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V .I

i\ "

' f -'

W-

SPECIAL
COLLECTIONS

TWENTY-NINTH

ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE

v.-T'-

SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30
30030005363172

1941

OFFICE OF

CW rrwnjnrrirK

For sale by the Superintendent o f Documents, W ashington, D . C.

Price 30 cents

ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT
Secretary of Commerce______________________________ J e sse H . J o n es .
Under Secretary of Commerce_______________________ W a y n e C. T aylor .
Assistant Secretary of Commerce_____________________ R obert H . H in c k ley .
Solicitor____________________________________________ S outh T rim ble , J r.
Administrative Assistant to the Secretary_____________ M alcolm K e r l in .
Chief Clerk and Superintendent_______________________ E dward W . L ibbey .
Director, Bureau of the Census_______________________ J a m es C. C apt .
Administrator of Civil Aeronautics____________________ D onald H. C onnolly .
Director, Coast and Geodetic Survey__________________ L eo O tis C olbert.
Director, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce_ C arroll L. W il so n .
President, Inland Waterways Corporation_____________ C h ester C. T h o m pso n ..
Director, Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation_ R ichard S. F ield .
Commissioner of Patents____________________________ C onw ay P . C oe.
Director, National Bureau of Standards_______________ L y m a n J. B riggs .
Chief, Weather Bureau______________________________ F . W . R eicheldehfer .
ii

REPOET OF THE SECRETARY

Page

Economic review of the year______________________ .__________________
vii
Defense efforts provided the driving force_________________________
vil
Gross national product important indicator________________________
ix
The sinews for the increased effort________________________________
x
Old equipment worked harder________________________________
xi
New equipment and new plants boost production______________ xii
Other significant developments of the year__________________ ______ xii
Prices, earnings, and living costs rise.._______________________
xii
Profits highest in years_____________________ :________________ xiii
Far-reaching changes in trade control_________________________ xiii
Marked changes in type of goods and flow of trade____________ xiii
Building defense economic structure__________________________ xiv
Office for Emergency Management___________________________ xiv
The National income____________________________________________
xv
Level of 1941 approached that of 1929________________________ xv
Government ranks second as income producer_________________ xv
Employees gain larger share of national income________________ xvi
Higher unit value of goods and services___________________________ xviii
The year in industry________
xviii
Development of defense industries____________________________ xviii
New high in employment____________________________________ xix
Record consumer-goods output_______________________________ xx
Construction highest in a decade_____________________________
xx
Manufacturing inventories increased substantially_____________ xxi
Prices and values________________________________________________ xxii
Movement of commodity prices____________________________
xxii
Need for foreign raw materials_______________________________ xxiv
Increased wages and cost of materials_________________________ xxiv
The year in the security markets______________________________ xxvi
The year in domestic trade________________________________________ xxviii
Foreign trade pattern altered__________________________
xxx
Position at year-end________________________________
xxxii
Highlights of the year_______________________________________________ xxxm
Foreign-Trade Zones Board______________________________________ xxxm
Business Advisory Council_______________________________________ xxxiv
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce________________________ xxxiv
Bureau of the Census____________________________________________ xxxvn
Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation_____________________ xxxviii
National Bureau of Standards___________________________________ xxxix
Civil Aeronautics Administration_________________________________ xxxix
Patent Office________________________________
xl
Coast and Geodetic Survey______________________________________
XL
Inland Waterways Corporation___________________________________ xlii
The Weather Bureau____________________________________________ xnm
The National Inventors Council__________________________________ xliii
St. Lawrence Survey_________________________________——-------------- xliii

CONTENTS
REPORT BY BUREAUS

Chief Clerk and Superintendent
Page
Department library--------------------------1
Division of Purchases and Sales-----2
Division of Accounts----------------------2
Emergency funds------------------------3
National defense allotments--------6
Miscellaneous receip ts-----------------6
Division of Publications-------------------7
Division of Personnel Supervision and
Management -------------------------------8
Conferences and Expositions Section10
Office of the Solicitor
Report-----------------13
B ureau of F oreign and Domestic Commerce
15
Service of supplying facts for defense15
integration of Bureau facilities____
16
Economic bookkeeping--------------------16
Friendly service to thousands----------16
Foreign Commerce— Scope of work---16
Commodities in foreign trade------------International finance------------------------Industries abroad___________________
18
Law— International aspects--------------20
Trade agreem ents---------------------------20
Trade controls---------------------------------21
Foreign-trade promotion_____________
22
Foreign-trade statistics_____________
25
Studies on major foreign regions____
Transportation--------------------------------27
L iaison______________________ ______
28
Domestic commerce--------------------------29
29
National economic services_______
Commodity serv ices______________
Field services -----------------------------.7 0
Information services--------------------37
Appropriations______________________
38
38
Personnel---------------------------------------B ureau of the Census
Developments and innovations______
39
Organization changes-------------------39
Employee training and personnel
studies--------------------------------------40
Machine tabulation_______________
40
Sampling--------------------------------------41
Proposed legislative changes______
42
42
National defense____________________
The Sixteenth Decennial Census_____
43
P opulation-----------------------------------44
Housing___________________________
45
Agriculture_______________________
45
Manu factures---------------------------- --46
B u siness--------------------------------------46
Mineral industries_________________
47
Territories and possessions_______
48
Inquiries other than the Sixteenth
Decennial Census______________
48
Vital statistics____________________
48
State and local government sta
tistics-----------------------------;______
50
Cotton and oils___________________
51
Current manufactures and business
reports__________________________
51
Religious bodies___________________
52
Life tables________________________
52
Geography------------------------------------52
Population estimates and local
censuses _______________________
53
Negro statistics____________________
53
Direct relationships with the public__
53
Advisors to the Bureau____________
53
Distribution of reports____________
54
Searches of census records________
54
Release of unpublished data______
54
Special tabulations_______________
55
Conferences1______________________
55
Pan-American and other foreign
relationships____________________
55

B ureau of the Census — Continued

Page
56
General administrative services--------56
Field operations---------------------------Machine tabulation----------------------56
Statistical research----------------------56
Information and publications---------Geography------------------------------------57
57
Administrative service____________
57
Personnel------------------------------------58
Appropriations____________________
Publications------------------------------------58
58
Current periodic publications______
59
Special publications_______________
Sixteenth Decennial Census final
bound volum es_________________
59
N ational B ureau of Standards
61
General activities---------------------------Electricity---------------------------------------63
Weights and measures_______________
66
Fleat and power-------------------------------68
O ptics---------------------------------------------69
72
Chemistry___________________i_______
74
Mechanics and sound----------------------76
Organic and fibrous materials_____
Metallurgy___________________________
78
Clay and silicate products____________
80
Simplified practice___________________
83
Trade standards____________________
83
85
Codes and specifications_____________
86
Building materials and structures__
General financial statement, 1941___
89
P atent Office
91
Receipts and expenditures___________
91
Patent Office Defense Committee____
Condition of the work______________
92
93
Classification of patents-----------------Special cases________________________
93
Patent Office Advisory Committee-----93
94
Statistics-----------------------------------------Other details of business for the
fiscal year______________________
99
B ureau of Marine I nspection and Navigation

Vessel Inspection Division___________
Board of Supervising Inspectors__
Administration____________________
Motorboats and motor vessels_____
Licensed officers---------------------------Traveling and principal traveling
inspectors______________________
Local • inspectors___________________
inspection of boilers operated by
other United States Government
agencies at shore establishmentsinspection of vessels under con?st ruction_______________________
Investigation of casualties________
MJscellaneous examinations and
investigations___________________
Law Enforcement and Review Divi-_
siion-----------------------------------------Passenger A c t____________________
Approval of home ports___________
Collection of fees and duties_______
Numbering of motorboats__________
Patrol fleet_______________________
Legislation_______________________
Technical Division___________________
Naval architecture subdivision_____
Marine engineering subdivision____
Electrical engineering subdivision__
Load-line subdivision_____________
Ship Personnel D ivision____________
American shipping on June 30, 1941__
Appropriations______________________

101
102

103
103
104
104
104
106
107
107
107
108
109
109
109
110
110
110

111
111

113
113
114
115
116
117

CONTENTS
Coast and Geodetic Survey Page
National defense-------------- ----------_---- 110
Cooperation with American Republics- 121
Chart production------------------------------ 121
Coastal surveys-------------------------------- 123
125
Geodetic work----------------------------------- 129
Tide and current work---------------------Magnetic work--------------------------------- 130
131
Seismological work---------------------------- 132
Instrument work--------------------- -------Personnel and finances----------------------- 133
Weather B ureau
Present organization of the Weather
Bureau_____________________ 136
The' Weather Bureau and national
defense-------------------------------------— 137
Service operations, fiscal yean 1941_
140
Contributions by other agencies------------ 148
Appropriations------------------------- 148
Civil Aeronautics Administration
Introduction------------------------------------- 151
Reorganization------------------------------ 151
Airways*___________________________
152
Expansion and development of air
ways and airway aids------------- 152
Development of communications---- 154
Airways traffic control------------------ 154
Technical development------------------ 154

Civil A eronautics Administration — Con.
Page
156
Safety regulations---------------------------- 156
Aircraft airworthiness—-------------Examination and inspection--------- 157
Air carrier inspection-------------------- 157
R adio-------------------------------------------- 158
Inspection of airmen and nonscheduled aircraft--------------------- 158
160
Flight tests----------------------------------- 160
Aviation medicine------------------------Civilian Pilot Training. Program------ 161
Army and Navy volunteers------------- 161
Safety------------------------------------------ 161
Courses offered------------------------------ 162
Research on selection and training of
p ilo ts-------------------------------------------- 162
163
A irports-----------------------------------------Certificates of air navigation fa
cility necessity--------------------------- 164
Other activities---------------------------- 164
Washington National Airport------------- 165
Compliance-------------------------------------- 165
Civil air regulations----------------------- 165
Enforcement______________________ 166
General legal services-------------------- 166
Field offices-------------------------------------- 166
Statistical material--------------------------- 167

TWENTY-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE

S E C R E T A R Y OF C O M M E R C E
D e pa r t m e n t of C om m erce ,
O ffic e of t h e S ecretary ,

Washington, December 1, 19IDTo T h e C ongress of t h e U n ite d S tates
(Through the President) :
I am submitting herewith the Annual Report covering the opera
tions of the Department of Commerce and its review of the national
economy during the fiscal year ended June 30,1941.
ECONOMIC R EV IEW OE THE YEAR

The Nation’s economy during the past fiscal period began, for the
first time in recent years, to exert something indicative of its full
strength. It was a year of marked advance in all branches, but
particularly so in industry and commerce.
Few persons will pause to ponder the tables of statistics with their
percentages of increase or to scan the charts with their curves climb
ing steeply upward. But the historian of the future studying the
fiscal period just ended will be impressed by the many new records
of economic activity. Beyond the dry tables and charts, and under
lying the technical discussion of the economist, he will know what it
took to create those records—the greater exertions of workers of all
skills, the heightened roar of machines, the fresh triumphs of science
applied to the industrial arts, and the broadened scope and perplexi
ties of the problems solved by those skilled in management and
administration in all fields. While taking pride in the achievements
of the year, we may well look back upon this period as the easier
part of the path of industrial and social mobilization upon which
the Nation has set its feet in its determination to strengthen the
forces of democracy throughout the world.
DEFENSE EFFORTS PROVIDED THE DRIVING FORCE

It seems worth while to recount how the year’s progress was
accomplished. In its broad outlines, the story can be told simply in
terms of the basic economic factors that produce the national income.
The defense program with its huge expenditures was the dynamo.
The stimulus applied to the economy by this great flow of funds is
pictured in chart 1. An initial impact was upon the trades building
the plants and making the equipment needed for the new armament
industry. From there the defense funds swiftly spread everywhere
through the channels of industry and commerce—backward to the
raw-material producers and forward to the marts of retail trade. As

v in

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Chart 1.— National Defense Expenditures for the Fiscal Years 1929-41.

Chart 2.— Income Payments for the Fiscal Years 1929-41.
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
I 20

A N N U A L RATE
O F M O N - ITHLY
IN C O M E P A Y M EN TS
(ADJUSTED FOR SE ASONAL VARIATIONS)

r , , m 11 1 1 1 1
J A S ON DJ F M A MJ JA S O ND J P MA MJ

1940

1941

S ource : Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

hundreds of thousands of workers formerly unemployed went back
to work, as extra shifts were added, and as the average workweek grew
longer, the national income which embodies and measures all these
productive efforts rose rapidly to levels heretofore unreached.
T abt.e 1.—Major

business indicators i*4

Industrial produc
Income pay
physical vol
ments 1 (1935— Cash tion.
i (1935-39 =
39=100) income ume
100)
from
farm
Fiscal year ended
Manufactures
market
June 30—
ings
Sala (1924-12
ries
Total and 29= Total Dur Non
able dur
wages 100)
able
goods goods
_______ 3121. 1
119.6
103.1
83.1
67.6
75.9
83.2
1936
. _______ 93.6
106.2
102.3
1939_______ ______ 101.1
1940_____ ________ 109.0
1941._____________ 120.2
110.2
July.................. 111.7
113.3
September----- 114.6
115.8
November___ 116.6
119.0
121.3
123.0
March............. 123.7
124.5
128.4
June------------ 131.0
1929

3122.0
119.7
102.6
83.0
66.4
75.7
81.8
91.6
104.4
103.2
103.8
111.2
126.7
114.1
115.6
117.1
118.5
120.1
121.1
124.7
127.9
131.1
131.7
132.8
138.1
141.3

80.5
78.3
70. 0
74.4
83.0
70.0
71.0
71.0
75.5
80.5
79.5
85.5
86.5
84.0
88.5
93.0
96.5
96.0

107
103
82
65
60
77
78
94
114
95
97
116
139
122
122
124
127
130
134
139
140
144
147
144
154
159

129
120
81
51
40
68
69
94
123
92
91
123
166
133
136
143
151
155
157
164
171
176
180
180
190
195

90
90
81
73
73
82
83
94
109
94
102
111
123
114
113
112
112
116
120
124
123
126
127
131
135
139

Construction con
awarded
Value tracts
i (1923-25=
of man value
100)
ufac
turers’
inven
tories
(Dec.
Resi All
31.
1938= Total dential other
100)

Elec
tric
power
produc
tion
(193539=100)

144
143
101
55
32
52
39
66
71
71
88
78
113
77
91
98
101
103
130
136
117
118
109
121
111
129

79.0
83.5
79.8
74.9
70.1
77.0
80.3
90.1
102.7
101.3
106.1
118.9
133.7
119.0
125.2
128.8
124.1
135.2
132.2
139.3
141.2
127. 3
135.6
133.4
141.0
141. 6

4 95. 5
4 108. 6
4 128. 5
108.6
109.2
110.9
112.2
114.4
116.5
119.3
120.8
121.1
122.1
123.6
126.3
128.5

127 107
107 63
76 46
40 22
23 10
34 12
28 15
49 27
59 44
55 36
73 56
71 63
100 84
74 69
85 77
90 82
93 82
95 85
111 87
115 90
103 84
99 76
94 74
103 80
101 88
117 101

i Monthly indexes are adjusted for seasonal variations.
*Data do not include governmental payments.,
* Average of January-June 1929.
4 Inventories as of June 30.
Sources: Income payments and manufacturers’ inventories, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce,
Department of Commerce; income from farm marketings, Bureau of Agricultural F.conomics, Department
of Agriculture; indexes of industrial production and construction contracts, Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System; electric power production, Federal Power Commission beginning May 1936,
theretofore, Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

The funds so earned were freely spent by consumers. Thus to the
demand for producers’ goods on the part of the growing arms indus
try were added the urgent orders from makers of civilian goods who
found sales outrunning their current operating capacity. These lifted
activity in the producers’ goods industries to unprecedented totals and
resulted in the greatest investment in new capital equipment in any
year in our history. The spectacular rise to capacity operations of
these industries producing capital goods was one of the most signifi
cant developments of the period. It meant realization of perhaps the
outstanding condition that virtually all authorities had agreed upon
as indispensable for any return to full business activity and to the les
sening of the acute unemployment problem.
GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT IMPORTANT INDICATOR

The total value of all the goods and services produced by a nation
is its gross national product. This is a broader measure of the Na-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

tion’s productive activities than the national income, because it makes
no allowance for the new goods and services set aside in replacement
of the capital goods used up in production ( i. e., depreciation of capi
tal assets). Hence it more accurately reflects the accomplishments of
this unusual fiscal period. In July 1940 when total defense expendi
tures (including both those made by the British Government in the
United States and those for privately financed defense plant and
equipment) were estimated to be $400,000,000 per month, they were 6
percent of the month’s gross national product of $7,100,000,000. By
June 1941 the gross national product was $9,000,000,000 and the
defense expenditures that were providing the driving force were
$1,200,000,000, or 13 percent of the gross product.
THE SINEWS FOR THE INCREASED EFFORT

This increase in national output was obtained largely by a marked
increase in man-hours worked. From 35,425,000 in June 1940, total
non- agricultural employment rose to 38,860,000 in June 1941. As
would be expected, the largest portion (about 60 percent) of the in
crease occurred in manufacturing. All groups (see table 2) showed
increases, with construction ranking second and Government third.
Not included in the foregoing (but drawn from the labor force) was
the increase of 1,250,000 in the personnel of the armed forces.
T able 2.—Estimates of nonagricultural employment1
Employees in nonagricultural establishments
Total
civil
Finan
Mili
non
Trans
cial,
tary
Fiscal year ended agricul
porta
serv
and
June 30—
tural
Manu
Con tion
ice, Gov
naval
em Total fac Mining struc and Trade and
ern
forces
ploy
turing
tion public
mis ment
ment
utili
cella
ties
neous
1930...................
1931.____ _______
1932_____________
1933_____________
1934___ _______
1935_____________
1936_____________
1937_____________
1938_____________
1939_____________
1940_________ ___
1941_____ _______
1940: June_______
July_______
August_____
September.
October____
November__
December__
1941: January____
February___
March_____
April___ ...
May___
June_______

