NBS Calibration Work Cut Back THE research and testing budget of the Sational Bureau of
Standards has been cut 257,. This will mean a substantial reduction in its calibration and testing work. Too bad, one might say, but, if a balanced budget is to be attained, expenditures must be reduced even a t the cost of reducing research and testing. The only flaw in this reasoning, a8 it applies to the case in hand, is that the NBS calibration and testing work does not cost the Government any money. All costs, including personnel, equipment, and overhead, are paid for by those who benefit. These persons in general are makers and users of scientific instruments of all types. By law all monies received by government agencies from individuals or groups outside the Government must be turned over to the Treasury Department. When the agency then makes up its budget request, it can take no credit for the amount it has turned over to the Treasury Department. I n the case of KBS, therefore, we have the anomalous situation of a government agency being required to request Congress for funds to carry on a self-supporting activity. The more testing it does, the more money it makes, and the more money it must then request from Congress. TVhile the whole matter might be shrugged off by the average person as being much ado about nothing, the instrument makers and users do not see it that way. A few weeks ago some 200 of them came to Washington from all parts of the country to consult vith NBS officials t o try t o figure out what calibration and testing work could be most readily eliminated or cut back [Chem. Eng. A-ewWs, 31, 3280 (1953)]. Some of the more outspoken representatives said that they could not understand why they could not get the service they want and need when they are paying for it. Others said that they have or could install facilities and equipment t o test most of their products. The difficulty is that they. and particularly users of their products, prefer the SBS calibration and testing, as KBS is recognized the world over as a qualified and impartial body. In fact, many purchasers, including government agencies, stipulate in their procurement contracts that the equipment be tested and calibrated by KBS. Several leading industry representatives were questioned as to whether they felt that private industry was losing business because the NBS was doing calibration and testing work. None had ever heard of any complaints. It was also noted that some of the equipment required to test certain items cost more than a single company would care to invest to test a few items each year. Is there an answer to this problem? TTe believe that one simple step would alleviate the situation. Enact legislation
which IT-ouldallo\v government agencies that perform service functions for nongovernmental users to charge enough to cover all costs and t o use the funds received to continue the service. In wch cases there would be no problem of securing money from Congress each year. Such a solution might well create another problem-that of limiting the scope of services. The normal desire to expand and take over more and more functions could lead government agencies into areas where they would be competing with private industry. Allen T’. Astin, director of NBS, noted this possibility IVhile discussing various possible solutions to the bureau’s dilemma. I n answer to this argument, proponents state that Congress might enact general legislation as outlined above which would apply to all government service agencies. Congress could also stipulate fairly specifically which functions each service agency could perform. One other solution would be to request Congress for additional funds on the basis that this is important work for science and industry which is self-supporting and does not constitute a drain on the taxpayer The cutback in calibration work a t the bureau can have a long-range adverse effect on research, unless the pIan to curtail such work is abandoned or an adequate substitute program is devised quickly. Now is the time for the chemists interested to express their vim-s. Such comments will be published in an early issue.
Signs of Growth WE reminded once more of the flight of time by the ARE
arrival of two letters in the mail. One from Philip IT. T e s t of Louisiana State University reports an almost complete program for the annual LSU Analytical Symposium, which will be held February 1 t o 4, 1954, on the campus a t Baton Rouge. The other communication is from R. G. Russell, program chairman of the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, soliciting papers for the 1954 5-day meeting scheduled to be held March 1 to 5 a t the Killiam Penn Hotel. Details will be found on page 1422 of this issue. Officers of the Division of Analytical Chemistry and the editors of ANALYTICAL CHEWSTRYwill confer in Chicago, during the national ACS meeting, on the final details of the 1954 Summer Symposium. Thus the three principal annual affairs other than national meetings of the ACS of special interest to analysts appear to be gaining in stature each successive year. K h o would have been so bold 10 years ago as to prophesy that such ambitious programs would develop and prosper ?
1287
