying them have been made available in many regions. In the southern pine region alone it has been found that 6 to 10 percent of the present cut is from trees which net a loss of $2.50 per thousand board feet. This is apart from the destruction of young trees that should be the nucleus for a new crop in 20 to 30 years. The small sawmill operating in farm woodlands is the cause of heavy economic loss in the southern pine region. In addition to showing these losses, simple measures have been worked out to enable the small operator go improve the quality and the yield of his output. For naval stores operators in the Southeast a gum cup has been developed which can be made from the operator's own thinnings to save expenditures for millions of cups used in that region. Improvements are in process of being worked out on the wooden rosin barrel so that this outlet for 50 million feet of worked-out timber may be saved to the region. Improvements in the manufacture and use of dimension stock from inferior species and waste are responsible for important savings in the Lake States and in New England. An improved grading system for hardwood lumber has been worked out and adopted by the industry with marked savings in lumber at the hard wood mills and in the consuming factories. The savings due to improved standards of size and grade for building lumber have been estimated by the trade at several million dollars a year. Pulp and paper. Under this project the suitability for pulp and paper of some 90 American woods has been determined, one result of the work being an increased use of cheaper species to replace spruce and balsam fir. Whereas in 1920 spruce constituted 57 percent of all wood used for pulp, the 1930 figures show only 38 percent to be spruce. In the decade there was an actual decrease of over 750,000 cords of spruce used per annum, despite an increased total use of pulpwood of more than 1 million cords. Conservatively estimated (using current values per cord as given by the Census Bureau), this means an annual saving of over 6 million dollars, of which at least half is attributable to this project. Improved methods of sulphite pulping have been developed which are known to increase yields by 5 or 10 percent and to improve quality. The possible savings in yield alone would be as much as 100,000 tons annually, which, at $40 per ton, would reach $4,000,000. A check-up of mills following the improved practice indicates at least 25 percent of this saving is actually being effected, or a total of $1,000,000 per annum. Decrease in bleach requirements for sulphite brought about by the same means is estimated at $100,000 additional. A new pulping process (known as the semichemical process) was developed in 1925-26 for which the 1931 production is reported as 86,628 tons. Practically all semichemical pulp is produced from waste wood-much of it from extracted chestnut chips with a value as fuel of not over $1 per ton. The $160,000 value represented by such materials consumed in 1931 has therefore been enhanced to approximately $2,600,000-an incresae of $2,400,000 per annum. Methods of reducing decay in pulpwood and of using partially decayed wood for pulp, resulting from this project, account for savings of at least $1,000,000 annually. Recent experiments have resulted in methods of producing strong white pulps from southern pines and gums and of applying the sulphite and ground-wood processes to these species. This development, together with studies of potential pulpwoods from other regions, holds the definite promise of making the Nation independent of outside sources for its pulpwood, pulp, and paper products. The value of imports of these commodities, referred to under the previous heading, is at present in excess of $200,000,000. Strength of wood. This work has provided basic strength information for the comparison of some 167 species and for the guidance of users in selecting species and sizes adapted to their requirements. All available information of this character is derived from tests under this project. More efficient grading rules and improved formulas for engineering design have made possible an increase of 20 percent in allowable working stresses, with savings, on the basis of normal consumption of timber, of $30,000,000 annually. On the basis of present low consumption and price, savings of $4,000,000 annually are estimated. Tests of nails and bolts and of other devices recently developed for joining timbers have resulted in improvements that make it possible for timber to re-enter fields of construction from which it had gradually been excluded because of the weakness of joints. This work affords savings of 30 to 50 percent in material and erecting costs for wooden roof trusses and bridges, besides making wood available for a new class of construction in towers for electric and radio transmission. The studies and demonstrations of the principles of container design, together with the development of special box testing machinery, have resulted in widespread improvement of shipping containers and reduction of their weight and cost. Loss and damage claims paid by American railroads decreased from $120,000,000 in 1920 to $20,000,000 in 1932 as evidence of this improvement. On the basis of the value and volume of shipments made in 1932 it is conservatively estimated that this work in the shipping container field is responsible for elimination of $10,000,000 in loss and damage as well as savings of $12,000,000 in cost of container materials and some $20,000,000 in freight and handling charges on containers. These savings, which are much larger under normal business conditions, accrue in large measure to the ultimate consumer of the goods shipped. Seasoning and physical properties.-Losses resulting from lack of proper seasoning methods or from poor storage, handling, and construction practices amount to more than $100,000,000 annually and are made up of a variety of items, including (a) the entire loss of certain species which cannot now be seasoned; (b) loss of footage and loss of value through degrade resulting from improper seasoning methods; (c) loss in value of fabricated products and structures due to damage from swelling, shrinking, and warping; (d) losses of markets due to the users' dissatisfaction with imperfect articles and structures. The reduction of these losses in whole or large part is the goal of the laboratory's work. Under this project have been developed standard kiln-drying methods and schedules for many hardwoods and softwoods, and special schedules for special purposes, such as flooring, vehicle stock, and implements; a number of types of lumber dry kilns, among them the internal-fan kiln now generally recognized as the standard of performance and manufactured by most of the leading dry-kiln makers; methods and instructions for the proper air seasoning and storage of lumber; specifications for the moisture content of the various lumber items in dwellings, and instruments for its rapid determination; basic data for commercial moisture content specifications. On the basis of normal production of lumber, direct savings resulting from this project are conservatively estimated at over $11,000,000. In addition to such direct savings are those now derived from the kiln drying of hardwood lumber green from the saw at the mill and the shipping of this to the customer, instead of air-dried lumber which formerly had to be redried in the kiln at destination. This development results in large freight savings and elin inates both rehandling and redrying costs. Chemical composition and utilization of wood.-While the results of this project are chiefly of value in other projects to which chemical information is basic, many specific accomplishments of the work represent definite economic savings. The following may be mentioned: The laboratory has developed methods for determining the amounts of the substances that make up the complex organic structure of wood, which vary widely according to species and within species. Improvements in the use of wood for pulping, distillation, and other chemical purposes are steadily coming about from these results. The properties of pulp and other cellulose products have been improved as a result of the determination of the microscopic structure of the individual wood fiber which is the unit upon which depends the properties of paper as well as many of the fundamental mechanical and physical properties of the wood itself. 47432-3626 |