35,796
32,686
29,623
27,295
29,890
31,154
32,712
35,058
34,443
33,745
35,181
37,080
35,425
35,454
35.902
36. 528
36,867
36, 986
37,608
36,621
36,928
37, 227
37, 676
38, 306
38,860

29,938
26. 905
23,966
21, 765
24,244
25,301
26,717
28,972
28,312
27,605
29,038
30,937
29,282
29, 311
29, 759
30,385
30,724
30,843
31,465
30,478
30,785
31,084
31, 533
32,163
32,717

9,879
8,347
7,132
6,382
7,894
8,303
8,883
10,018
9,484
9,080
9,873
10,862
9,824
9,832
10,163
10,479
10,668
10,735
10,856
10,797
10,982
11,152
11,370
11,537
11,777

1,037
921
769
677
793
860
866
926
908
776
842
830
838
837
839
846
856
853
855
852
854
864
564
862
876

1,641
1,346
1,029
785
801
867
1,028
1, 227
1,061
1,109
1, 233
1,643
1,321
1,378
1,443
1, 511
1,654
1,709
1,720
1,623
1,678
1,631
1,775
1,782
1,816

3,833
3,437
3,003
2,655
2,705
2,732
2,838
3,049
2,971
2,855
2,987
3, 093
3,032
3,059
3,081
3,120
3,121
3, 065
3,039
3,012
3,028
3, 056
3,113
3,185
3,239

6,319
5,807
5,222
4,725
5,318
5, 559
5, 788
6,116
6,150
6,030
6, 213
6,362
6, 254
6,159
6,168
6,321
6,362
6,433
6,884
6,165
6,173
6,259
6,463
6,421
6,530

4,124
3,911
3,627
3,379
3,548
3, 686
3,869
4,082
4,111
4,071
4,153
4,223
4, 214
4,218
4,226
4' 255
4,187
4,167
4,180
,142
4,164
4,187
4,265
4,327
4,353
4

3,104
3', 137
3,185
3' 161
3'186
3, 294
3,444
3, 554
3' 626
3' 686
3' 737
3,925
3,799
3' 828
3,839
3,853
,876
3,881
3,931
3,887
3,906
3’ 935
3'983
4,049
4,126

26$
262
257
252
254
260
287
313
328
345
423
1,044
474
516
549

1,145
l' 343
1, 546
1,662
1,740

1 Monthly data represent the estimated number of persons working at any time during the week ending
nearest the middle of the month. The annual data shown by fiscalyear are averages of monthly figures.
Persons employed on h . P. A. and N. Y. A. projects and enrollees in C. C. C. camps are not included
total civil nonagncultural employment” includes proprietors and firm members, self-employed persons,
casual workers, and domestic servants not included in the series on employment in nonagricultural estab
lishments.
Source: Compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Some of the added employees in manufacturing went to work on
second or third shifts as many producers sought to lift output above
the capacity attainable on a single-shift basis. _ The added man-hours
were obtained not only by more people working on the first, second,
and third shifts but also by lengthening the work period. Thus
average hours worked pei' wage earner in manufacturing establish
ments (see table 3) rose from 37.5 per week in June 1940 to 41.3 in
June 1941.
T ablb 3.—Employment, pay rolls, hours, and earnings in manufacturing

industries

Employment and pay rolls (1923-25= 100)

Fiscal year ended
June 30—

Average hourly
earnings (cents)

Average
hours
worked
per
Dura Non week
Dura Non
Dura Non
Total
ble
durable
durable
ble
Total ble durable Total goods goods
goods goods
goods goods
Pay rolls

Employment1

84 2 76. 5
71.8 59.8
65.1 49.6
83.6 69.5
87.5 74.6
93.8 84.0
106.3 99.8
98.6 91.3
94.4 82.5
103.8 96.9
1941_______________ 116.3 117.7
103.9 99.0
105.1 100.4
107.4 104.3
108.9 107.4
111.4 111.2
114.2 114.6
116.6 117.5
118.3 121.1
118.6 122.1
119.4 123.0
122.0 126.3
124.9 129.5
June_________ 128.7 134.0

103.8
103.5
91.5
83.3
79.9
97.0
99.7
103.2
112.4
105.5
105.7
110.4
114.9
108.5
109.6
110.2
110.3
111.0
113.8
115.7
115.6
115.2
115.9
118.0
120.5
123.6

108.5
103. 3
77.3
56.5
42.6
61.7
67.7
78.6
97.7
87.7
84.3
98.2
123.3
99.5
98.2
105.5
111.6
116.2
116.4
122.4
120.7
126.8
131.2
134.7
144.1
152.2

109.2
101.6
67.9
43.3
29.2
49.3
55.6
71.0
95.3
82.6
75.1
95.9
133.5
101.4
97.4
106.5
115.1
123.4
125.1
131.6
132.0
139.2
144.6
149.9
163.1
173.9

107.8
105.2
87.9
71.2
57.7
75.6
81.2
87.1
100,4
93.4
94.7
100.7
112.0
97.4
99.1
104.4
107.7
108.1
106.6
112.1
108.1
112.9
116.3
117.7
122.9
127.9

42.6
51.0
55.5
56.0
59.1
64.8
63.8
65.6
69.1
67.2
66.7
66.8
67.1
67.3
67.8
68.3
68.9
69.2
69.7
70.8
72.6
73.8

46.7
53.2
58.1
59.0
63.1
70.4
70.2
72.0
76.1
73.2
72.7
73.1
73.7
73.9
74.4
74.9
75.8
76.2
76.8
78.5
80.6
82.2

40.2
49.4
53. 6
53.6
55. 5
60.0
58.9
60.1
62. 2
61.7
61. 5
61.3
61.1
60.9
61.3
61. 7
62.0
62.1
62.4
62.9
64.1
65.0

38.6
36.0
34.8
37.8
39.9
35.6
36.8
37.8
39.5
37.5
37.3
38.4
38.8
39.3
38.6
39.8
39.0
40.0
40.4
40.0
40.8
41.3

i Monthly indexes are adjusted for seasonal variations.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor (monthly employment indexes adjusted for
seasonal variations by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System).

Old equipment worked harder.—The labor force did not, of course,
turn out the increased national product unaided. The marked increase
in the utilization of existing capital equipment and the tremendous
addition of new capital facilities, also played significant roles in the rec
ord output. One manifestation of the increased utilization of existing
facilities was the addition, previously mentioned, of second and third
shifts, and another was the bringing in of stand-by or obsolescent
equipment. There were many other ways in which management was
successful in increasing the yield of existing facilities such as further
break-downs of the productive operation, faster routing and handling
of materials, and cutting shut-down time by speeding repairs. Rail
roads hauled more freight with the same rolling stock by speeding
loading and unloading, increasing the load per car and more direct
routing. Ship lines carried more tonnage in the same ships by reduc

XII

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

ing their time in port, by better loading of cargoes, and by raising the
load line.
New equipment and new plants boost production.—New equipment
played a vital role. Many new plants were built and equipped,
especially in the armament industries. But in many types of indus
trial operations the addition of strategic new machines at bottleneck
points considerably increased the capacity of the existing plant. Thus
in heavy industry an added overhead crane, for example, often enabled
the operations of assembly lines to exceed previous capacity limits.
Private and Government investment in this program for expanded
capacity amounted to $3,500,000,000 for plant and $7,000,000,000 for
new equipment. To appreciate the immensity of this new capital
investment, one may compare it with the calendar year 1929 when ex
penditures for plant were $4,531,000,000 and for new equipment
$5,595,000,000.
Part of the increased output was made possible by a greater inflow
of materials from abroad, imports of crude and semimanufactured
materials increasing from $1,409,000,000 in the fiscal year 1940 to
$1,785,000,000 in fiscal 1941. Financial institutions also contributed
importantly. Typical of the trend was the increase from $51,335,000,000 in bank loans and investments on June 29, 1940, to $57,945,000,000 on J une 30,1941.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS OF THE YEAR

One of the most far-reaching developments of the period was a
broad upward movement in most types of market values. The urgency
of defense needs could have only one result—the pressing demand for
ever-increasing quantities of goods and services. In the beginning,
while there was still a surplus productive capacity, suppliers could
expand output nearly as fast as the demand rose. Later, when pro
ductive facilities were taxed more nearly at capacity, and buyers
became more eager to anticipate requirements far ahead, a sellers’
market developed with the usual consequences. After a sharp rise in
the autumn of 1940 and a sidewise movement in the winter quarter,
the general level of commodity prices was rising briskly toward the
end of the fiscal period. This price rise would quite probably have
been still sharper had not industrial production expanded as markedly
as it actually did.
Prices, earnings, and living costs rise.—In view of the well-known
direct relationship between national income and the prices of farm
products and foods, the rise in the former led to a decided increase
in the latter, with meats and dairy products leading. Since food is
the most important single item in the budget of most families, a rise
in the cost of living began—slowly at first but quite emphatically
accelerating by June. _Prices of house furnishings and clothing reg
istered the sharpest gains after foods. The living cost rise along with
the high rate of business profits and still other factors, notably the
requirements for more and more skilled workers and the organized
demands for higher wages, led to a continuation of the rise of hourly
earnings in manufacturing industries which has been under way with
hardly a break since 1933. By June, all three groups—-wholesale

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XIII

commodity prices, the cost of living, and workers’ hourly earnings
were moving up.
Proiits highest in years.—With productive operations at or ap
proaching capacity levels, and with selling prices firm to rising, gross
business profits rose markedly. Costs increased also but in lesser
degree, so that net profits were the best in many years. As shown by
the Federal Reserve data for large industrial corporations, profits tor
the year averaged 19 percent above fiscal 1940 and about 3 percent
larger than in fiscal 1937. With earnings better protected, corporate
bond prices rose during the year, as did also the prices of Government
and municipal bonds.
Stock prices, despite the improvement in earnings, fluctuated around
the same general level during the year. Their inability to rise m
response to the larger earnings is probably attributable to anticipation
of hi «-her taxes and to uncertainty over the indefinite continuance of
the hi oh earnings growing out of the defense emergency. In other
times, 'no economic feature of a year of booming business and sharp
advance of earnings would have seemed more incongruous than these
laggard stock prices.
.
Far-reaching changes in trade control.—In our foreign trade, there
were shifts of such major significance that they must have a decided
effect upon the pattern of world trade in the post-war world. Perhaps
the development of chief significance is the sweeping extensions of
governmental controls not only in this country but in nearly all the
other countries with which we now have trade relations. Generally
speaking, the goods exported to an increasing extent leave by per
mission of this Government, and they are bought largely by, or with
the permission of, the governments of the importing countries. Our
imports are increasingly purchased by and imported by our own
Government. To an increasing degree, both exports and imports
moved only as shipping space was allotted to them. Geographically,
the currents of our trade were markedly altered by the loss of con
tinental Europe as a market and source of supply, and by its replace
ment by an enlarged trade with the British Empire countnes and
Ijcitiii America
In amount, exports of United States merchandise for the period were
$4 043.000,000, the largest since 1929, while imports totaling $2,925*000 000 were exceeded since 1929 only by those of 1937. The export
balance for the period was thus $1,118,000,000. During the second
year of the first World War (fiscal 1916) the export balance was nearly
one billion dollars greater, due largely to the fact that while exports
were a little larger then, imports were much less than in 1941. But
the difference between the two periods is much accentuated when the
movements of gold and silver are included—because the net movement
of merchandise plus precious metals in fiscal 1916 yielded an export
balance of $1,750,000,000 while in 1941 there was an import balance of
$1,650,000,000, resulting from the continuation, even though in smaller
volume than the 2 preceding years, of the gold inflow.
Marked changes in types of goods and flow of trade.—The develop
ments of the year likewise altered the types of goods composing our
foreign trade to an extent that sets it apart from all previous years.
In no year of record did our exports of crude materials and crude

XIV

REPORT OP THE, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

and finished foodstuffs form such a small proportion, or our exports
of finished manufactures such a large proportion, of the total. Prom
inent among the factors explaining this development are the slump
in raw-cotton exports and the uprush of armament exports under the
category of finished goods. On the import side, not since the time of
the first World War has the inflow of crude materials been such a
large proportion of the total as from almost every available market
in the world supplies of strategic and critical materials poured in to
feed the defense effort.
Building defense economic structure.—Finally, it must be noted
that the record of the year would be incomplete without reference
to the development that overshadowed all the others—the building
of the structure of our national defense economy. The problem (en
tirely apart from the expansion and training of the armed forces)
was to obtain on a vast scale at the earliest date and at the most rea
sonable prices the wide array of goods and services needed for national
defense. As the necessary Government expenditures lifted the na
tional income to new heights, it was obviously out of the question for
the Government to procure the needed materials and supplies by the
simple but costly process of entering the open market and bidding for
scarce commodities against the competition of civilian buyers and of
the purchasing commissions of foreign governments.
Whenever it developed that there were inadequate quantities of
materials available for both defense and civilian demands, some
method of allocating the scarce goods to the uses most essential to
the Nation was urgently needed as an alternative to the peacetime
solution of giving them over to the highest bidder. Nor could the
Government afford to wait, where manufacturers’ productive facilities
were taxed to capacity, until civilians’ prior orders had been filled—
so it was necessary to devise means of preempting the earliest possible
deliveries. Furthermore, in the numerous instances where the exist
ing productive facilities were clearly, and by wide margins, unequal
to the task of filling promptly the combined military and essential
civilian demands made on them, the Government was impelled in the
public interest to see that additional productive facilities were pro
vided at the earliest date. Where unbalance of supply relative to
demand created the conditions of sellers’ markets, Government and
private purchases had to be protected by price ceilings.
Office for Emergency Management.—To cope with these all-perva
sive problems of guiding the economic resources of the Nation into
the channels most essential to the public interest, an extensive organ
ization was created in the Executive Office of the President to bring
to bear on them the broad powers wielded by the Chief Executive in
time of emergency—the Office for Emergency Management. To an
increasing extent as the year unrolled, the Nation’s economic forces
operated along lines mapped out by the several agencies composing
this Office.
The major objectives to which the Office for Emergency Management
addressed _itself were three: First, the provision of adequate produc
tive facilities (plants, equipment, labor) where and when needed
for defense output; second, the provision and allocation of an ade
quate flow through the productive mechanism of the necessary raw

REPORT OF THE. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

materials; and third, the supervision over prices, both those paid by
the Government and by the consumer. This is not, of course, intended
as a complete enumeration of the aims and authorities of the various
governmental agencies concerned with the defense effort. What is
deemed significant enough to record here is the fact that, during the
past fiscal year, a governmental organization has been built prepared
to guide, to an extent never equaled before in this country, the eco
nomic forces of the Nation into the employments deemed most essential
to the public interest.
THE NATIONAL INCOME

Level of 19Jp approached that of 1929.—The yield of the combined
efforts of the Nation’s workers, capital facilities, and natural resources
during the 1941 fiscal period, as measured in current money values,
was close to the highest level ever reached. The national income
totaled $82,000,000,000 compared to $73,200,000,000 in the previous
year and $83,400,000,000 in the calendar year 1929. It was more
than double the income of fiscal 1933.
When comparing 1941 with 1929, one should consider the effects
of the differences of price level and population. The 1941 general
price level is about one-sixth lower and the 1941 population about 9
percent greater than in 1929. After adjustment for both these in
fluences, the 1941 national income per capita, measured in terms of
dollars of constant purchasing power, was about 9 percent above
1929 and higher than in 1940 by the same amount.
Government ranks second as income producer.—The income pro
duced in the various areas of economic enterprise can be seen in table
4. Manufacturing as usual contributed most, over one-fourth of the
1941 total and an even larger share than in 1929. Government, with
roughly half its amount, was in second place, exceeding trade by only
a narrow margin. Prior to 1931, trade ranked next to manufacturing
as a source of income. In 1929, for instance, trade, in second place,
produced 13 percent of the national income while government, in
seventh place, produced 8 percent of the total. In 1941, the govern
ment and trade contributions were about equal. Offsetting the in
creased relative importance of government and manufacturing in
the 1941 total as compared to 1929, finance, agriculture, and trans
portation contributed smaller proportions. All major industry groups
produced more income in 1941 than in 1940, with contract construction
registering the sharpest gain.
The shares of national income m terms of the several factors of
production are shown in table 5. Study of the year-to-year changes
shows that the variation of some of the shares bears a close relation
ship to the total of shares transferred. This total is obtained by
removing business savings—either positive or negative and subject
to wide variation—from national income. Wage and salary payments
have moved closely with aggregate shares transferred, in part because
they have accounted for two-thirds of this total. They were nearly
halved from 1929 to 1933 and doubled from 1933 to 1941. Dividends
fall in the same category, variable in dollar amount but fairly steady
as a fraction of the total shares transferred. From 1940 to 1941,
however, wages and salaries made a sharper gain than dividends.

XVI

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
T able 4.— 'National income by industrial divisions for fiscal years
Industrial division i

1929 2

1933

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

73,160
17,848
9,903
9,865
8,881
6,182
5,856
5,142
2,218
1,398
1,427
953
3,487

81,99021,972
10,826
10,477
9, 594
6,453’
197
5, 505
3.125
1, 523‘
l' 487
1,043
3’ 788

100.0
24.4
13.5
13.5
12.1
8.5
8.0
7.0
3.0
1.9
2.0
1.3
4.8

100.0
26. a
13.2
12. a
11.7
7.9*
7.6‘.
6. 7
3. a
1.8
1.81.34.6'

Amount in millions of dollars
Total national income.-.
Manufacturing____________
Government_______________
Trade____________________
S ervice______ ___________
Finance____ ________ ______
Agriculture. _______________
Transportation........................ .
Contract construction_______
Mining. __________________
Power and gas________ ____
Communications.................
Miscellaneous____________

83,365
20,413
6,346
11,066
9,887
9,390
7,258
7,107
3, 535
1,883
1,425
1,042
4,013

38,065
6,146
6,367
4,878
5,144
4, 440
2,588
3,474
645
512
1,025
657
2,189

69,816
17,030
9,266
9,180
8,111
6,322
6, 441
5,136
1, 636
1,508
1,305
820
3,061

67, 050
14, 784
9, lo3
9,360
8,495
6, 070
5,950
4, 727
1,751
1, 313
1,384
858
3,195

66, 971
14, 596
10,178
9,149
8, 365
5, 935
5,489
4,631
1, 932
1, 175
1, 392
882
3, 247

f t,

Percent of total national income
Total national income...
Manufacturing____________
Government_______________
Trade.____ __________ _____
Service...................
|
Finance...................................'
Agriculture. ...................
j
Transportation____________
Contract construction_______
Mining.....................................
Power and gas_____________
Communications___________
Miscellaneous............................

