of the United States, such as stone, clays, cement, and so forth, under the supervision of the Director of

the United States Geological Survey, to be immediately available, one hundred thousand dollars. As
illustrating the magnitude of the work which may be affected by. these investigations, it may be stated-
that the expenditures of the Federal Government for building and construction work now approximate
$30,000,000 per annum, while the expenditures of the country at large for similar purposes are in excess
of $1,000,000,000 per annum. * ~ It was with a view to reducing the cost and improving the quality of
the materials used in this building and construction work that Congress was asked to provide for the
investigations of structural materials now under way. In order that this work might be done in such a
manner as to best meet the needs of the Government in this respect, an advisory board was organized,,
on which were placed by the President the chiefs of each of the Government bureaus having in charge
important building and construction work, viz, the Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal; the Chief
Engineer of the Reclamation Service; the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department; the Chief of
the Bureau of Ordjiance of the Army; the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering of the Navy; and
representatives of the Corps of Engineers of the Army and of the Bureau of Yards and Docks of the Navy;
and in order that these investigations thus conducted for the use of the Government might be
satisfactory to the engineers of the country, and also of service in meeting the needs of the general
public wherein they agree with the needs of the Government, representatives of the national
engineering and allied organizations were similarly brought into consultation