to various forms of old age security payments, particularly the social security program. If we couple this with the capital debt, and such things as wasteful investment in real estate, and bad loans to various institutions, including other countries, we see that a very serious capital crunch is coming, which is going to make it very difficult to do the things in the energy area that we would like to do. In conclusion, most of my recommendations are very similar to those that have been presented by the people at the table, but there are two other points that I would like to put great emphasis on. First, I think that the Government should put far more emphasis on research and development on solar energy than I see at the moment. The other thing is that I am really shocked by the Government's lack of any central analytic capability which is able to look at some of these large interdisciplinary issues of the sort that we are discussing here. I think that with the speed of change in the world, there has to be some agency somewhere in the United States, preferably in the Government, which as the ability to look at very complex issues, no matter what departmental authority or administrative area of responsibility, no matter what the investigation leads it to. [The newspaper article, Grain Market News extract, and the extract from Monthly Vital Statistics Report, referred to, follow :] From San Francisco Chronicle, March 18, 1976 Dependency grows Oil shocker: U.S. imports top output Associated Press WASHINGTON - The United States last week imported more oil than it produced for the first time in history even though Americans are demanding less oil now than they did before the Arab oil embargo. The figures, released by the American Petroleum Institute and confirmed by the Federal Energy Administration, show domestic production continuing a six-year decline and U.S. imports rising to record levels to meet demands that nevertheless are two million barrels per day below their peak level before the 1973 embargo. Imports have been rising since the end of the embargo in early 1974 and crept above the 8-millionbarrel-a-day level last week for the first time ever. Domestic produc tion has been declining steadily from its peak of more than 9 million barrels a day, recorded in 1970. The result is that although conservation efforts, recession and mild winter weather since 1973 have lessened the amount of oil Americans use, the United States is more dependent on foreign oil sources than it was when the embargo was imposed. The industry institute said total imports last week rose to 8.196.000 barrels a day. Domestic production. meanwhile, came to 8,013,500 last week, the API said. Imports now comprise 45 per cent of the oil used in the United States. Last year, they accounted for 30 per cent, the API said. An API spokesman had no immediate explanation for the steep rise in imports and could not explain whether it was industrywide or was concentrated in a few companies or regions. Total imports stand 58 per cent above the 5,183,000 barrels a day shipped in a year ago. Itemized, the figures show: • Foreign crude oil consumption increased in a year from 3.325.000 barrels a day to 5.756,000 per day, or by 73 per cent. • Imports of refined products have climbed 31 per cent from 1.858,000 barrels daily a year ago to 2,440,000 per day last week. SOURCE: Inspections for export under the U.S. Grain Standards Act. SOURCE: Inspections for export under the U.S. Grain Standarda Act. TOTAL 1975-1976 88.9 22.1 28.6 41.9 6.6 188.1 Does not add due to rounding Countries included in the general area are listed in previous issues. See Volume 22, Number 38, September 20, 1974. 2/ Quantity reported less than .05 Outstanding Export Sales of Grain, Rice, Soybeans, Soybean and Cottonseed Meal February 29, 1976 1/ Marketing years for 249.4 barley, rye, and oats are July 1, to June 30; for rice August 1 to July 31; for corn, sorghum, soybean meal and cottonseed meal October 1 to September 30; and soybeans September 1 to August 31. 2/ 1,000 CWT 3/ Quantity reported less than .05 Note: Totals may not add due to independent rounding. Source: Foreign Agricultural. Somsinn Births, Marriages, Divorces, and Deaths for November 1975 BIRTHS During November there were an estimated 241,000 live births in the United States. The birth rate was 11, births per 1,000 population and the fertility rate was 61,” births per 1,000 women 15-44 years of age; seasonally adjusted. It was 62.1. These rates were 7 to 10 percent lower than the rates for November 1974. Data for January-November 1975 were also lower thin for the corresponding period in 1974. The number of births declined two-tenths of a percent while the birth rate (14,8) was about 1 percent lower than the rate a year earller. The fertility rate was 66.8 or about 2 percent lower than the rate of 68.3 for the eariler period. The number of births for the 12-month period ending with November 1975 was three-tenths of a percent higher than the number for the same period In 1974, The birth rate was about 1 percent lower and the fertility rate was 2 percent lower (67,0 compared with 68.2) than in 1974. NATURAL INCREASE During November 93,000 persons were added to the population as a result of natural increase, the excess of births over deaths. The rate of natural increase for the 12 months ending with November 1975 was 5.8 persons per 1,000 population compared with 5.7 for the same period in 1974. This increase was due entirely to the decline in the death rate. MARRIAGES The number and rate of marriages continue to decline. There were 163,000 marriages reported for November 1975, 10,000 fewer than for November 1974. The November marriage rate was 9.3 per 1,000 population compared with 9,9 a year earller. From January to November Inclusive, 1,951,000 marriages were performed. The marriage rate was 10.0 per 1,000 population. Both the number and rate |