100.0
24.5
7.6
13.3
11.9
11.3
8.7
8.5
4.2
2.3
1.7
1.2
4.8

100.0
16.2
16.7
12.8
13.5
11.7
6.8
9.1
1.7
1.3
2.7
1.7
5.8

100.0

24.4
13.3
13.1
11.6
9.0
9.2
7.4
2.3
2.2
1.9
1.2
4.4

100.0
22.0
13.7
14.0
12.7
9.0
8.9
7.0
2.6
1.9
2.1
1.3
4.8

100.0
21.8
15.2
13.7
12.5
8.9
8.2
6.9
2.9
1.7
2.1
1.3
4.8

1941 data*™* divisions’ except Miscellaneous, are arranged in decreasing order of magnitude according to
Data are for the calendar year 1929.
Source : Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce.
1

Other types of income streams hold relatively steady in dollar
amount and therefore form widely fluctuating fractions of the total.
Interest payments are of course the best illustration. As a fraction
of the total shares transferred, they nearly doubled from 1929 (calendar year) to 1933 when they reached a peak and were exactly halved
from 1933 to 1941. Owners’ withdrawals from unincorporated nonagricultural businesses are, in lesser degree, of this type, but since
the net income of these concerns was much more variable the with
drawals represented at times retirement of capital.
Net coipoiate income, being the residual after wages, salaries, inter
est, taxes, capital charges, and other expenses, fluctuates widely both in
amount and in proportion to the total. When fairly stable dividends
are paid out of this variable corporate income, the remainder, business
savings, fluctuates enormously, frequently changing from a positive
amount in one year to a negative amount in the following year. In
general, the savings of unincorporated business act the same.
Employees gain larger share of national income.—Comparison of
the several income shares in 1941 and 1929 (calendar year), reveals
some interesting shifts in the trend of income distribution. One is the
larger fraction going to compensation of employees. This may be
accounted for largely by the appearance in recent years of Social
Security contributions of employers and work relief wages, both non
existent in 1929, as important additions to employee compensation.
Another is the smaller fraction going to dividends and to net rents

XVIII

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The monthly totals of income payments are shown in table 6. These
differ from the national income chiefly because they do not include busi
ness savings but do include such items as relief payments and veterans’
benefits. Seasonal influences account for most of the irregularities in
the rising monthly trend from June 1940 to June 1941. It is notable
that the swiftest rise occurred in salaries and wages in the commodityproducing industries and in government, while the only declines were
in work relief wages, direct relief, and Social Security benefits.
HIGHER U N IT VALUE OF GOODS AND SERVICES

A part of the increase in income from 1940 to 1941 is accounted for
by the higher per unit market values of goods and services. This por
tion cannot be precisely determined, but of the total increase of 12
percent in national income, perhaps 2 percent was due to higher prices.
The increase in the net physical volume of goods and services turned
out was roughly 10 percent.1
T able 6.—Income payments
[Millions of dollars]
Salaries and wages

Direct,
relief,
Entrepre
Total
social- Divi neurial
Com- Distrib
Fiscal year income
security dends income
modity- utive Service Gov Work- benefits, and in and net
ended June 30— pay
ments Total produc- indus
indus ern relief and other terest rents and
ing in
tries ment wages labor
royalties
dustries tries
income
1930___________
1931___________
1932 __________
1933___________
1934___________
1935.. __________
1936___________
1937___________
1938___________
1939___________
1940___________
1941___________
1940: June...'___
July_____
August___
September.
October__
November..
December..
1941: January__
February...
March . .
April_____
May_____
June_____

80,799
69', 455
56,095
45,452
50.866
56,007
62, 619
71,262
69, 245
68.366
73,135
80,903
6,405
6, 215
5,906
6, 574
6,812
6,362
7, 534
6,696
6,367
6,982
6,954
6, 840
7, 661

50,949
43' 700
35,389
28, 249
32,188
34,738
38,959
44,339
43, 891
44,123
47,264
53, 743
4,057
3,951
4,036
4, 223
4. 397
4, 386
4, 527
4,423
4, 521
4,617
4, 712 •
4, 901
5,049

20,660
16' 263
11, 678
8, 559
10, 797
12,009
13, 708
16,536
15,752
15,413
17. 622
22, 036
1,527
1,540
1,618
1,688
1,755
1,750
1,805
1,781
1,866
1,922
1,963
2,121
2,227

13,494
llj 842
9,718
7, 607
8,196
8,751
9, 539
10, 683
10,928
10,673
11,371
12,095
959
968
969
989
1,009
996
1, 046
975
986
1, 000
1, 032
1, 048
1,077

11,784
10,515
8,907
7, 272
7, 588
8,090
8, 740
9,648
9, 881
9, 754
10,344
10,841
877
871
874
883
897
903
913
905
907
913
920
925
930

5,011
5, 051
4,986
4, 563
4,325
4,673
5,168
5,495
5,699
6,037
6,288
7,318
570
453
454
548
609
616
635
631
637
656
676
692
711

i 29
100
248
1,282
1, 215
1,804
1,977
1,631
2,246
1,639
1,453
124
119
121
115
127
121
128
131
125
126
121
115
104

1,023
1,964
1,501
1,712
1,579
2,034
2,713
2,499
2,346
2,733
2,882
2,962
258
260
258
239
239
235
241
255
250
253
245
244
243

12,193
10' 811
9,406
7,585
7,484
8,011
8, 362
9,967
9,095
8,157
8,865
9,314
1,001
850
429
837
783
429
1,508
790
432
913
796
453
1, 094

12,980
9, 799
7, 906
9, 615
11, 224
12, 585
14.457
13,913
13,353
14,124
14,884
1,089
1,154
1,183
1, 275
1,393
1,312
1,258
1.228
1,164
1,199
1,201
1,242
1,275

1 Total for 8 months beginning; November 1930.
Source : Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce.
THE YEAH IN INDUSTRY

Development of defense industries.—The outstanding industrial
achievement of the year was the progress in building and equipping
the armament industry to an extent which will make it, when com
pleted, perhaps the foremost of all American industries. Approxi
mately $1,400,000,000 were invested during the 12 months ended June
30 in its plant and equipment. During the same year a total of about

XVII

REPORT OF THE. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

and royalties. A third prominent shift is the downward trend of
interest payments which is due partly to the declining trend of interest
rates and partly to changes in the character of the outstanding debt
and of the investment market.
T able 5.—National income by distributive shares for fiscal years
Type of share

1929 1

1933

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

Amount in millions of dollars
Total national income.. ................ ........
Total compensation of employees--------------Total supplements to salaries and wages..
Social Security contributions of emOther labor income 1234______________
Net income of incorporated business...............
Dividends to stockholders (net)--............
Business savings -----------------------------Net income of unincorporated business6........

83,365 38,065 69,816 67,050
52,692 28,682 45, 733 45,983
52,246 28,000 42, 542 42, 710
682 3,191 3,273
446
248 1,977 1,631
663 1,075
551
567
434
446
7,194 -2,774 4, 388 2. 282
5.944 2.250 5,051 4,155
1,250 -5,024 -663 -1,873
14,214 5,675 12,604 11,830
5,628 1,776 5,465 4,926
8,586 3,899 7,139 6,904
8,340 5,006 6,985 7,100
154 -196
246 -1,107
5,901 5.408 5,049 4,955
3, 364 1,074 2,042 2,000

66,971
46,262
42,198
4.064
2.246
1,213
605
2, 731
3,287
-556
11,176
4,507
6,669
7,073
-404
4,871
1,931

73,160 81,990
49,481 56, 712
45,856 53,037
3,625 3,675
1,639 1,453
1,343 1,546
643
676
4,466 5, 254
3,956 4,335
510
919
12.214 12,848
4,893 5,171
7, 321 7,677
7,235 7,507
86
170
4,913 4,970
2.086 2,206

Entrepreneurial (owners’) withBusiness savings-------------------------Interest (net) .................... .................... ..........
Net rents and royalties----------------------------Net shares transferred by business enter81,869 44,196 70, 325 69,119 67,931 72,564 80,901
Dividends, interest, and net rents and 15,209 8, 732 12,142 11,110 10,089 10,955 11, 511
royalties________________ __________
Amount in millions of dollars
83, 365 38,065 69,816 67,050 66,971 73,160 81,990
Total national income--------- ------596 1.089
Business savings 7-------------- ------------- ------ 1,496 -6,131 -509 -2,069 -960 72,564
80,901
Net shares transferred by business enter- 81,869 44,196 70, 325 69,119 67,931
Percent of net shares transferred by business enterprises
Net shares transferred by business enterprises. 100.0
Total compensation of employees------ -------- 64.3
Salaries and wages----------------------------- 63.8
.5
Total supplements to salaries and wages..
Social Security contributions of em.5
Other labor income4______________
Entrepreneurial (owners’)4withdrawals from
enterprises other than agricultural5---------- 10.2
Net income of unincorporated agricultural
enterprises 5----- ------ -------- ---------------- 6.9
Total dividends, interest, and net rents and
royalties...----- ---------------------------------- 18.6
Dividends to stockholders (net)................ 7.3
Interest (net)------------------ ---------------- 7.2
Net rents and royalties_____ __________ 4.1

100.0
64.9
63.4
1.5
.5
1.0
11.3
4.0
19.8
5.1
12.3
2.4

100.0
65.0
60.5
4.5
2.8
.9
.8
9.9
7.8
17.3
7.2
7.2
2.9

100.0
66.5
61,8
4.7
2.4
1.5
.8
10.3
7.1
16.1
6.0
7.2
2.9

100.0 100.0
68.1 68.2
62.1 63.2
6.0
5.0
3.3
2.3
1.8
1.8
.9
.9
10.4 10.0
6.6
6.7
14.9 15.1
4.9* 5.4
7.2
6.8
2.8
2.9

100.0
70.1
65.6
4.5
1.8
1.9
.8
9.3
6.4
14.2
5.4
6.1
2.7

1 Calendar year 1929.
2 Includes pay roll and maintenance of Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees and pay rolls of Civil Works
Administration, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and the Federal Works Program projects
plus administrative pay rolls outside of Washington, D. C., for all except the Federal Works Program.
Area office employees and their pay rolls under the Federal Works Program are included with the regular
Federal Government employment and pay roll figures.
3 Includes contributions to Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Compensation Funds.
4 Pension payments under private plans and under systems for Government employees, compensation
for industrial injuries, etc.
5 Includes owners’ remuneration for personal services.
6 Formerly referred to as “Income paid out;” total national income less savings of incorporated and un
incorporated businesses.
7 Business savings in incorporated and unincorporated enterprises other than agricultural.
Source: Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce.
427433— 42------ 2

XIX

REPORT OF THE' SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

$10,500,000,000 was spent for productive facilities in all industry
groups, compared with about $6,800,000,000 in the previous fiscal year.
These amounts gain significance when set alongside the comparable
magnitude for the calendar year 1929—$10,100,000,000. The volume
of new orders for industrial equipment placed such a strain on the
machinery industry that it became one of its own best customers and
underwent a swift growth. Table 7 shows the manner in which the
arms and related industries led the industrial expansion of the period.
T able 7 .—Indexes

of production in selected industries (ranked in order of
ffains in fiscal 191(1 over fiscal 1940)
Average production years
ending—
Percentage
increase
June 30,1941 June 30,1940
139
142
166
123
118
664
199
283
170
168
138
174
163
131
141
143
146
136
144
126
123
151
108
131
118
105
113
105
101
116
116
114

S odece : Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

116
117
123
111
114
263
100
148
117
119
102
133
131
106
116
121
124
117
125
111
110
138
100
12.1
111
99
108
102
98
113
114
114

—

20
22
35
11
3
152
99
92
45
41
35
31
24
24
22
18
18
15
15
13
12
9
8
8
6
5
5
3
3
2
1
0

New high in employment.—Of the expansion in civilian nonagricultural employment of about 3*4 million persons during the year,
the chief part was undoubtedly due, directly or indirectly, to defense
work. Table 2 shows the distribution of the employed workers over
the major industry groups. It is heartening to report that by the
year-end unemployment had been reduced to the lowest level (from
5 to 6 millions) since 1930 and that there were more individuals
employed in the United States than ever before (49,000,000).
It is significant that the expansion in the production of durable
goods roughly trebled that of nondurables output. This was only
natural in view of the close relationship between durable goods and
munitions of war. The same difference was reflected in the greater
expansion of employment, and the larger rise in wages in the durables
as compared to the nondurables. There were, however, outstanding
exceptions to this rule.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Wool textile output expansion was exceeded only by the expansion
in aircraft, locomotives, shipbuilding, railroad cars, and machinery;
it even exceeded that of iron and steel and other durable-goods
industries closely identified with defense. The reason, of course, was
that wool textiles were themselves an important military procure
ment item. Cotton consumption by mills, usually taken as a measure
of cotton textile output, scored a greater gain for the year than did
iron and steel. Rubber and leather products, rayon, and chemicals
were other nondurables registering large gains.
Record consumer-goods output.—The surplus of labor and of
capital facilities that existed at the beginning of the fiscal period
(July 1 ,1940-June 30, 1941), made it possible for the spurt in arma
ments production to proceed parallel with a boom in consumer-goods
output and not at its expense. Despite imminent material shortages,
consumer-goods trades, with textiles and automobiles in the lead,
expanded their volumes sharply. As the national income rose, sales
of consumer products and services rose to record high levels. Thus,
in the year following Dunkerque when our armament program first
got seriously under way, arms output came from an increased national
production and bettered rather than injured civilian consumption.
This outcome was possible only because of the existence of surplus
productive resources of all types in the beginning of the period. At
ihe year-end, however, we faced a situation where this happy combi
nation of circumstances was no longer a feature.
Construction highest in a decade.—There was in 1941 more con
struction activity than in any fiscal year since 1930. The lead was
taken by industrial building, as the defense program developed great
pressure for the expansion of productive facilities. Work was
started on 190 million square feet of floor space in manufacturing
buildings valued at $1,050,000,000 during the period, compared with
130 million square feet valued at $700,000,000 in fiscal 1929, the
former peak year. Other nonresidential building was also very
active, total expenditures for such buildings in the period amounting
to $900,000,000 compared to $1,100,000,000 in the previous year and
$2,600,000,000 in the year ended June 30, 1929. Public works and
public utility construction expenditures totaled $2,400,000,000, vir
tually unchanged from fiscal 1940, as against $3,600,000,000 in the
peak fiscal year 1930.
There was a sharp rise over the previous year in the proportion
of all building and construction projects financed by public funds,
from 40 percent in fiscal 1940 to 50 percent in the year ended June
30, 1941. A very substantial portion of the total building activity
of the year consisted of construction for the use of the armed forces
of the United States. Such construction totaled about $1,450,000,000.
Both the rising national income and, more particularly, the heavy
movement of industrial workers to localities where defense plants
were rapidly expanding, employment taxed the existing supply of
dwelling units in many centers. The result was to lift residential
building to a new high since the decade of the twenties. An estimated
615,000 new nonfarm dwelling units were started during the 12 months
ended in June 1941, compared to 486,000 units in the previous fiscal
year and to approximately 900,000 units in the peak year 1926. Ya-

REPORT OF THE! SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XXI

cancies declined significantly and by June rentals were accelerating
their recovery from the depression lows.
Total new construction of all types for the period aggregated be
tween $7,000,000,000 and $8,000,000,000, or about $1,000,000,000 more
than in the 1940 period. While this volume exceeded any year since
1930, it was approximately $3,000,000,000 less than fiscal 1929. Em
ployment (see table 2) and income in the industry increased substan
tially over 1940.
Manufacturing inventories increased substantially.-—For 12 consecu
tive months, inventories of manufacturers rose (see table 1). On June
30, 1941, they stood at the level of about $12,800,000,000, compared to
$10,800,000,000 at the end of June 1940. This $2,000,000,000 increase
in stocks on hand was chiefly concentrated in the durable-goods indus
tries where inventories expanded by one-quarter as contrasted with
the nondurable industries where they increased only one-tenth. The
tremendous influence of orders for defense materials is clearly shown
by the fact that inventories in the metal-working industries led the
rise. Thus the transportation equipment group of industries (includ
ing aircraft, railroad cars, and locomotives, but excluding automo
biles) showed the outstanding increase of 130 percent. Since their
shipments increased 165 percent over the same period, however, a much
larger inventory was obviously necessary. The machinery and
automobile industries also added heavily to inventories.
New orders for manufactured products exceeded shipments during
the year so that producers ended the period with much larger backlogs
of unfilled orders. In the durable industries, June 1941 backlogs were
nearly three times as large as those of a year earlier. This result
was clearly due to the combined influences of a tremendously aug
mented real demand, of precautionary forward buying, and of
inadequate productive capacity, but the relative importance of these
factors cannot be determined. In any case, the size of these backlogs
manifests the strain placed on the Nation’s industrial mechanism.
Defense needs, in some cases of unprecedented magnitude, plus the
record-breaking civilian demand, plus the large additions made to
business inventories, all combined to place great pressure on the sup
plies of raw materials. Moreover the Federal Government in this
period was engaged in the program of building Government stockpiles
as recommended by the Army-Navy Munitions Board and by the
Office of Production Management. But despite the largest volume of
crude-material imports in recent years and despite an increase in the
output of leading metallic minerals of 15 percent over the previous
year, there developed shortages of a number of important materials.
With the shortages, the problem of increasing the supplies of these
materials became urgent.
The aluminum situation was prominent throughout the year. In the
calendar year 1938, less than 300,000,000 pounds of the metal were
produced; in calendar year 1939, the output rose to about 325,000 000
pounds. By June 1940, the industry’s annual capacity for producing
aluminum was around 400,000,000 pounds. By June 1941, it was up
to 625,000,000 pounds and plans for increasing it still further up to
1,400,000,000 were under way.

