GOVERNMENT
National Science Foundation Budget in Millions o f Dollars
50
Federal Research Zooms Higher
40 30
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ' s b a l a n c e d b u d g e t allots $ 2 . 6 b i l l i o n for government research — a new peacetime high X R E C A R I O U S L Y BALANCED on a razor's
edge, t h e Administration b u d g e t calls for a total expenditure of $65.9 billion in the c o m i n g fiscal year. So close together are income a n d outgo, that a relatively minor increase in appropriations b y Congress could turn t h e tiny surplus of $ 4 0 0 million into a deficit. Yet, within t h e framework of this tightknit budget, funds allocated for governm e n t r e s e a r c h are 139k higher than last year a n d a w h o p p i n g 2 3 % higher than the year before. N o w that t h e atmosphere of Geneva has disappeared u n d e r r e n e w e d onslaughts of t h e cold war, once again s p e n d i n g for defense and national security takes the major portion of t h e available funds. A total of $42.4 billion is e a r m a r k e d for "protection," 6 4 % of the total b u d g e t . Emphasis in the Defense D e p a r t m e n t will be on unconventional weapons—guided missiles, more powerful nuclear weapons, supersonic j e t planes, a n d atom-powered aircraft. The b u d g e t allocates $1.43 billion for research and development in
t h e Defense Department, with $610 million going to the Air F o r c e , $370 million t o the Navy, and $450 million to t h e Army. Major change in the research b u d g e t is t h e increase in government support for nonmilitary research, a n d developm e n t . These increases follow t h e recommendations of the Hoover Commission for more government research. In recommending the increased spending for research the President says that basic research is vitally necessary for our national welfare and economic progress. ^ Atomic Energy. While the amount of m o n e y to b e spent for research in atomic weapons, $95 million, shows a slight decline from last year, t h e $299 million requested for nonweapon atomic research is 38%? more t h a n last year's figure (see chart). Biggest increase is in t h e amount of m o n e y to be spent for development of industrial atomic power. In this connection, the A E C , in collaboration w i t h private industry and public power groups, will
20 10 I-
1954
1955
1956
1957,
Government support of fundamental research increases 4 0 0 % in t w o years
work on eight concepts of reactors for the economic generation of electrical energy. ,A major portion of t h e work in funda mental atomic research will b e devoted to exploration of the nature of nuclear structure through t h e u s e of particle accelerators. In biology and medicine, work will continue on studying and at tempting to combat t h e harmful effects of atomic radiation on plant a n d animal life. N e w this year will be construc tion of a special reactor t o study meth ods of preserving foods through irra diation. • Basic Research. F u n d s allocated to t h e National Science Foundation show a startling increase over previous years. Although t h e $42 million rec ommended for fundamental research sponsored b y N S F is only a small part of t h e total R&D b u d g e t , this sum is double last year's N S F appropriation and foui* times as m u c h as w a s spent Weapon Research Jion Weapon, Research the year before (see c h a r t ) . Funda mental work will b e sponsored in the physical a n d biological sciences, and . Millions o f Dollars such specific projects as computers, bio logical field stations, and a radio astron :30fl* omy center. O u t of t h e N S F budget $18 million, 4 3 % of t h e total, will be earmarked for t h e earth-circling satel lite project as part of t h e United States program for t h e International Geo physical Year. 200 T h e National Bureau of Standards will receive $4 million more than last year. Part of t h e m o n e y wall be used -M to expand t h e bureau's research in the physical sciences, a n d p a r t will be used 100 ν for site acquisition a n d planning of new laboratory buildings in Washington. • O t h e r Fields. As announced in his message to Congress on the farm problem, t h e President calls for a heavy increase in the Agriculture De 1957, ^ 1956 , . partment's research a n d development program. W i t h a b u d g e t of $99 mil A t o m i c research for peaceful uses soars as outlay for weapons research h o l d s firm lion, research will be directed toward
}*M&êçExpenditures; lor R & D
*r *
JAN.
