concerns to put into their organization program provision for adequate research laboratories and personnel. It might be supposed that the purely selfish interests of such organizations would already have led them to go as far in this direction as current industrial circumstances warrant. There are not a few conspicuous instances in which this is true. But there are

many others in which for various reasons a fundamental unwillingness to encourage the establishment of research organizations is deeply ingrained. Among these reasons ranks high a not altogether intelligent conservatism; and the dread of being obliged to discard extant equipment and methods, despite the possibly increased profits, also figures conspicuously. Certainly from the point of view of public welfare and the national position in times of peril, it is highly desirable to induce these industries to adopt an enlightened and generous policy of research.

The case of the small producer is quite different. It is out of the question for him to establish a laboratory on any scale which is likely to promise justification in terms of immediate financial return. There is, however, no reason why he should not combine with other small manufacturers in his own line of work to finance investigations of a kind directly beneficial to himself and his colleagues. This plan has actually been tried both in this country and abroad, and with very considerable success. The Research Extension Division of the Council has had the good fortune to be a prime mover in a number of projects of this general type, and while the specific details are likely to vary, in view of the peculiar conditions met with in the different industries, the general principle of coöperative work has apparently come to stay.

Not the least interesting of the developments which are to be hoped for from this stimulation of industrial research is a recognition on the part of the industries of their obligations to the discoveries of pure science, which in every case underlie successful improvements in industrial practice. It seems hardly too much to believe that in the not remote future this

obligation will be recognized in the form of permanent annual contributions to the institutions and individuals competent to carry on fundamental research in pure science. For while it is never possible to predict at just what point a discovery in pure science may assume practical significance of a large kind, it is abundantly demonstrated that only through such discoveries are essential improvements in scientific technique to be obtained, and no investment of financial resources is so likely in the long run to be productive of fundamental improvement in the conditions of human life. While such an investment of money is in a certain sense philanthropic or often speculative, it is in the long run an investment more certain than any other to be productive of the highest values which can be obtained by human ingenuity.

6. Research Information Service. Despite the careful study given in recent years to the general problems of bibliography, it is still true that for many of the purposes of scientific research, the present available resources for the prompt securing of essential information are lamentably defective. The intricacies of modern science have produced a situation in which accurate and exhaustive knowledge of the scientist's own special field frequently is insufficient to serve his purposes. Again and again it becomes necessary for him to secure quickly and accurately information from other cognate fields of science, and in such instances the present machinery for the speedy attainment of reliable information is extremely unsatisfactory.

This description, which applies conspicuously in the field of pure science, is even more significant in the ranges of applied science in the industries. Many of the industries have felt this need, and have made sporadic efforts to meet it. The engineering fraternity has also made a beginning at the maintenance of a bureau to supply certain types of information, but all these efforts are thus far of a fragmentary and non-comprehensive character. The Germans had built up at Grosslichterfelde a great organization to meet precisely these needs, and had achieved signal success in their undertaking. It is our

intention to surpass, if possible, the merits of that institution. The success which was attained during the war in establishing certain features of this Information Service, reference to which will be found in Chapter 3, encourages us to believe that our dream may come true, and that an effective organization can be developed to meet the necessities in times of peace.

Without attempting to portray in minute detail the several aspects of the work of this Division as it is now planned, a brief description may be offered.

(a) Provision will be made for a catalogue of research laboratories, and already we have a list of such covering approximately 5000 entries. This catalogue includes both laboratories devoted to pure science and those dealing with industrial activities. In addition to the name and address of the organization, there will be given the name of the director, the personnel of the staff, the chief lines of research pursued, the space available, the approximate annual expenditure, and in short, all information necessary to give a clear picture of the type of the work which the laboratory may be expected to be competent to undertake.

(b) A catalogue of current investigations will be developed. The idea of rendering available information regarding current research is decidedly novel, and at first sight, is likely to be thought impracticable. There is no doubt that the possibilities of the plan vary very widely in the different fields of science and in the different industries; but there is also no question that in certain fields it is entirely practicable, and that wherever it can be brought about, it is sure to possess high value. So long as scientific investigation is carried on in a purely individualistic way, and surrounded with the atmosphere of the trade secret, such a project has, of course, no status. Not only are the possibilities of coöperative research becoming rapidly more widely appreciated, but there is also an

increasing recognition of the extent to which scientific men can be of assistance to one another by frank and full interchange of knowledge regarding current work. At present, there is no central agency which can serve as an exchange for such information. The saving of time and expense represented by the ability to draw upon such a source of knowledge can hardly be overestimated. It pre-supposes on the part of the individual investigator not only the willingness to make periodic communication regarding his own work, but also the willingness to take the small amount of time necessary to fill out the enquiry cards which must inevitably be used if the information supplied is to be rendered promptly and easily available to others.

Naturally the industrial laboratories working on problems which directly affect their competitive relationships will not find it possible to participate very fully in this type of interchange of information. In so far, however, as work which they carry on has significant relations to the issues of fundamental science, there is reason to believe that they too will be willing to coöperate in this program.

(c) There is in preparation a catalogue of research personnel which when complete will supply full and accurate information regarding the professional equipment and accomplishments of all scientific research men, with their addresses. The Research Information Service has already received so many important enquiries covering this field as to make it clear that there is a very genuine need for information of this character. If a university or industrial concern desires a competent research man in a special field, there is at present no means of getting the necessary information save by slow correspondence with a considerable group of individuals or agencies, where the information may or may not be actually available. It is hardly necessary to argue the utility of a

service of the proposed type. The labor of preparing the data in an accurate way, and the difficulties of keeping it up to date, are obvious, but they are in no sense insuperable.

(d) It is planned to develop a library of sources of research information. This would include bibliographies, systematic abstracts, digests, hand books, and other convenient periodical or special sources of information concerning research. There has already been prepared as a preliminary step a catalogue of bibliographic and abstract periodicals of the world.

(e) For the use of the several Divisions of the Council, there has been prepared a catalague of scientific and technical societies with information concerning the time and place of meeting.

(f) An index of approximately 12,000 cards has been prepared, covering all foreign reports received by the Research Information Service.

(g) A plan has been devised for improving the status of

scientific publications, and especially for rendering abstracting and the construction of hand books more satisfactory. It involves coöperation with the several Divisions of the Council in the conduct of systematic enquiry concerning the status of publications in special fields and possible methods of improvement.

With respect to bibliographic listing and abstracting the following features of the general plan deserve remark:

(1) Formulation of carefully considered and thoroughly tested rules for the preparation of abstracts in any given field of science. The inadequacy of indices is due chiefly to the fact that the title of an article is assumed to be an accurate and complete guide to its contents, which is very rarely the case. It is highly desirable, therefore, that a system be devised which will present in the briefest and most precise