XXII

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Magnesium presented a somewhat similar picture. In the calendar
year 1938, 6,400,000 pounds of this metal were produced; in calendar
year 1939, 6,700,000 pounds. In June 1940, the annual productive
capacity of the industry had been raised to 13,000,000 pounds. Twelve
months later, capacity was up to 37?000,000 pounds, but the Office
of Production Management was urging a further expansion up to
400,000,000 pounds.
The case of copper is also significant. Although the first metallic
weapons with which men fought were chiefly copper (i. e., bronze)
and were forged 4,000 years ago, copper still ranks, perhaps next only
to steel, as a leading necessity for the waging of modern war. It is
equally essential, however, in this age of electricity, to the functioning
of the civilian economy. In years of very active business, our apparent
domestic consumption has been around 1,000,000 tons. Domestic pro
duction has usually exceeded consumption with a surplus left over for
export. Military demands, including lend-lease requirements, sky
rocketed during the period under review to such high totals, however,
that a copper shortage was threatened even for essential civilian needs.
In the same general way—urgent and swiftly increasing demand
outstripping supply—a shortage was developing in steel, notwith
standing the fact that our country leads the world in its production.
Other shortages, imminent or actual, threatened in brass, cadmium,
nickel, zinc, scrap iron, wool, and numerous other materials.
These actual or anticipated shortages had several significant effects :
(1) To stimulate the search for ways of increasing imports and do
mestic output; (2) the setting of price ceilings; (3) curtailment of
civilian nonessential consumption; and (4) the employment of manda
tory priorities and allocations to guide the flow of scarce commodities
into the most necessary uses. The Office of Production Management
placed aluminum and magnesium, for example, under mandatory
priority control in March 1941, while copper, cork, nickel, and othermaterials were brought under control in May and subsequent months.
Efforts to stimulate domestic output were meeting with success in the
case of a number of commodities, though expansion of supplies was
a key problem at the year-end.
PRICES AND VALUES

Movement of commodity prices.—Commodity prices moved sharply
higher in the period under review. In contrast with the experience
of 1939-40, when prices rose abruptly after the war’s outbreak and
then receded almost to the pre-war level, the upward movement of
prices which began in August 1940 continued unabated. The speed
with which prices were rising by the end of the period, June 1941,
(see table 8) indicated that the price advance would constitute an
even more urgent problem in the new fiscal period. Shortly thereafter,
indeed, the Congress took under consideration means to curb infla
tionary forces.
Price changes are the mirror of economic events. Their influences
for better or worse vitally concern every citizen in our democracy.
Why have prices risen and why do they continue upward ? These are
questions of vital importance. The answers are to be found in the
basic influences in this period that acted on prices by affecting either
the demand for, or the supply of, goods and services.

XXIII

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
T able 8.— Commodity

prices
Cost of living
(1935-39=100)

Wholesale prices (1926=100)
By stage of processing
Fiscal year ended
June 30—

1929.......... ..................
1930.............................—
1931............ ......................
1932..................................
1933................. ........ ........
1934.......................... .
1935..................................
1936...................... ............
1937_________________
1938_______ _________
1939....___ __________
1940_________________
1941_________________
1940: June----------------July___________
August..................
September--------October------------November______
December______
1941: January-----------February_______
June.. ___ _____

By principal commodity
groups

All
Commod All
com
ities items
modi Raw Semi- Manu
Farm
fac
ties mate manu tured prod Foods other
than
farm
ucts
rials factured
articles prod
products
ucts
and foods
96.2
92.5
79.0
68.2
62.9
72.0
78.0
80.1
84.5
82.4
77.2
78.2
80.8
77.5
77.7
77.4
78.0
78.7
79.6
80.0
80.8
80.6
81.5
83.2
84.9
87.1

98.0
93.5
74.0
59.1
53.0
63.6
74.4
77.3
85.2
77.0
70.5
71.6
74.4
70.7
70.7
69.8
70.5
71.4
72. 6
73.6
74.6
74.0
75.3
77.5
79.7
83.6

94.3
90.0
74.5
63.3
58.8
72.6
72.1
74.5
82.3
79.4
74.8
79.5
81.6
77.9
77.8
77.0
77.6
79.4
80.7
80.7
81.3
81.6
83.4
85.1
86.4
87.6

95.7
92.4
82.0
73.2
68.2
75.8
80.5
82.1
84.5
85.4
80.7
81.1
83.6
80.5
80.9
81.0
81.5
82.1
82.6
82.8
83.5
83.5
84.2
85.5
87. 1
88.6

105.1
100.0
75.6
54.8
46.5
58.9
74.6
77.9
87.8
75.6
66.4
67.0
70.8
66.2
66.5
65.6
66.2
66.4
68.2
69.7
71.6
70.3
71.6
74.4
76.4
82.1

100.3
97.8
81.8
67.0
58.7
65.6
78.5
82.8
84.7
79.2
71.7
71.1
74.3
70.3
70.3
70.1
71.5
71.1
72.5
73.5
73.7
73.5
75.2
77.9
79.5
83.1

92.4
89.6
79.5
72.2
68.3
77.1
77.9
78.6
82.8
83.8
80.7
82.6
84.5
82.2
82.3
82.0
83.5
84.1
84.1
84.3
84.4
84.9
85.9
87.4
88.6

Z Z .S

122.2
122.3
114.2
103.1
93.0
94.6
97.1
98.2
100.9
102.3
99.8
99.9
101.2
100.5
100.3
100.0
100.4
100.2
100.1
100.7
100.8
100.8
101.2
102.2
102.9
104.6

Food

130.4
132.9
114.5
94. 6
81.1
91.0
9/. 8
100.1
130.9
101.9
90,0
96.2
98.6
98.3
9/. 4
96.3
9/. 2
95.9
97.3
97.8
97.9
98.4
100.6
102.1
105.9

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

Probably the most potent influence permitting or forcing a pricelevel rise was the swelling tide of purchasing power serving as effec
tive demand in the Nation’s markets for goods and services. It will
bear repetition that this growing volume of purchasing power resulted
chiefly from the urgent outpouring of public funds needed to
strengthen the national defenses. In more normal times, the mere
fact that most sellers of goods marked up their price tags, would
not suffice to cause a price-level rise if the national income were not
adequate to buy all the goods offered at the higher prices. This
particular check of an income inadequate to buy all the goods and
services offered was progressively less effective in the period under
review as incomes rose. Buyers were in a mood to spend freely, as
is shown by the high sales volumes for the period. Hence sellers
could and did ask higher prices and got them.
But even when demand is increasing, a price-level rise may be
repressed from the supply side. This is the case when the increased
demand evokes a corresponding increase in the quantity of goods
offered, for then the enlarged supply offsets the increased demand
and the price level will be little affected. But this check on a rising
price level becomes less effective, or effective only after a long lag,
when output is already at or near current practicable productive
capacity. Hence limited supplies and increasingly active demand

XXIV

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

were the chief reasons for the sellers’ markets that developed in the
late months of the year for numerous commodities and services.
Prices of different goods, however, were variously affected.
Urgent defense and civilian demands pressed more heavily on some
commodities than on others. Furthermore, the supplies of different
articles could be expanded with more or less promptness and with
varying effects upon costs. Also, governmental controls were applied
to some goods while others remained free. The price-level rise, there
fore, was uneven among the various groups of prices.
Agriculture is, broadly speaking, characterized by an inelasticity
of production which precludes the rapid adjustment of output to
demand often achieved by industry. The year under review, on the
other hand, witnessed a considerable increase in consumers’ capacity
to purchase meats, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, fruits, and vegetables—
necessities for an improved national standard of nutrition. At the
same time, the Government adopted a policy of sharing in the task
of provisioning the British Isles and so lightening the hardships of
the British in the common cause of the democracies against German
aggression. British food requirements are, of course, in essentials
parallel with our own.
The larger domestic demand, aided somewhat by concurrent pur
chases for British account, resulted in materially higher prices for
many foods. In certain basic farm commodities, where production
and supplies carried over from previous years were ample to forestall
any appreciable advance, prices were set by Government loan rates.
Hence their prices rose when Congress raised the loan rates last May.
Part of the advance in food prices is remedial, inasmuch as higher
prices will stimulate farm production. Thus will be provided the
additional food supplies needed here and abroad.
Need for foreign raw materials.—Higher raw-material prices have
served once again to bring to the notice of the Nation its dependence
upon foreign sources for much of its supply of essential industrial
materials. Imports of these materials arrived here in increasing
volume and at increasing cost, but not at a pace equal to needs. The
building up of the arms industry and the increasing requirements of
the whole great defense program, called for an extraordinarily heavy
flow of raw materials to industry. The urgent civilian demands for
many products fabricated with some of the same materials as war
equipment, further increased the pressure on raw-material supplies.
This almost insatiable demand for the limited supplies available, puts
sellers in a position to ask, and makes buyers willing to pay, higher
prices.
Increased toages and cost of materials.—Producers were in many
instances, however, impelled to ask higher prices by rising costs.
In the case of imported materials, ocean freight rates moved higher.
For domestic materials, as output approached capacity levels, highercost facilities were brought into use. Wages also rose. Their im
portance as an element of business cost is indicated in table 5 by the
dominantly large fraction (65 percent) of total income represented
by wage and salary payments. Wages and salaries in all stages of
the economic process are, of course, included from raw materials
through transportation to the marketing of the finished article, and
not merely those in manufacturing.

XXV

REPORT OF THE. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Hourly wages had been rising from the start of the war. Our
own defense program, however, provided the impetus for a further
large increase. With employers actively seeking to hire more men
and women, especially those possessing, or capable of acquiring
quickly, advanced skills, individuals found themselves in the strong
est labor market in many years. Employment in defense output
alone expanded rapidly to at least 3,000,000 by June 1941. Hence
wage advances of some magnitude were recorded during the second
half of the fiscal year and these exerted considerable influence upon
prices. They were by no means entirely passed on to the consumer
in higher prices, however, as they were usually offset in part by the
economies resulting from increased utilization of productive plant, of
improved technology, and in part paid out of what otherwise would
have been higher profits.
Table 9 summarizes some of the more salient price movements of
the fiscal year, and compares prices prevailing in June 1941 with
those in August 1939, just prior to the war. Striking increases are
shown for farm products, import commodities, and industrial raw
materials. Of special significance by way of contrast, are the com
paratively moderate advances during the past year in the prices of
strategic and critical commodities, a result of the voluntary and
governmental controls imposed upon the free play of market forces
in the case of these materials. Probably most interest will attach to
what has happened to the prices of finished goods, particularly those
consumed by persons of moderate income.
T able 9.— Value changes, June 19//1 over specified months, 1989-Jfl
June 1941 percent increase over—
August 1939 August 1940
Wholesale prices, all commodities________________________
Import commodities___ ____________________________
Farm products_____________________________ _____- - Foods_____________________________________________
Raw materials_____________________________________
Strategic materials__________ _______________ -...........
Finished products, omitting foods and feeds-----------------Standard machine tools____________ _________________
Average hourly earnings, all manufacturing wage earners___
Cost of living____ _____ ___ _______________________
Food-------------------------------------------------------------------Clothing,. ________________________________________
Rent..............-.'1-------------------------- ------- ------------------

16.1
51.8
34.6
23.7
25.7
38.5
14.8
17.6
12.0
7.9
17.7
16.4
14.0
» 7.6
i 3.0
i 4.2
i 1.3

12.5
43.1
25.2
18.5
19.8
12.9
7.7
13.8
9.4
6.1
8.1
10.5
24.2
10.1
2 1.7
2 5.0
2 1.1

February
1941
8.1
20.4
16.8
13.1
13.0
8.5
3.1
7.4
6.1
4.5
2.3
6.6
3.8
8.2
2.9
4.9
.7

i September 1939.
* September 1940.
Source : Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

It is axiomatic that the prices of finished manufactures do not rise
as rapidly—in fact, need not rise as much—as the prices of materials
and labor, which enter into these products as costs of production.
The explanation of this is that raw materials, factory labor, and capi
tal facilities account, on the average, for roughly equal shares of
manufacturing costs. Since the costs of the capital facilities in par

XXVI

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

ticular are relatively fixed over long periods, they constitute a cushion
capable of moderating the effect upon finished product prices of the
upward surge in raw-material costs and wage rates. Hence, finished
manufactures, which include some foods, advanced from August 1940
through June 1941 less than 10 percent. If prices of food and live
stock feed, which were sharply higher, are excluded from the finished
manufactures, the increase in the prices of other finished products
amounted to about 6 percent. The advance of finished product prices
amounted to 12 percent including, and 8 percent excluding, foods and
feeds for the 22 months since the European war began.
Retail prices reflected the higher wholesale prices of finished goods
only after a delay of some months. There was, finally, a sudden acces
sion of mark-ups as the fiscal year came to a close. Food and house
furnishings led the advance, with clothing a close second, but fuel,
electricity, and housing, the other essentials in the cost of living, rose
less substantially. In various localities, the degree of rent advances
differed widely. Many focal defense areas suffered an acute housing
shortage and a concomitant sharp rise of rents as a result of the
migration of labor into such areas.
Consideration of the broad price movement in progress as the fiscal
year closed would not be complete without again emphasizing its con
tinuing character. Prices have continued to rise in each succeeding
month of the new fiscal period. The end is not yet in sight.
The year in the security markets.—The security markets, throughout
the fiscal year, presented the anomalous picture of high and rising bond
prices in the face of exceptionally heavy current and prospective
demands for funds and of common stock prices remaining low and
lethargic in the face of improved corporation profits. There was
discernible a continuing tendency to place a valuation higher than
before upon secure sources of income. There was also a reluctance
to regard with confidence under present-day international uncertain
ties the risks of ownership of equity shares in the country’s leading
corporations.
In the bond market, the yields of United States Treasury bonds
declined steadily from July to December. Then occurred a reversal,
with the average yield of Treasury issues advancing in January and
again in February, as it became evident that the scope of the defense
program, together with the Treasury financing involved, must be
greatly enlarged. Subsequently, Treasury yields resumed their down
ward course, to close the year at about 1.9 percent compared with
2.4 percent the preceding June. The banks of the country continued
to absorb large amounts of bonds, principally Treasury issues. Total
investments of all banks increased by more than $3,600,000,000 during
the fiscal year.
The municipal bond market followed much the same pattern.
Yields decreased during the year from approximately 2.7 percent to
2.1 percent, reflecting further investment pressure from those wanting
tax-exempt securities.
Corporate bond yields, on the other hand, showed less tendency to
decline. For high grade issues, the mark-down was nominal, the yields
on triple A’s, for example, receding from the prevailing low 3 per-

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XXVII

vent to about 2.8 percent. Lower in the quality scale, however, the
marking down of corporate yields again featured the market. Triple
B yields closed the fiscal year at an average of 4.3 percent, down from
5.1 percent the previous June, as prospects for continued improve
ment in the coverage of charges dominated their price action.
While business was forging ahead rapidly, the prices of common
stocks languished on the lowest average level in the last 6 fiscal years.
Stocks did, it is true, advance moderately from June to October 1940
when the defense program had increased to approximately 23 billion
dollars. But afterwards the market turned weak and moved inde
cisively until the end of the fiscal period although the defense pro
gram was building up meanwhile to nearly 50 billion dollars. (Later,
of course, to be still further augmented.)
Outwardly, business and financial developments during the fiscal
year were of the sort that usually encourages the bidding up of stock
values. Dividend rates (600 stocks) advanced somewhat more than 7
percent. The average yield offered by common stocks (200 issues),
fluctuating between 6.4 and 5.4 percent, was materially higher than
that on the more secure bonds. The aggregate earnings available to
the common stockholders of a representative group of leading indus
trial corporations (364 companies) in the fiscal year, moreover, rose
nearly 19 percent over those in the 1929-40 fiscal period.
The failure of stock prices to advance despite outward indications
of corporate prosperity, was no doubt traceable in large part to ex
pectations that the total cost of defense to the Nation was destined
to be enormous and that corporate enterprise would of course be
called upon to shoulder its full share of the burden, with the result
that additional business obtained under the defense program might,
in the last analysis, make no great contribution to company net earn
ings. In fact, the prospect of increased taxes has long been taken for
granted, as a succession of new tax bills in the last 2 years laid the
groundwork for substantially heavier levies upon corporations. The
Revenue Act of 1941—to mention only the most recent of these meas
ures—which was initiated during the fiscal year, is estimated to
augment the already increased Federal taxes upon 1941 corporate
earnings by fully one-third.
Other factors depressing stock prices were wage increases and un
certainty attending emergency conditions. Business profits would
have been considerably higher had wages remained unchanged, and it
was difficult for investors to anticipate accurately the nature and
extent of prospective wage movements. Moreover, it was difficult to
know ahead of time what effects the defense program and its inter
ference with certain types of civilian goods output, would have on the
business of a given concern, or to foresee the extent and profitability
of the defense orders that a concern might be awarded.
While fixed or overhead costs tended to decline during the year
owing to the greater volume of operations, direct costs tended, if any
thing, to rise. However, due to the strong sellers’ markets that
obtained where no price controls were in effect, conditions were more
favorable than in many years to passing increased costs along to the
consumer. That this occurred to some extent is shown by the sharp
rise as previously discussed, that developed during the period in the
price level.