3 0,
1956
C&EN
459
GOVERNMENT
OVERHEARD A T ; THE
finding new uses for agricultural products, new crops with industrial potentials, and decreasing production costs. The research budget of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is $116 million, up $27 million from last year. Emphasis will be heavy in the field of medical research. Most of the increase in funds will be used to expand research on specific diseases as conducted at the National Institutes of Health.
y
.-'
WATER
cootir
Coming: Water Cicr?
Befiy Gurnee is a typisf at what she used to call a "smelly old plant" . . . you and I will recognize the process as acidulation.
A short drama . . . reading time 50 seconds.
H e : " G o t a b u n c h of c a m e l s a r o u n d h e r e n o w ? I u s e d to fill t h i s b o t t l e t w i c e a w e e k . " B e t t y : "JSTobody, I r e p e a t , nobody u s e d t o m i s s t h a t w a t e r cooler on t h e i r w a y o u t of t h e p l a n t . B u t , s i n c e we got t h e n e w d o o - d a d o u t t h e r e . . . w h y , it's almost like a b o n u s . " He:
(Exit, with
bottle,
muttering)
T h a t " d o o - d a d " "was a S i m p s o n M i x - M u l l e r . B e t t y ' s B o s s h a d t w o r e a s o n s for b u y i n g it a n d only one h a d t o do with personnel relations. H e found that the Mix-Muller s a v e d h i m t h e cost of v e n t i l a t i n g o n e whole s e c t i o n of his p l a n t . W i t h it, h e w a s a b l e to c o n t r o l d u s t a n d n o x i o u s f u m e s f r o m a c i d u l a t i o n at the mixing source . . . b e c a u s e t h e S i m p s o n M i x - M u l l e r can b e readily a d a p t e d for a i r e x h a u s t o r c o m p l e t e l y enclosed. C o n t r o l of d u s t a n d n o x i o u s or toxic f u m e s from d u s t y a n d d a n g e r o u s p r o c e s s e s is o n l y one of t h e m a n y a d a p t a b i l i t i e s of t h e S i m p s o n M i x - M u l l e r . I t c a n b e a s easily a d a p t e d for h e a t i n g , cooling or c h e m i c a l r e a c t i o n · while mixing because it's designed and built t o act as a n i n t e g r a l p a r t of a process. S o m e of t h e s e p r o c e s s e s a r e d e s c r i b e d in o u r n e w " H a n d b o o k on M u l l i n g " . W r i t e for y o u r copy today a n d r e m e m b e r . . . mixing and t h e i n t e g r a t i o n of m i x i n g facilities is o u r business a t N a t i o n a l , it h a s b e e n for o v e r 40 y e a r s .
SIMPSON MiX-tWlUX DIVISION NATIONAL ENGINEERING CO. (Not Inc.) 643 Machinery Hall Building Chicago 6, Illinois
460
C&EN
JAN.
3 0,
1956
/ ^ S 5 ! KCYVS l^^^iE
A blueprint for easing the country's existing water shortages was sent to Congress last week by President Eisenhower. The plan, designed to provide an adequate water supply for t h e estimated 1975 population of 200,000,000, contains these provisions: • Appoint a Coordinator of Water Resources to report directly t o the President. • Establish a Federal Inter-Agency Committee on Water Resources, with the Coordinator as chairman. • Establish a Water Resources Board of Review to advise the President through the Coordinator. Members of the board would have no personal or business interest in projects coming before them. • Require Congress to authorize each major water resources project separately, • Establish uniform standards for distributing costs of the projects among beneficiaries in proportion to benefits. The plan, developed by a Cabinet committee composed of the Secretaries of Interior, Defense, and Agriculture, would unify and coordinate all proposals for public projects involving water resources. Regional committees would develop plans for water projects in their geographical areas. These plans would b e reviewed and acted on by the water resources committee in Washington. The decisions of this group would be reviewed by the board of review, and the decisions of the board would be passed on, through the coordinator, to the President for appropriate action. Some Congressmen are opposed to the plan, saying that it would amount to "a concentration of authority that would be almost a dictât or ship." Others say that the plan w u l d cripple the federal power policy developed over the years. Lyndon Johnson (D.Tex.) says the proposal will have performed a tremendous service if it "alerts our people to the vast dimensions of the water problem/'