XXVIII

REPORT OF THE. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
THE YEAR IN DOMESTIC TRADE

Consumer incomes in the fiscal year rose somewhat more than 10
percent, but not all of the gain was spent. As an offset to substantially
larger savings by individuals, however, funds in considerable volume
flowed into retail trade from consumer credit sources. Total consu
mer expenditures for all types of goods and services (see table 10)
actually increased by about one-tenth. Since the prices of the goods
and services entering consumption channels were, on the average for
the whole fiscal period, little changed from the level of the preceding
year, the increased income and expenditure in general represented an
improved standard of actual consumption. In this respect, we were
also rather better off than in 1937, when both income and expendi
tures were lower, or in 1929 when the cost of living was far higher.
Retail stores in the aggregate experienced an expansion of 13 per
cent in dollar sales. The total for the fiscal year was approximately
4914 billion dollars. The rising trend that persisted during the
period, however, is indicated by the fact that the flow of trade had
attained by May and June 1941 an annual rate of about 54 billion
dollars. Comparisons with the retail store sales of 41 billion dollars
in the year 1937 and 48% billion dollars in 1929 are influenced, of
course, by price changes, but it will be recalled that in both earlier
years retail prices were higher—materially higher in the closing year
of the twenties—relative to 1941.
T able 10.—DistritoUion
Sales of retail stores,
value (1935-39=100)

Freight
load
Fiscal year ended June 30— carings
(1935- All re
39=100) tail
stores
1929........................................
1930_______________________
1931....___________________
1932_______________________
1933_______________________
1934______________________
1935_______________________
1936______________________
1937...___ _______________
1938_______________________
1939___________ ___________
1940_______________________
1941_______________________
1940: June3............ ...................
July3________________
August3___ __________
September3___________
October3_____________
November3_____ ____
December3_________ .
1941: January3 ______ ____
February3____________
March3_________ ___
April3_______ _______
M ay3______________ _
June3________ _______

152
145
118
89
76
90
88
97
114
96
93
107
119
111
110
112
112
no
116
119
122
124
126
112
135
139

90.7
105.6
103.1
103.5
112.7
127.6
117.5
117.1
118.7
115.4
117.2
123.4
124.5
130.3
136.6
135.2
136.2
141.5
138.0

Dur Non
able dur
able
goods goods
stores stores

91.4
112.2
99.9
100.7
118.0
148.5
124.6
128.1
122.9
118.2
130.0
136. 0
148.5
156.8
173.7
167.6
166.2
174.8
163.9

90.5
103.5
104.1
104.4
111.1
120.8
115.2
113.5
117.3
114.5
113.1
119.3
116.7
121.7
124.6
124.7
126.5
130. 7
129.6

Depart
ment
store
sales,
value
(192325=100)

Retail
sales of
new pas
senger
automo
biles,
value
(193539=100).

76
82
92
88
87
91
100
91
92
98
97
94
100
101
101
103
103
104
105
104

104
122
88
88
117
165
137
141
113
97
124
135
169
178
209
185
189
210
182

Foreign trade,
quantity (192325=100)
Exports
of
United
States
merchan
dise

Im
ports
for con
sump
tion i

ST
90
110
102
124
130
136
126
135
115
136
127
126
124
117
138
145
147
122

111
131
105
101
110
124
109
115
114
106
117
120
130
120
118
133
143
142
130

>Based on general imports through December 1933, imports for consumption thereafter.
1 Average of first 2 quarters of 1929.
3 Indexes, except the series on foreign trade, are adjusted for seasonal variations.
Sources: Indexes of freight car loadings and department store sales, Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System: Other indexes, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce.

XXIX

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The largest trade gains over fiscal 1940 were made by stores retail
ing durable goods. These units increased their volume by fully onequarter, while stores handling mainly nondurable goods reported
gains averaging about 9 percent. Consumer outlays for services (in
cluding housing) increased by no more than 5 percent. So pro
nounced, in fact, was the movement of consumer funds, including
installment borrowings, into durable goods that it appears to have
arisen in part, at least, from a general desire to anticipate expected
price rises and restricted supplies.
A surprisingly large volume of installment credit was employed by
consumers during the year to augment their already large aggregate
income. It is estimated that the total of new credit granted was
around $8,700,000,000, while approximately $7,400,000,000 were paid
off, leaving a net expansion of $1,300,000,000. A large portion of this
consumer credit was used to purchase durable goods—according to
the best available estimate approximately $6,100,000,000, or about 70
percent. For automobile purchases alone, about $3,000,000,000 of in
stallment loans were granted. At the end of June 1941, a total of
about $6,000,000,000 of consumer installment credit was outstanding—
almost twice the 1929 amount.
Consumers’ expenditures for services during the year were estimated
to form about 40 percent of the total. Since this type of expenditure
is more stable, the gain over the previous year was only about 5
percent.
Wholesale trade was also very active for the year, with the increase
over the fiscal year 1940 amounting to 20 percent or rather more than
the gain scored by retail trade. Wholesalers’ larger gains, aside from
price influences,'were owing to their participation not only in the
distribution of consumer goods but also in the distribution of producer
goods where sales volume gained the more. The largest increases
were concentrated in sales by dealers of producers’ goods and durable
products generally.
FOREIGN TRADE PATTERN ALTERED

T able 11.—Foreign trade of the United States
[Millions of dollars]
Item
Exports, including reexports of

1921-30 1931-35
average average

4,809 2,127
3,843 1,768
+966 +359
717 2,089
Exports of U. S. merchandise-------- 4,3,814
1,754
Quantity indexes (1923-25=100):
78
Exports of U. S. merchandise 2__ (3)
90
(3)

Year ended June 30—
1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

2,414 2,838 3,403 2,920 3,826 4,043
2,218 2, 942 2, 361 2,094 2, 518 2, 925
+196 1 -104 +1,042 +826 +1, 308 +1,118
3,959
2,375 2,791 3, 362 2,885 3,744 2,809
2,208 2,892 2, 331 2,079 2,448
82
111

90
131

110
105

102
101

124
110

130
124

1 Export
Excess ofindexes
imports.
are based upon “Domestic exports.
3 Comparable indexes prior to 1929 are not available.
4 Import indexes are based upon “General imports” through the calendar year 1933 and on “Imports for
consumption” thereafter.
S ource : Division of Foreign Trade Statistics, Department of Commerce.
2

XXX

REPORT OF THE, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The foreign trade of the United States reflected, perhaps more than
any other aspect of our national economy, the influences of the war.
Exports became progressively more a matter of shipping the sinews
of war to Great Britain and its allied belligerents, and of supplying
other friendly nations with at least their minimum requirements of
our manufactured goods to the extent that these could be spared
from the prosecution of the defense program. Imports, on the other
hand, were dominated by our need to obtain from foreign sources
vastly increased quantities of industrial materials in order to satisfy
defense requirements with a minimum sacrifice of civilian consump
tion. Inasmuch as the United States is always an important buyer
of industrial materials abroad, the war has thus tended to work
changes of greater significance in our exports, than in imports, both
as to composition and geographic distribution.
The extraordinary forces which dominated our foreign trade during
the past fiscal year, operated on balance to lift the combined inflow
and outflow approximately 600 million dollars (9 percent). Imports,
which were up 16 percent, accounted for almost two-thirds of this
increase, while exports rose by about 5 percent. The effects of lendlease exports upon our trade, however, had only begun to be felt in
the fiscal period under review.

T able 12.— Foreign trade by continents and countries for years ended June 30—
Millions of dollars

Percent of total
1929-38 1939
1941 Average

1940

Percent
increase
1941 over
1941 1940

Total exports, including re
exports of foreign merchandise. 2,936 2,920 3,826 4,043 100.0 100.0
Europe_____ ____________ 1,334 1,228 1,622 1,445 45.4 h 2 . 1
United Kingdom_____
509 496 635
17.3 17.0
Other______________ _ 824 732 987 1,275
170 28.1 25.1
North and South America.. 979 984 1,374 1,630 33.3 33.7
Canada______________ 470 428 604
16.0 14.6
Latin America.............. . 501 548 758 8.18
799 17.0 18.8
Others__________ ____
8
8
10
13
0.3 Ü.3
Asia and Oceania.................. 531 593 701 717 18.1 20.3
British India. _______
35.
36
62
95
1.2 1.2
British Malaya_______
7
8
13
33
0.2 0.3
Japan_________ ____
205 226 228 173
7.0
7.7
Australia....................
65
61
75
66
2.2 2.1
Other________ _____
219 262 323 349
7.5 9.0
Africa__________________
92 114 131 251
3.2 3.9
Union of South Africa..
49
76 139
69
1.7 2.4
Other_______________
43
45
54 112
1.5 1.5
General imports........................... 2,450 2,094 2,518 2,925 100.0 luo.o
Europe_________________
729 620 551 292 29.8 29.6
United Kingsom______
176 140 155 142
7.2 6.7
Other_______________
553 480 396 150 22.6 22.9
North and South America.. 924 798 1,007 1,335 37.7 38.1
Canada____ _________ 320 293 375 482 13.1 14.0
Latin America________ 596 498 621 837 24.3
23.8
Other__________ _____
8
7
11
16
0.3 0.3
Asia and Oceania____ ____ 742 610 865 1,155 30.2 29.1
British India_________
77
62
88
97
3. 1 3.0
British Malaya_______
136
210 313
5.6 5.2
Japan............. ...... .......... 209 110
129 167 156
8.5
6.1
Australia.........................
18
12
17
83
0.7
Other..... ......................... 302 297 382 506 12.3 li.0.62
Africa._________________
55
66
93 144
2.3 3.2
Union of South Africa. __
7
21
36
50
0.3 1.0
Other..______ _______
48
45
57
94
2.0 2.2

100.0
42.4
16.6
25.8
35.9
15.8
19.8
0.3
18.3
1.6
0.3
6.0
2.0
8.4
3.4
2.0
1.4
100.0
21.9
6.2
15.7
40.0
14.9
24.7
0.4
34.4
3.5
8.4
6.6
0.7
15.2
3.7
1.4
2.3

100.0
35.7
31.5
4.2
40.3
20.2
19.8
0.3
17.7
0.8
4.3
1. 6
8.6
6.2
3.4
2.8
100.0
10.0
4.9
5.1
45.6
16.5
28.6
0.5
39. 5
3.3
10.7
5.4
2.8
17.3
4.9
1.7
3.2

1929-38
Average 1939

1940

Sodece : Division of Foreign Trade Statistics, Department of Commerce.

+5.7
+100 8
-82.8
+18.8
+35.4
+30.0
+2 3
+53.2
+153.8
—24 1
+8.0
+91.6
+82 9
+107. 4
+16. 2
-62.1
+28 5
+34.8
+45.5
+49.0
+388. 2
+32.5
+38.9
+64.9 '

XXXI

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Trade with continental Europe, as indicated in table 12, already
reduced in the previous fiscal year, virtually disappeared. Similar
curtailment was enforced upon our trade with Japan. Notable in
creases, on the other hand, occurred in trade_with countries of the
British Empire—especially shipments to Britain and Canada and im
ports from the latter. Likewise notable were the sharply increased
imports from Latin America and Asia as we drew heavily on these
areas for urgently needed raw materials.
Outstanding problems to develop during the year in our trade rela
tions with the world revolved around our exports to Japan and, on
altogether different grounds, around those to the American Republics.
Shipments to Nippon were cut by means of export controls estab
lished not only to conserve essential resources but also to implement
our foreign policy. In the instance of the Latin American Nations,
on the other hand, we have adopted the policy of sharing with them
the output of our factories, even though shortages here might argue
otherwise, in an endeavor to make up deficiencies in supplies that they
formerly obtained from continental Europe as well as Great Britain.
In the face of overwhelming military requirements, Britain appar
ently was unable to maintain its former export volume to South
America.
Regarding the types of products composing our trade, the outstand
ing change, as mentioned early in this report, was the precipitous
drop (see table 13) in the exports of crude materials. A major share
of this was accounted for by the decline in shipments of raw cotton
from almost Sy2 billion pounds to only 600 million pounds. But
tobacco also shared in it, falling from' 340 million pounds to 180
millions, and among others contributing to the decline, crude petro
leum fell from 63 to 41 million barrels. Crude foodstuffs were
sharply down as wheat led with a drop from 23 to 11 million bushels.
Among the semimanufactures, copper exports were nearly halved in
reflection of the shortage that developed in that critical material.
In the finished manufactures group, passenger-automobile exports fell
from 105,000 to 75,000. It was war munitions that accounted for the
outstanding rise in the outflow of finished manufactures. Typical
of this movement was the increase in airplane exports from 2,236 to
4,725, that of airplane engines from 3,061 to 6,840, and that of fire
arms and ammunition from $27,000,000 to $111,000,000.
T able 13.—Foreign trade by economic classes for years ended June 30—
Percent of total

Millions of dollars
1929-38
aver 1939
age
Exports of United States mer-

1940

1929-38
1941 aver 1939
age

2,888 2,885 3,744 3,959
740 512 636 278
85
61
134 164
164
238 189 212
436 502 799 828
2,011 2, 629
Finished manufactures......... 1, 339 1,519 2,448
2,809
Imports for consumption 1------- 2,438 2,079
768 638 875 1,174
341 281 290 335
308 292 325 291
479 431 534 611
542 438 424 398
Finished manufactures____
Crude foodstuffs--------------

1940

100.0 100.0 100.0
25.6 17.7 17.0
4.7 5.7 2.3
8.2 6.6 5.7
15.1 17.4 21.3
46.4 52.6 53.7
100.0 100.0 100.0
31.5 30.7 35. 8
14.0 13.5 11.8
12.6 14.0 13.3
19.7 20.7 21.8
22.2 21.1 17.3

i General imports prior to Jan. 1,1934.
Source : Division of Foreign Trade Statistics, Department of Commerce.

Percent
increase
1941 over
1941 1940
100.0
7.0
1.6
4.1
20.9
66.4
100.0
41.8
11.9
10.4
21.7
14.2

+5.7
—56. 3
—28.2
—22.6
+3.6
+30. 7
+14. /
+15.5
—10. 5
—14.4
—6.1

XXXII

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Imports were featured by the raw materials. Rubber, listed as a
strategic material, rose from 1.4 billion to 2.1 billion pounds. Rawwool imports jumped from 310 million to 650 million pounds. Hides
and skins moved from 330 million up to 480 million pounds. Indus
trial diamonds, important in machine processes, climbed from
$7,200,000 to $11,200,000. Rough, uncut diamonds for decorative
purposes, in reflection of the partial migration of the diamond
cutting trade to this country from Europe, increased in import volume
from 160,000 to 250,000 carats, while cut diamonds, in the semimanfactures group, fell from 450,000 to 230,000 carats.
Other notable import increases were in the semimanufactures
class. Copper rose from 515 million to 910 million pounds, nickel
and alloys from 117 million to 157 million pounds, and tin from
210 to 330 million pounds. Wood-pulp imports were an exception,
tumbling sharply from almost 2 million tons to 960,000.
In the aggregate, merchandise exports for the fiscal period exceeded
imports by $1,100,000,000, the second largest export balance in the
last 10 fiscal years, the preceding year’s having been the largest.
Even so, it was far less than our import balance of gold and silver
which, deducting gold placed under earmark, equaled $2,500,000,000
and was exceeded only by the two preceding periods in the last 10
fiscal years. Looking back over the last decade from July 1, 1931,
through June 30, 1941, the totals are most impressive. During that
period, our excess of merchandise exports aggregated $5,500,000,000,
while the net inflow of gold and silver, exclusive of gold placed under
earmark, reached the total of $15,000,000,000.
“Service” transactions between the United States and foreign coun
tries, consisting chiefly of shipping freight, tourist expenditures,
insurance, interest, and dividend payments, showed diverse trends
but had little net effect on the total balance of payments. Insofar
as they can be identified, capital transfers in the second half of 1940
appear to have resulted in a continuation of the inflow observed for
the past several years. From January to June 1941, however, there
developed a substantial outflow reflecting chiefly the continued liqui
dation of British-owned dollar assets.
POSITION AT YEAR-END

Although the general position of the economy at the beginning of
the second year of the defense program was not one which could
elicit wholehearted satisfaction, the foregoing review reveals that
the year brought definite accomplishments. Economic activity had
reached record heights, but, above all, the tremendous magnitude of
the task confronting the Nation was generally realized. Sights had
been raised with regard to the quantity of armaments required to
bring a successful issue in the current international struggle.
We had come to realize, likewise, the drastic changes in the
economic structure necessary to produce this quantity of armaments.
We had developed the techniques for obtaining the needed new
capacity for arms production. We had faced the problem of short
ages in materials and by trial and error had evolved a system to secure
a sufficient supply for armament requirements. We had recognized
that the output of civilian durable goods would have to be curtailed.
We had in operation an organization to handle the problems of pro
duction, allocation, supply, and price. Further implementation of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XXXHI

the powers designed to cope with events was being forged, notably
in the area of price and commodity controls.
The past year, therefore, represented largely an organizational
stage—the flow of finished armaments at the end of the year was
just beginning to give evidence of the huge output to follow. Only
about one-eighth of the total volume of goods and services produced
(including new facilities as well as finished goods) was going into
defense use at the year-end. For the year ahead, therefore, the
one impelling task is to raise this proportion to the level contem
plated under the existing programs.
In meeting the great demands made upon us, it is essential that
the new problems arising from the intensive mobilization of our
resources be faced squarely and solved promptly. Usual methods
must more and more give way to speedier devices, and the guiding
beacon must be the national interest. Decisions should be directed
toward the realization of the paramount objective—increased output.
Incentives to this end should be preserved and rapid progress should
not be impeded by lesser considerations.
The task before us requires cooperation of business, labor, and the
consumer with the Government, in whose hands vital decisions rest.
This must include a willingness to sacrifice—to do what is essential
to successful mobilization for defense.
The job before us is now laid out in stark terms. There is general
realization of the extent to which our national interests are threat
ened. Now we can look forward to that national unity of purpose
which will speed our maximum contribution to the destruction of
disruptive forces and the reestablishment of a world in which we
may again go forward toward the objectives of peace.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR
FOREIGN-TRADE ZONES

The purpose of foreign-trade zones is to provide restricted areas
in the United States where foreign goods may be landed without
application of the customs laws. As of June 30, 1941, only the
New York foreign-trade zone was in operation.
While shipments from continental Europe to the zone have practi
cally ceased, traffic from other areas has grown greatly, particularly
in products heretofore distributed directly through European chan
nels. Sumatra tobacco, for example, formerly shipped to the
Netherlands for sale, was largely moved to the zone when the
growers erected a special building for inspection of samples. So
successful were the sales that growers decided to build a permanent
warehouse at the piers.
Other major zone activities included: Expansion of facilities for
cleaning and manipulating tungsten ore and antimony; rehandling
of Chilean copper for transshipment to England and France (before
the German occupation) for entry into the United States; expansion
of equipment for labeling and repacking of corned beef from Argen
tina and Uruguay; transshipment of Brazilian cotton to Canada,
China, and Japan.
The expansion of the New York foreign-trade zone activities during
1940-41 indicates the value of well-planned and adequately equipped
zones in other strategically located ports.
4 2 7 4 3 3 — 42

------ 3

XXXIV

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Business Advisory Council continued its service to this De
partment and to other Federal agencies. Its outstanding contribu
tion has been the voluntary service in various defense activities of
36 of the current members.
Reports have been made on subjects dealing with Social Security,
Taxation, Economic Policy, Labor Policy, Fiscal Policy, Patent
Legislation, and Latin American Relations.
A special committee gave consultative assistance to the Bureau
of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, the Bureau of Standards, and
the Bureau of the Census, in some of the administrative problems
of these Bureaus under the additional load created by defense
activities.
Members at the close of the fiscal year were :
*W. L. B att , Philadelphia, Pa., Chair C harles R. H ook , Middletown, Ohio.
man.
♦ Jam es W. H ook , New Haven, Conn.
*M. B. F olsom , Kochester, N. Y., vice J ay C. H ormel , Austin, Minn.
chairman.
D. S tew art I glehart , N ew York,
♦ Claren ce F r a n c is , New York, N. Y., N. Y.
vice chairman.
L ouis E. K ir s t e in , Boston, Mass.
*N ich o la s H. N oyes , Indianapolis, Ind., ♦ Arth u r K udner , New York, N. Y.
vice chairman.
E. H. L ane , Altavista, Va.
♦ J. T. T r ip p e , New York, N. Y., vice R oger D. L a p h a m , San Francisco,
chairman.
Calif.
C larence A vildsen , Chicago, 111.
S tacy M ay , N ew York, N. Y.
♦ Jo h n D. BiocEiiS, Toledo, Ohio.
T h o m a s B. M cC abe , Chester, Pa.
M ason B ritton , New York, N. Y.
E arl M. M cG o w in , Chapman, Ala.
V annevar B u s h , Washington, D. C. G eo . IT. M ead , Dayton, Ohio.
W. D ale C la rk , Omaha, Nebr.
D. H ayes M u r ph y , Hartford, Conn.
*W. L. Clayton , Washington, D. C. *D. M. N elson , Chicago, 111.
C arle C. C onw a y , New York, N. Y. W. S. N ew ell , Bath, Maine.
H arvey C ouch , Pine Bluff, A rk.
J. C. N ich o ls , Kansas C ity, Mo.
*R. R. D eupree , Cincinnati, Ohio.
R ichard C. P atterson , J r ., N ew York,
F r a n k l in D ’O l ifr , Newark, N. J.
N. Y.
*G ano D u n n , New York, N. Y.
P h il ip D. R eed , New York, N. Y.
W. Y. E lliott , Cambridge, Mass.
♦ George A. S loan , New York, N. Y.
C harles T. F is h e r , J r., Detroit, Mich. ♦ Blackw ell S m it h , Washington, D. C..
R a l ph E. F landers , Springfield, Vt. E. R. S t e t t in iu s , J r ., Washington,
R obert V. F lem in g , Washington, D. C. D. C.
J. F . F ogarty , N ew York, N. Y.
R obert T. S tevens , New York, N. Y.
H. B. F riele , Seattle, Wash.
H ardw ick S tir e s , New York, N. Y.
R olland J. H a m ilto n , New York, R . D ouglas S tuart , Chicago, 111.
N. Y.
R eese H. T aylor , L os Angeles, Calif.
W. A. H a rrim a n , New York, N. Y. W alter C. T eagle , New York, N. Y.
H enry H. H e im a n n , New York, N. Y. ♦ Sidney J. W einberg , New York, N. Y.
G eorge A. H il l , J r,, Houston, Tex. W. H. W heeler , J r., Stamford, Conn.
P aul G. H o ffm a n , South Bend, Ind. D. R obert Y arnall , Philadelphia, Pa.
T hom a s S. H olden , New York, N. Y. J am es W. Y oung , Penablanca, N. Mex.

♦ Member of the executive committee.

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

The policy of “doing a better job with what you’ve got” which
animated the reorganization of the Bureau during the early part
of the fiscal year, paid big dividends to the Nation as the defense
emergency efforts expanded.
The resources of information, research, and commercial contacts
of the Bureau have more and more been drawn upon by defense
administrative agencies. Before the end of the fiscal year, about 6'0

REPORT OF THE. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XXXV

percent of the effective time of the organization was devoted to fact
finding, reporting, analyzing and interpreting of direct defense sig
nificance. Virtually every other activity of the Bureau was related,
to the problems of business under defense at home or war abroad.
Many thousands of reports on commodities from abroad have been,
made to defense agencies, other Government officials, businessmen,
and inquirers after information for personal use. The Bureau’s
compilations and analyses of data on American investments abroad,
foreign investments in the United States, American tourist expendi
tures abroad, international insurance transactions, balance of inter
national payments, and other international financial matters, have
been used extensively by both Government and business. Special
studies were made- on bilateral balance-of-payments, effects of orders
freezing foreign assets in the United States and effects of exchange
restrictions.
Everything possible has been done to help Americans protect pat
ent, trade-mark, and other rights in countries annexed to or invaded
by the Axis powers. Active assistance has been given shippers on.
problems arising from confiscations, contraband seizures, losses of
cargo by sinking or jettison, loss of property in transit or in burned
or looted warehouses, prize procedure, preemption and requisition of
property, and many other foreign-trade questions arising from the
disruptions and destructiveness of war.
_The Bureau carried on constant informal collaboration with agen
cies having direct jurisdiction over export controls, regularly in
forming business of developments of commercial consequence and
advising businessmen on licensability, interpretation of rulings,
handling of applications, procedure in difficult cases, etc. Informa
tion in the Bureau’s files, built up over a generation of foreign trade
activities, was placed at the disposal of agencies concerned with the
subversive activities of agents of American firms in Latin America.
Several thousand calls were made by Bureau employees—in Wash
ington and in the field—on American firms to urge them to break
connections with undesirable firms. In many cases, the Bureau was
able to recommend agency replacements. As a result the impact of
the Proclaimed List upon American export trade was greatly
softened.
In 1940-41, United States foreign traders used the Bureau’s cus
tomary trade-promotion activity to a greater extent than in any
other fiscal year since 1933. Prior to the transfer (to the Bureau
of the Census, late in the year) of the collection and compilation of
foreign-trade statistics, the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce provided many statistical reports on licensed-export state
ments, in-transit shipments of strategic commodities, lend-lease
shipments, strategic material imports, and other trade figures vital
to Government agencies. The work of analyzing these foreign-trade*
statistics continues in the Bureau.
' Established current studies of proved usefulness were continued,
adjustment and correlation of the armament-economy figures to the
levels of the predefense era were extended, the Bureau’s nationalincome studies were improved and a study of public and private net
indebtedness was completed.

XXXVI

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

During the year the Bureau collected, tabulated, analyzed and
published numerous series of data widely used by business firms,
Government officials, and others. It issued monthly indexes of man
ufacturers’ inventories, shipments, new and unfilled orders, of sales
by many types of chain stores, and monthly data on consumer in
stallment-loan volume, repayments and oustandings of three types
of cash lending agencies. The annual Retail Credit Survey was
prepared.
Included among its most useful economic studies have been anal
yses of the railroad freight-car situation, of consumer-credit, of the
outlook for the national income, of productive capacity in outstand
ing industries (particularly with respect to defense output), and a
survey of changes in wages, hours, and operating conditions in the
wholesale grocery and produce trades.
A practical manual of simplified methods of small-store accounting
was prepared. This is the first product of the steadily mounting
share of the Bureau’s time and energy devoted to practical help for
the small-business man. Vigorous aid was given to efforts to bring
about the removal of ill-advised and troublesome barriers to the free
flow of commerce across State lines, particularly as such barriers
interfered with preparation for defense.
A vast amount of basic data has been supplied to defense agencies
on commodities, raw materials, and manufactured products. This
has developed into a series of monthly industry reports covering the
■ chief manufacturing, service, public-utility, and distributive indus
tries. In these reports, current and long-term trends in each in
dustry, the relationship between industries and the factors that
influence industrial operations, are thoroughly analyzed and
interpreted.
Realizing today’s need for more intimate collaboration with busi
ness executives, the Bureau established a staff of industrial consul
tants who maintain close contacts with business in their respective
fields and act as interpreters and advisers between Government and
businessmen.
To heighten efficiency and convenience, the district offices of the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce and the field service
of the Bureau of the Census were unified by order of the Secretary.
They now constitute the United States Department of Commerce
Field Service. Calls upon these offices for services of many kinds
have recently increased so greatly that 12 regional business consul
tants, experienced in trade and economics and schooled in government
operation, were appointed, one in each major field office.
Bureau cooperation with university schools of business and depart
ments of economics has been considerably extended during the year.
The Bureau has, in fact, acted as a clearing-house for business and
economic research of interest to businessmen, Government officials,
and research workers.
To improve the methods of getting the Bureau’s data into the
hands of the public, the information and publication services have
been completely reorganized and modernized.

REPORT OF THE, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XXXVII

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

During this fiscal year the Bureau of the Census has been employed
chiefly in providing statistical services to the national-defense pro
gram and compiling the l’esults of the Sixteenth Decennial Census.
Several reorganization changes were made to improve the services
of the Bureau. A number of innovations were effected to increase
the volume of data published and the speed at which reports could
be made available.
Priority was given in Census work to those regular tabulations
most urgently needed in the planning and administration of defense
activities. Special tabulations were also supplied in many instances.
Several new canvasses were undertaken to supplement the regular
current reports of the Bureau, and information obtained in special
inquiries by other agencies was processed and tabulated.
The returns of the Sixteenth Decennial Census covered approxi
mately 180 million reporting units. By the close of the fiscal year
all schedules had been carefully edited for accuracy and consistency
and coded for card punching, the punching of cards was almost
completed, and tabulation was well under way.
Critical analysis of the results of machine tabulations progressed
as rapidly as the tabulations became available. Preliminary reports
were issued for every major field of the census and a number of final
reports were published.
Despite the volume of work imposed by the decennial census and
the additional work undertaken for national defense, the continuing
services of the Bureau were not restricted and, in some cases, were
expanded to meet the demands of the changing times.
The regular reports on vital statistics, State and local governments,
manufactures, business, and cotton and oils =were issued, and the in
formation obtained in the decennial census was used to evaluate
and augment these reports. A number of other current reports were
suspended early in the year but were later resumed, with the cost
borne by the trade associations of these industries.
Cotton reports were extended to include consumption of raw cotton
by 12 different classes of manufactured products, and production
and stocks of cotton linters by type of cut. An analytical study of
the total public indebtedness of State and local government units
was completed. Procedures for delayed registration of births were
developed and submitted to the State bureaus of vital statistics.
The collection of marriage and divorce data for the years 1939 and
1940 was nearly completed, and analysis of the returns was in
progress.
Certification of age and citizenship as reported in Census records
reached an unprecedented level of 339,000 during the year. Requests
for this service are now being received at the rate of 650,000 a year
and all available evidence indicates a further increase in the present
rate. Requests are chiefly from persons employed or seeking em
ployment in defense work.
The Bureau continued to utilize the service of specialists in various
fields as members of advisory committees and as consultants. Mem
bers of the Bureau staff also cooperated with other agencies through

xxxvni

REPORT OF THE. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

consultations, reviewing schedules and reports, and discussions at
technical meetings. During the year two members of the staff were
detailed to the Governments of Uruguay and Panama, respectively,
to act as consultants in governmental statistical procedures.
Several visitors from outside the continental United States came
to the Bureau to study Census methodology. They represented
Hawaii, the Philippines, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, and Thailand.
A need for revision of basic legislation under which the Bureau
of the Census operates has been made apparent by enormous decen
nial work peaks, the increased use of census statistics as an adminis
trative tool, and the requirements of national defense. A bill re
cently introduced in Congress provides for a quinquennial census of
industry and business to replace the present biennial census of manu
factures and the decennial censuses of business and mineral industries.
The bill also makes possible the extension of current reports to new
fields. By providing for the quinquennial census of industry and
business to be taken for years ending in “3” and “8” the work will
be spread more evenly throughout the 10-year period, and the decen
nial census load of work with its abnormal peak of personnel and
effort will be decreased. The extension of the current reports will
permit the Bureau to survey fields where information is now needed
for national defense.
BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION

The functions and activities of the Bureau have been increased until
they are more numerous and complex than at any previous time during
its 105 years of existence. This has come about through: (1) The
tightening of the safety-at-sea laws; (2) the increase in gross ton
nage under construction and under contract during the year from
1,800,000 gross tons to 5,800,000 gross tons; (3) development of new
techniques and new materials in shipbuilding; (4) the new applica
tion of American inspection laws to foreign-flag tonnage acquired by
act of Congress.
In spite of all these increased pressures, there has been no substan
tial lowering of safety standards. Alternate materials and equip
ment have been tested and approved for substitution in case of short
ages, and constant vigilance maintained to keep the merchant fleet
operating efficiently with a high degree of freedom from casualties and
break-downs.
Minor changes were made in the regulations of the Department
which restrict the clearance of vessels in foreign commerce. Regula
tions to minimize the hazards of moving large quantities of explosives
and other dangerous articles in harbors and other waters were made
operative in April under the authority of the Dangerous Cargo Act.
As in the previous year, many cargoes laden on foreign-flag vessels in
the United States were later discharged in the United States because
of fear of capture or destruction of the vessels. Although the laws
provide for forfeiture of merchandise so transported, the Department
remitted the penalty in all cases where it was satisfied of the bona
fides of the transaction.

REPORT OF THE, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XXXIX

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

The rapidly expanding defense program has thrown an increasingly
heavy burden on the Bureau as custodian of the national standards.
Contracts for parts for airplanes, tanks, and guns have been divided
among many firms. Absolute interchangeability of parts made in
these often widely separated plants can be achieved only if measure
ments are based upon uniform standards. Working standards, there
fore, in great numbers have been checked against the single recog
nized standard.
A number of Bureau laboratories are devoting all or a large part
of their time to confidential work for the Army, Navy, National Ad
visory Committee for Aeronautics, and the National Defense Research
Committee on problems of the properties of materials and the design
of equipment.
Major services to industry and the public not related to national
defense and mostly carried out as cooperative projects, during the
year, included: Improvement of the standard frequency broadcasting
service; development of a method for determining ascorbic acid, an
important constituent of grapefruit juice; development of funda
mental data on wool and other fibers which makes possible the crea
tion of new and more durable textile materials; completion of tests
which give, for the first time, accurate information on the strength of
soft-soldered joints in thin-walled copper tubing; finish of vehicle
scale testing; designing and constructing apparatus for measuring the
relative slipperiness of various types of floors and floor coverings;
tests of prefabricated units, wallboard, and heating plants; survey of
roofing materials in the North Central States; third report on wear
tests of floor coverings; and fire tests on many types of partitions.
Two experts from the Bureau’s radio section accompanied the Louise
A. Boyd Arctic Expedition to secure data on ionosphere conditions,
geomagnetism, and auroral phenomena. A complete report of the
Bureau’s work, beginning in 1919, on the physical properties of dental
materials is in course of publication. A number of important scien
tific meetings were held under the Bureau’s auspices.
As the fiscal year closed, the Office of Production Management was
becoming increasingly interested in the work of the Simplified Prac
tice Division. Aid w'as given to the Treasury Department in prepar
ing Federal Specifications, with emphasis on the use of substitutes
for strategic materials.
A new simplified plumbing code was published and is now being
widely used for Federal housing projects.
The Bureau sponsored a revision of the National Electrical Safety
Code, of the report of the Interdepartmental Screw Thread Commit
tee, and issued a safety code for handling radium compounds in paint
ing dials.
The addition of 12.5 acres to the Bureau’s site gives space for a much
needed materials testing laboratory.
CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

The Civil Aeronautics Administration on June 30, 1941, completed
its first year as a unit of the Department of Commerce pursuant to
Reorganization Plan No. IV. During this period it undertook its
first airport-development program. With $40,000,000 appropriated

r e p o r t op t h e se c r e t a r y of c o m m er c e

by Congress for the purpose, it initiated construction or improvement
projects at 193 locations certified by the Secretaries of War, Navy, and
Commerce as vital to national defense.
It greatly expanded its pilot training program, giving more than
45,000 elementary flight courses, more than 8,000 secondary courses,
and more than 4,000 instructor training courses. In the closing
months of the year the program was providing the Armv and Navy
with about one-third of their flying cadet recruits.
. Tlle vital airways and safety regulation services were extended and
improved to accommodate greatly increased civil and military aviation
operations. Research in the field of pilot training won praise from,
military as well as civil leaders. The Washington National Airport
was opened for operations.
PATENT OFFICE

The income of the Patent Office was $4,149,141.97, a decline of
$195,825.11 from the previous fiscal year, due to fewer applications
filed by foreigners, transfer to the Register of Copyrights of the
registering of prints and labels, elimination of renewals, and abolition
of certain appeals in interference cases.
The deficit for the fiscal year was $374,382.81, contrasted to an
average excess of receipts over expenditures of $45,000 annually for
the preceding 8 years. Much of this was due to the expense of new
duties concerned with national defense. Unearned balance at the
close of business on June 30,1941, was $220,466.10.
Applications for patents, including those covering designs, totaled
65,901. This was 3,486 fewer than in the previous year. Applica
tions for registrations and renewals of trade-marks numbered 14,302,
a drop of 541. Applications from foreigners in 1941 totaled 5,225,
a drop of 2,225 in number. Changes in the law governing registration
of prints and labels, renewals, and certain appeals resulted in a
revenue loss estimated at $60,000.
The Patent Office Defense Committee of seven examiners was
created to carry out the provisions of the Act of Congress for holding
m secrecy an invention revealed in an application and to withhold
the grant of a patent whenever disclosure might be detrimental to
national defense.
The number of applications pending on June 30, 1941, was 104,957,
a drop of 5,786. Cases awaiting advice were 42,106, compared to 44,902’
on June 30, 1940. New receipts were 4,824 lower. Reclassification
of patents progressed with a slightly reduced examining corps; work
involving 20,568 original patents and 27,223 cross references was com
pleted. The relationship between patents and national defense was
given special consideration throughout the year.
COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY

Requests from the Army, Navy, and other defense agencies for the
various services provided by this Bureau continued to increase until,
during the latter part of the year, it was necessary to devote practically
all facilities to work of this nature.
Largely as a result of naval requirements the issue of nautical charts
increased from about 407,000 copies in 1940 to over 621,000 copies
during the past year. The Bureau was also called upon to provide
a considerable number of special charts for naval use.

REPORT OF THE. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

XLI

The resources of the Coast and Geodetic Survey have never been
sufficient to maintain up-to-date surveys of all of our vast coastal
waters, and, in general, it has been necessary to concentrate activities
in areas which are important commercially. When charts adequate
for all purposes are required for regions which heretofore have not
been used by deep-draft vessels it is usually necessary to supplement
existing data by means of additional surveys. Field surveys by
modern methods of such areas during the past year, to provide charts
needed for naval operations, resulted in the discovery of dangers to
navigation of the utmost importance for chart construction.
Our country is now covered by three series of aeronautical charts
consisting of ilO different charts. These charts provide standard and
uniform essential information required by aviators for navigation
and piloting. They are used extensively in pilot-training courses,
as well as for general air navigation. The issue of over 912,000 copies
of these charts was nearly double that of the preceding year. It was
necessary to undertake the construction of several new series of these
charts which will involve a fivefold increase in the number of indi
vidual charts produced. While these new charts are urgently needed
for defense purposes, they will also be necessary for, and will con
tribute to, the great expansion of commercial aviation which undoubt
edly will follow the present emergency.
The Bureau was also called upon for numerous special projects
both in the field and office. Four survey ships, taken off their regu
lar work along Atlantic coast ship lanes, were engaged_ during the
winter in surveys required for the development of our island bases
in the West Indies. Other work included such widely diversified
activities as wire-dragging water areas to safeguard submarine nav
igation; the prediction of tides considerably in advance, for use in
planning the launching of vessels; and investigations of the height to
which abnormal magnetic disturbances extend into the air and thus
affect air navigation.
During the latter part of the year three survey ships, especially
suitable for certain classes of naval duty, were transferred by Execu
tive Order to the Navy Department. Provision for continuing their
field operations was made through the transfer of three other vessels
from the Navy Department to the Department of Commerce.
An appropriation for geodetic surveys approximately five times
as large as that available during the preceding year permitted a
corresponding increase in the output of this class of work. The
principal purpose of this expansion was to provide necessary control
for the topographic mapping of strategic areas. Other important
control survey projects were accomplished with funds provided by
the War Department.
A new activity for this Bureau during the past year was its par
ticipation in the program of the State Department for cooperation
with the American Republics. For this purpose three field parties
were operated. One carried on gravity surveys in Peru and Colombia
and the others established a cooperative tide station at a seaport
in each of eight republics. Both of these scientific and technical
projects are of immediate practical value. The results of gravity
surveys are used extensively in geophysical prospecting for oil, while
the tide stations will provide data, heretofore lacking, of benefit to
navigation in waters adjacent to the various stations, and of con

XLII

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

siderable use in the study of tidal movements throughout the Western
Hemisphere.
INLAND WATERWAYS CORPORATION

The Inland Waterways Corporation was created for the purpose
of carrying on the operations of the Government-owned inland
waterways system until such time as the system can be transferred to
private operation to the best advantage of the Government.
The Corporation operates as a common carrier in the same manner
and to the same extent as if its facilities were privately owned and
operated. Its fiscal year, under regulations of the Interstate Com
merce Commission, is the calendar year, and its detailed annual
reports are prepared on that basis.1
The Corporation closed the year in a sound financial position. It
has no bonded debt or other obligations except of a current nature.
A substantial part of its investment in Treasury Bonds, accumulated
from its operation, is held in reserve for the replacement of facilities
or purchase of new equipment. All expenses are paid from revenues.
C ondensed balance sheet, J u n e SO, 19J/1 .
ASSETS

Permanent and long-term investments:
Real property and equipment_____________ $26, 812, 904. 78
Reserve for accrued depreciation—Cr_____ 7, 511, 704. 61
---------------------- $19,301,200.17
Loans receivable—_____________________________________
423, 316. 97
Working assets:
Cash_____ '_______________________________ $747, 968.93
Marketable securities (Treasury bonds)___ 3,850,132.67
Accounts receivable______________________
542, 324. 63
Materials and supplies___________________
189, 621. 24
-------------------- - 5,330, 047.47
Deferred debits: Prepaid expenses and other deferred debits___ 190, 631. 20
Total------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25,245,195.81
LIABILITIES

Working liabilities: Accounts payable________________________
805, 654.48
Deferred credits:
Operating reserves---------------------------------- $360, 963. 87
Other deferred credits___________________
18,127. 07
---------------------379, 090.94
Total------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1,184, 745. 42
NET WORTH

Stock:
Capital stock_____________ $ 12, 000, 000. 00
Premiums on capital stock_ 10,362, 843.12
--------------------- $22, 362, 843.12
Corporate surplus:
Invested in property______
433, 831. 09
Profit and loss, credit bal
ance___________________ 1,263, 776.18
--------------------- 1, 697, 607. 27
Total------------------------------------------------------------------------ 24, 060,450. 39
Grand total----------------------------------------------------------- 25, 245,195. 81
1CopiesSt.may
be Mo,
obtained from the Inland Waterways Corporation, Boatmen’s Bank
Building,
Louis,

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF' COMMERCE

XLIII

THE WEATHER BUREAU

During its first full year in the Department of Commerce, the
Weather Bureau continued to develop its national weather service
to aeronautics, agriculture, commerce, and the public. Recognizing
the vital role of knowledge of the weather in modern warfare, a.
Defense Meteorological Committee was organized early in 1940 to
provide close collaboration and continuous planning on weather
service for the Army, Navy, and other defense agencies.
Through cooperation with the Civil Aeronautics Administration
and educational institutions, approximately 70 new meteorologists
were graduated during the past year. Others were trained by the
Army and Navy at the same educational institutions through plan
ning led by the Weather Bureau. These, and meteorologists already
in the field, provide a nucleus for expansion of the weather service
to meet all emergency needs. The training of a larger number was
hastened by advancing the academic year in meteorology to start in
July 1941 so that courses may be completed in February 1942.
Other new activities, begun primarily for defense needs, are result
ing in improved weather service to the public. The strengthening
of the service in Alaska for military purposes provides better weather
service for commercial air operations in that area and gives upper
air soundings of value for weather forecasting in other parts of
North America.
The doubling of the number of radiosonde observations in the con
tinental United States provides the most satisfactory sampling of
atmospheric conditions for air-mass analysis and forecasting ever
available over any region of similar extent. Noteworthy advances in
meteorologicl practice and improvement in weather service, benefit
ing all economic interests, are expected from these improved facilities.
THE NATIONAL INVENTORS COUNCIL

The National Inventors Council was created in July 1940 by the
Secretary of Commerce, with the concurrence of the President. _Its
primary function is the evaluation of all inventions and suggestions
submitted by the public for use in the national-defense program.
Dr. Charles F. Kettering, President, General Motors Research
Corporation, is Council Chairman. Other members, all serving with
out compensation or on $1 a year basis, are outstanding American
inventors, scientists, and industrialists having wide experience in the
development and utilization of inventions.
A total of 27,132 inventions were received and evaluated in the
interval between the Council’s creation and the end of the fiscal
year. In that time 47,981 letters were received and approximately
1,850 visitors were interviewed.
ST. LAWRENCE SURVEY

The St. Lawrence Survey was organized in November 1939 as a
special division in the Office of the Secretary of Commerce. The
Survey, in 1941, reported its studies on the economic advantages and

XLIV

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

disadvantages of establishing deep-water transportation facilities be
tween the Great Lakes and Montreal in seven reports, as follows:
1. History of the St. Lawrence Project.
2. Shipping Services on the St. Lawrence River.
3. Potential Traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway.
4. The Effect of the St. Lawrence Seaway Upon Existing Harbors.
5. The St. Lawrence Seaway and Future Transportation Requirements.
6 . The Economic Effects of the St. Lawrence Power Project.
7. Summary Report of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The defense program necessitated study of the project in relation
to defense needs. This concerned shipbuilding possibilities in the
Great Lakes, power requirements in the Northeastern United States,
and the labor requirements for the construction of this project in rela
tion to other defense industries. This study was made report No. 8
of the above series.
APPROPRIATIONS AND EMERGENCY FUNDS

Detailed information as to direct and transferred appropriations
and as to emergency funds available for expenditure by the Depart
ment during the year will be found in the report of the Chief Clerk
and Superintendent. Particularly gratifying to the Department was
the creation of income amounting to $6,168,825.58 which was paid
into the Treasury of the United States.
The reports of the several bureaus of the Department covering their
activities during the year are attached.
Very sincerely,
J esse H . J ones ,
¡Secretary of Commerce.

REPORT BY BUREAUS
CHIEF CLERK AND SUPERINTENDENT
The activities of the Office of the Secretary were increased consid
erably during the fiscal year 1941 in both the administrative and service
divisions by reason of the transfer of the Civil Aeronautics Authority
and the Weather Bureau to the Department. Funds were transferred
to the Office of the Secretary to provide for these increased activities,
but the continued increase in their work was not fully covered. The
administrative and service divisions of the Office of the Secretary
have also been burdened considerably with additional work occasioned
by the newly established national defense agencies, a number of which
have direct contact with bureaus and offices of the Department. Two
of these agencies, the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, and the
Export Control Board, maintained offices in the Commerce Building,
and considerable assistance has been rendered these agencies in their
purchasing, accounting, and personnel problems, and in providing
library facilities.
Notwithstanding the increased activities, the work of the Office of
the Secretary has been kept fairly current, but this was possible only
by the performance of 1.055 days of overtime and a careful planning
of the work to accomplish the maximum results with a minimum of
effort.
¡The question of providing adequate office space continued to be a
perplexing problem. Hallways and other space not originally intended
for office use, to the extent of approximately 10,000 square feet, were
converted into office space. This is not a satisfactory arrangement
but under the circumstances no alternative was possible.
Agencies not under the Department of Commerce occupy 130,000
square feet in the Commerce Building, and the Department, in addi
tion to buildings occupied by the National Bureau of Standards and the
Weather Bureau, occupies’ 613,172 square feet of space outside the
Commerce Building. Continued efforts are being made to rearrange
the office space so as to house in the Commerce Building all branches
of the Department which are now in rented space or in other Federal
buildings not specifically designated for activities of this Department.
DEPARTMENT LIBRARY

During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1941, the Department Library
took an active part in national defense work, its books and periodicals
being used extensively by other Government agencies.
l

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Statistical summary of routine work of the Library for the year
ended June 30, 1941 follows:
13
Library staff--------------------------------------------------------------Number of books and pamphlets in library_____________ 214, 917
Number of periodicals and newspapers currently received__ 1, 996
Number of books cataloged------------------------------------------- 6,267
•Cards filed in catalog------------------------------------------------- 14, 317
Books prepared for shelf________________________________ 5, 356
Number of books circulated_____________________________ 39, 047
Books bound---------------------------------------------------------------- 1,144
Books borrowed from Library of Congress and other
libraries---------------------------------------1__________________ 1,266
Books loaned to other libraries__________________________
800
Telephone requests requiring research---------------------------- 5, 988
DIVISIO N OF PURCHASES AND SALES

During the fiscal year 1941 there were placed 8,507 purchase orders,
which, including freight, rent, and miscellaneous accounts, involved
the expenditure of $839,988.70. These amounts show an increase in
orders of 131 over the fiscal year 1940 and a- decrease in expenditures
over the same period of $258,175.
There were 59 contracts approximating $2,268,856 submitted to this
office for examination by the various bureaus of the Department. In
addition, there were 10 formal contracts amounting to $85,642 prepared
by this Division, making a total of 69 contracts examined and prepared,
involving a total expenditure approximating $2,354,498.
There was 1 lease prepared by this office and 73 leases submitted to
this office for examination which had been prepared by the field offices
of the Department. There were also 37 bid bonds examined and filed.
Through the cooperation of the Procurement Division of the Treas
ury Department, there has been obtained by transfer without exchange
of funds, surplus and forfeited property valued at approximately
$75,115.53. This office also reports to the Procurement Division all
surplus property which has a sales value. In connection with these
reports, surplus material valued at approximately $364,330 was trans
ferred, without exchange of funds, from this Department to other
branches of the Government service, or disposed of as directed by the
Procurement Division.
DIVISIO N OF ACCOUNTS

The following table shows the amounts appropriated by Congress
for the bureaus and offices of the Department for the fiscal.year ended
June 30,1941, the amounts transferred to this Department from other
Government departments and agencies, and the amounts transferred
from this Department to other Government departments and agencies,
exclusive of funds appropriated under the several emergency appro
priation acts:

CHIEF CLERK AND SUPERINTENDENT

Bureau or office

Annual
appropri
ation
act

Deficien
cies and
supplé
mentais

Bureau of Foreign and
Domestic Commerce------- 2.163.000 $50,000
Bureau of the Census-------- 17,960,000
Bureau of Marine Inspec
tion and Navigation_____ 2, 616,000 259, 360
National Bureau of Stan 2,037, 500 121,000
dards ________ _______
Coast and Geodetic Survey- - 3.481.000 1,560,000
Patent Office_____ _______ 4, 623,000 128,320
Weather Bureau 1------------- 6,330,900 550,000
Civil Aeronautics Adminis 58,453,577 44,943, 200
tration l__ ------------ ------Civil Aeronautics Board1. _- 1,345,397
Total______________ 100,038, 374 47, 611,880

Trans
fers
from
other
Depart
ments

Prior
Balance
year
Transfers appro
of 1941 Net avail
to other pria
able for
funds
Depart tions available
1941
ments available for 1942
for 1941

$1, 200,863
2, 213,000
-2,605 $3,5 0 0 ;000 —$2,939,341 18,518,054
2,875,360
-88,042 2,885,356
557,698 -1,500 258,700 -1,135,534
3,929,466
24,000
4,751,320
6,889,342
43, 706 -35,258
60,783,803
-40,068,234
22,500 -2,567, 240
1,345,397
822, 636 -2,608,478 3,758,700 -44, 231,151 105,391,961

$174,738

-$1,875

1 These organizations were transferred to theDepartment of Commerce on June 30,1940.

Disbursements during the year ended June 30,1941, from appropria
tions and from funds transferred from other Departments, exclusive
of emergency funds, were as follows:
Appropriation for—

Bureau or office

1939

Oflice of the Secretary-----------------------------------Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.........
Bureau of the Census----------------- ------------------Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation........
National Bureau of Standards-------------------------Coast and Geodetic Survey----------------------------Weather Bureau------------------------------------------Civil Aeronautics Administration--------------------Civil Aeronautics Board---------------------------------

1940

1941

Total

$41,802.01 $210,475.73 $899,179.21 $1,151,456.95
2,058,043.46
63,177.52 1, 991,439. 30 21,360,697.33
3,426.64
543, 916.37
302.18 4,816,478. 78 16,2,695,097.66
2,763,162.18
68,064. 52
54 3,162, 300. 70
21,310. 76 262, 004.40 3,2,878,985.
3,898,961.71
292, 643.49
291. 53 606, 026.69 4, 599,006.31
4, 713,038.09
114, 031.78
535.12 6, 461,672. 57
2, 47L 47 565, 665.98 44,5, 893,
524,907. 92 49, 534, 768. 03
55,320.06 4,954, 540. 05 1,009,
210. 74 1, 026, 299. 38
17,088.64
124,924. 65 11,677, 554. 09 84, 327, 921. 66 96,130,400.40

EMERGENCY FUNDS

In addition to its regular functions, the Department has for the past
several years participated in various emergency projects designed for
the relief of unemployment and improvement of economic conditions
o-enerally. The following table shows the allocations or allotments
made from emergency appropriations to the Department during the
fiscal years 1934 to 1941, inclusive, and the obligations incurred against
these funds:

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
1934 to
1938,
inclusive

1939

1940

1941

$55,000
48, 501

$50,000
26,927

10,000
3,742

5,000
10, 581

$1,052,000
1,021,233
90,620
90,259
15, 000
14,323

65,000
52,243

55,000
37, 508

1,157,620
1,125.815

2,083, 303 $2,000,000
382,000
749,600
2,075, 748 1,437,587
868,226
824, 545
987, 775 2, 535,000
150,000
839, 900
978,964 1,080,000 2,100,031
344,868
C. W. A.:
199, 603
Obligations....................... .................
198,285
W. P. A.:
847,980
Obligations........................................ 809,900
F. E. R. A.:
175,000
Obligations____________________
164,408
Total:
4,118, 661 4, 535,000 1, 589,500
707,000
4,062,897 2, 517, 587 2,924,
576 1,377, 502
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce:
C. W. A.:
Allotments______ ________ _____ 372,275
Obligations________ ______ ____ 357,886
W. P. A.:
Allotments_____ ______________
100, 000
Obligations____________________
99, 968
Total:
Allotments........... ...................... 472, 275
Obligations________________ 457,854
. ... .....
Bureau of the Census:
C. W. A.:
Allotments....................................... 2, 524, 736
Obligations____________________ 2,302,596
F. E. R. A.:
Allotments_____ ________ _____ 1, 005, 000
Obligations....................................
893, 388
W. P. A.:
Allotments_______ _____________ 11,100,448
9, 200
Obligations................. ........ ...... 10,823,381
9,180
Drought relief in agricultural areas:
Allotments____________ . . . ___ 1, 000, 000
Obligations__________ ... ___ 999, 570
Census of partial employment, unemployment, and occupations:
Allotments.. ... ______________ 850, 000
10, 000
Obligations____________________ 815,692
9, 933
Total:
Allotments_______________ _ 16,480,184
19, 200
15,834,627
19,113
Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation:
N. I. R. A.:
Allotments...................... ............
93,043
92, 039

5,214,903
5,206,106
4,512.675
4, 503,863
199, 603
198, 285
847,980
809,900
175,000
164,408

Office of the Secretary:
N. I. R. A.:
W. P. AT:
P. W. A.:
Total:
Civil Aeronautics Administration:1
N. I. R. A.:
P. W. A.:

See footnotes at end of table.

$947,000
945,805
90, 620
90,259
1,037,620
1,036,064

Total

10,950,161
10,882,562
372, 275
357,886
100, 000
99,968
472, 275
457,854
2,524, 736
2, 302, 596
1,005, 000
893, 388
11,109.648
10,832, 561
1,000, 000
999, 570
860, 000
825,625
16,499,384
15,853, 740
93,043
92,039

CHIEF CLERK AND SUPERINTENDENT
1934 to
1938,
inclusive
National Bureau of Standards:
N. I. R. A.
P. W. AT:
W. P. A.:
Total:
Bureau of Lighthouses:2
N. 1. R. A.:
W. P. At:
P. W. A.:
Total:
Coast and Geodetic Survey:
N. I. R. A.:.
P. W.

See footnotes at end of table.

427433- 42-

-4

1941

Total
$100,000
99, 601
70.000
69,997
75.000
75.000

245,000
244,598

245,000
244, 598

5, 620, 334
5, 607,495
20, 000
19, 029
2, 098,750 $1, 620, 900
3,265, 700

5, 620, 334
5,607,495
20,000
19,029
3, 719, 650
3. 265, 700

7, 739,084 1, 620, 900
5, 626, 524 3, 265, 700

9,359,984
8,892, 224

8, 293, 220
8, 286, 209

Total:
8, 293, 220
Obligations..... ........................... 8, 286, 209
Bureau of Fisheries:3
N. I. R. A.:
670,455
670,075
C. W. A.:
38,391
38,056
W. P. A.:
151, 372
151, 372
P. W. A.:

W. P. A.:
Allotments____________________
Obligations...................... ........ ........
Total:
Allotments---------------------Obligations_______________

1940

$100, 000
99, 601
70.000
69,997
75, 000
75.000

A .:

Total:
Obligations..........................
Weather Bureau:4
N. I. R. A.:

1939

2, 050, 502
1, 900, 054

$i49,819

$450

8 293, 220
8, 286, 209
2.050, 502
2.050, 323

2, 050, 502
1,900, 054

149,819

450

10, 343,722
10,336, 532

661,606
586,071
1,142, 550
911,565

998,455
670,075
38,391
38,056
812,978
737,443
1,142, 550
911,565

860, 218 2,132,156
859, 503 1,497, 636

2,992,374
2, 357,139

328,000

193, 354
193,354
20, 276
20, 276

54,818
54, 818

50,909
50, 658

193,354
193, 354
126,003
125, 752

213, 630
213, 630

54.818
54.818

50,909
50,658

319,357
319,106

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
1934 to
1938,
inclusive

1939

1940

1941

Total

Total, Department of Commerce:
N. I. R. A.:
$18,000,709 $2,328, 000 $804, 600 $432, 000 $21, 565,309
873,046
Obligations____________________ 17,970,326 1,437, 587
895,153 21,176,112
P. W. A.:
849,900
3,156, 525 7,348,952
155,000 11, 510, 377
355,899 10,815, 771
1,048, 961 7,157,319 2,253, 592
W. P. A7:
12,405, 696
670,806
54, 818
50,909 13,182, 229
12,089,185
595, 251
54,818
50, 658 12,789,912
C. W. À7:
3,135,005
3,135,005
2,896,823
2,896,823
F. E. R. A.:
1,005,000
175,000 1,180,000
893,388
164,408 1,057, 796
Drought relief in agricultural areas:
1,000,000
1,000, 000
999, 570
999,570
Census of partial employment, unemployment, and occupations:
850,000
10,000
860,000
815,692
9,933
825, 625
Grand total:
39, 552, 935 10, 357, 758 1, 709,318
812,909 52.432,920
Obligations................................. 36,713,945 9,200,090 3,181,456 1,466,118 50, 561,609
1The allotments and obligations for fiscal years 1934 to 1938, inclusive, were made by the Bureau of Air
Commerce under the Department of Commerce, and for the fiscal years 1939 and 1940 by the Civil Aeronau
tics Authority, an independent agency. The organization was transferred to the Department of Commerce
on June 30, 1940.
* This organization was transferred to United States Coast Guard, Treasury Department, on July 1,1939.
3 This organization was transferred to the Department of the Interior on July 1, 1939.
4 The allotments and obligations for fiscal years 1934 to 1940, inclusive, were made under the Weather
Bureau, Department of Agriculture. The organization was transferred to the Department of Commerce
on June 30, 1940.

NATIONAL DEFENSE ALLOTMENTS

To enable the Department to carry on certain additional activities
directly connected with the national defense, additional funds were
made available during the fiscal year 1941 by allotment to the De
partment from “The Emergency Fund for the President.” The pur
poses of these allotments, the amounts alloted, and the obligations
incurred are shown in the following table:

Emergency fund for the President, W ar:
Office of the Secretary, National Inventors Council service
staff :
Allotments----------------------------------------------------------------Obligations---------------------------------------------------------------Bureau of the Census, license export statistics :
Allotments______________________
Obligations___________________________________________
Emergency fund for the President, Navy:
Office of the Secretary, National Inventors Council service
staff:
Allotments----------------------------------------------------------------Obligations--------------------------------------------------------------Total :
Allotments_________________________________________
Obligations_________________________________________

$60, 000
6 , 500
7 5 , 000
8 , 346
5 5 ,000
4 3 ,1 0 0
1 9 0 , 000
57 946

MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS

Office of the Secretary :
Sale of Government property_________________ ._____________
O ther----------------------------------------------------------------------------Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce :
Fees under China Trade Act_______________________________
Sale of publications______________________________________
Sale of Government property_______________________________
Other---------------------------------------------------------------------- ^___

$282. 28
361. 43
1 , 5 0 0 . 00
36’ 834. 98
’ 2 50
6; 0 8

CHIEF CLERK AND SUPERINTENDENT

Bureau of the Census:
Statistical services----------------------------------------------------------- $10, 735. 44
Sale of Government property-------------------------------------------1, 811.15
186. 65
Other____________________________________________________
Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation:
Tonnage tax, United States------------------------------------------------ 1, 251,489. 08
Navigation lines------------------------------------------------76, 575. 31
Navigation fees__________________________________________ 198, 608.49
Overtime service-------------------------------------------------------------- 72, 331. 6 8
Reimbursement for loss on continuous discharge hooks----------3, 922. 50
Sale of Government property---------------------------------------------64.02
Other------------1, 395. 56
National Bureau of Standards:
Testing fees--------------------------------------------------------------------- 95, 960. 80
Sale of publications--------------------------------------------------------1,317. 8 8
Sale of Government property---------------------------------------------156. 56
O ther------------------------------------1----------------------------------------43. 8 6
Bureau of Lighthouses: Reimbursement, Government property lost
or damaged__________________________________ _____________
335. 31
Coast and Geodetic Survey:
Sale of charts____________________________________________ 149,139. 55
Sale of maps_____________________________________________ 54, 004. 06
Sale of publications---------------------------------------------------------- 26, 268. 72
Sale of Government property_______________________________
4, 249. 76
O ther_____________________v_______________________- _____
244. 50
Bureau of Fisheries:
Reimbursement, excess costover contract price-------------------. 92
Other____________________________________________________
. 57
Patent Office:
Fees_____________________________________________________ 4,149,141. 97
Other____________________________________________________
44. 50
Weather Bureau:
Sale of maps------------------------------------------------------------------108. 90
Sale of Government property______________________________
2,116. 73
Other______________________________________________________
261.10
Civil Aeronautics Administration:
Revenues, Washington National Airport_____________________
2, 360. 90
Violations Air Traffic regulations__________________________ 10, 450. 60
Sale of Government property_____________________________
9, 730. 29
O ther___________________________________________________
7,109. 80
Total, Department of Commerce------------------------------------------ 6,169,162. 38
DIVISION OF PUBLICATIONS

Tlie following statement shows, by appropriation title, the amounts
expended or obligated from appropriations available for printing
and binding during the fiscal year 1941:
Title of appropriation
Printing and binding, Department of Commerce.........................
Printing and binding, Patent Office .. - ----- . --------------Custom statistics, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce - Investigation of building materials, National Bureau of StandExpenses of the Sixteenth Census, Bureau of the Census..........Salaries and expenses, Social Security Act, Bureau of the Census-

Available

Expended 1 Balance 1

2 $388, 000 $383,019. 58
840, 000 838,897.01
12.280.38
(3)
13.046.39
«
365,758.00
6)
6,300.00
6)

$4,980. 42
1,102. 99

^Estimated. Exact figures cannot be given until all work ordered is completed and billed.
2 Includes $60,000 transferred to the Department of Commerce from the Department of Agriculture for
.the Weather Bureau.
3 Amount available for printing not stated in the appropriation item.

During the year the Division handled printing and binding to the
-extent of $292,550,01 for various agencies allied with the Department

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

or housed in the Building and for Bureaus from moneys transferred
to them by other agencies. A list of the agencies, together with the
amounts, follows:

Organization
Civil Aeronautics Administration:
Expended.1
Office of the Administrator___________________________________$69, 760. 07
Civil Aeronautics Board____________________________________ 21, 427. 06
Civilian Pilot Training_______________________________________ 169, 767. 63
369.15
Development of Landing Areas_:_____________________________
National Bureau of Standards:
Transferred from Federal Housing Administration____________ 1 , 760. 87
Transferred from U. S. Housing Administration_______________
805. 48
Transferred from Home Owners’ Loan Corporation___________
836. 89
Weather Bureau, Transferred from Works Progress Administration_
76. 70
National Inventors Council______________________________________ 1 , 486. 97
St. Lawrence Survey____________________________________________ 9,401.44
Export Control_________________________________________________ 3, 817. 73
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Special Statistical Fund40. 00

1 Estimated. Exact figures can not be given until all work ordered is completed and
billed.

Receipts from sales of publications, other printed material, and
processed statements issued by the Department of Commerce during
the fiscal year 1941 were $968,372.71, as compared with $761,687.20
for 1940. The following table presents a comparison for the 2 years
by selling agencies:
Sales by—

Receipts
1940

Coast, and Geodetic Survey: Coast pilots, inside route pilots, tide tables, cur- $186,024.69
12«, 984.98
Patent Office: Specifications of patents, leissues, etc., trade-mark section and
decision leaflet of Official Gazette, and classification bulletins and definitions. 386,279. 55
49,397.98
Total___________ :______ _____________________ _________
761,687.20

1941
$367,869.79
143,312. 39
402,259.95
54; 930. 58
968,372.71

DIVISIO N OF PERSONNEL SUPERVISION AND M ANAGEMENT

The Division of Personnel Supervision and Management during the
past fiscal year has extended its activities in several ways that have
made significant contributions to the personnel program. Among
the most significant was a series of meetings held by the Director of
Personnel with selected employees of the several bureaus to systema
tize and regularize a phase of supervisory training, looking to closer
work relationship between supervisors and the supervised. The im
mediate objectives of the meetings were to develop more effective
efficiency ratings in 1941. A careful analysis of the efficiency rat
ings developed on April 15, 1941, indicates a proper trend in super
visory understanding, and the improved morale among the workers of
the Department as a result of the emphasis upon supervisor-supervised
relationship is worthy of note.
There developed during the weekly conferences on efficiency rating
procedure that many employees do not know their job descriptions,
that supervisors do not know the job descriptions of those whom they

CHIEF CLERK AND SUPERINTENDENT

are supervising and that division chiefs are not familiar with the job
descriptions of the persons in their divisions. As a result the bureaus
were requested to have copies made of the current job descriptions and
furnished to the individual worker, his immediate supervisor, and to
the division chiefs. With the belief that the efficiency rating form
(CSC Form 3200) would be a very valuable training tool in the hands
of all first-line supervisors, the bureaus were requested to make these
forms available to supervisors for instruction purposes, and to have
the placement officers use them as part of the training program of new
employees.
The Civil Service Commission has transferred to the governmental
agencies concerned the responsibility of conducting noncompetitive
examinations for departmental promotions-from-within. The posi
tions so far affected by this order include typists, stenographers, clerks,
and machine operators in grades CAF-1 and CAF-2. Promotionfrom-within is successful to the extent that supervisors consciously
Train workers for higher responsibilities before vacancies occur.
When the vacancy occurs, it is too late to train an employee from a
lower grade for the duties of the vacant position. Promotion of an
unqualified worker will result or recruitment from the outside must
be resorted to. To put this policy into practice, a method of proce
dure to be followed in filling vacancies and conducting promotional
examinations, when necessary, has been submitted to the Bureaus.
The Department has put into effect the provisions of the Ramspeck
law providing for appeals boards on efficiency ratings. A decision has
been reached and approved by the Civil Service Commission provid
ing for nine boards, one for each bureau and one for the Office of the
Secretary. This is an addition to the existing machinery for handling
general grievances and pi’oblems of employees.
The work of the classification unit has been considerably augmented
by the transfer to the Department of the Civil Aeronautics Admin
istration and the Weather Bureau under the Executive Reorganization
Orders of June 1940, and by the streamlining of the Department for
the tasks of defense. In addition, assistance has been rendered to the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce and the Weather Bureau
in the reorganization which these bureaus have undergone, necessitat
ing a redescription and reallocation of existing positions and the
establishment of new ones. The classification staff has also made
informal surveys of individual positions, of divisions and other bureau
units as a basis for proper allocation, and in cooperation with the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, a joint survey was made
of all positions in the New York office of the section of Customs
Statistics. The assistance of the classification unit has also been made
available to the Civil Aeronautics Board, which functions as an inde
pendent agency, in surveying positions, preparing job descriptions,
and recommending their allocation to the proper grade and service.
Early in this fiscal year the use of fanfold Form SS-116 was adopted
throughout the Department. Its use was designed to expedite per
sonnel actions and eliminate duplication of effort in writing personnel
recommendations.
The procedure followed in connection with probationary employees
was amended under the provisions of Executive Order No. 8587 of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

November 7, 1940, requiring a report by the immediate supervisor of
the probationer at the end of the third and fifth month during the
six months probationary period.
Early in the calendar year the attention of officials of the Depart
ment was called to complaints concerning occupational injuries to
card punch operators in the Bureau of the Census. These complaints
led to the appointment by the Secretary of Commerce of a committee
to investigate the injuries to card punch operators. The Director of
Personnel of the Department was named as chairman of this committee.
The promotion of recreational activities is an important function of
personnel work. After-hours recreation not only satisfies a basic
individual want, but promotes social good fellowship and better morale
during working hours. The Department of Commerce Recreational
Council has been active during the year in coordinating the recrea
tional activities carried on through associations organized in the indi
vidual bureaus. These activities embrace various types of athletic
sports, both indoor and outdoor, such as music, dancing, social enter
tainments, golf, softball, tennis, and bowling. In the most important
sports interdepartmental tournaments and leagues have been organized.
The programs of miscellaneous governmental councils and commit
tees are presented to the employees of the Department through the
Department of Commerce Recreational Council.
There follows a statement showing the personnel of the various
bureaus of the Department as of June 30,1941:
National
Council ___________
_________________
Bureau
ofInventors
the
Census____
of
Foreign
and
Domestic
Bureau
National Bureau of Standards__Commerce________
___ ________
Bureau
of
Marine
Inspection
and
Navigation....................
Patent Office_______________ ____
Inland Waterways
Corporation____
_________
Weather
Bureau. _____
_______ ______
_
Civil Aeronautics Administration.................. .............
Total________________ ____________________

Permanent Temporary Emergency
248
21
17
22
7
7,921
319
16
817
36
1,1,394
061
129
149
Ì8
958
475
1,3,137
321
2, 275
146
39
5, 690
306
61
94 844
151
’ 1

During the past fiscal year, the following number of personnel
actions were completed:
Appointments_______________________________________________4 7 g
Transfers_________________________________________________ 1 7 0
Changes in grade________________________________________ 1 , 236
Administrative promotions________________________________ 3 3 9
Separations____ _________________________________________ 728
Retirem ents____________________________________________
03
Miscellaneous_____________________________
CONFERENCES AND EXPOSITIONS SECTION

The number of international events in which the Department of
Commerce ordinarily would participate was decidedly curtailed dur
ing the past fiscal year because of conditions prevailing in many parts
of the world. However, concerted efforts to promote good relations
within the Western Hemisphere brought about initiation of an un

589

CHIEF CLERK AND SUPERINTENDENT

precedented number of purely Inter-American projects, in many of
which this Department was vitally interested. It took an active part
in more than 25 conferences which occurred here and abroad.
During the past fiscal year the Department was represented at
many regional and national meetings in the fields of commerce, eco
nomics, education, finance, industry, law, and the sciences, and staff
members from interested bureaus attended the annual meetings of
many technical and scientific societies, commercial, industrial, and
trade promotional groups, and civic organizations.
It assisted in preparations for, and was represented at, a large
number of international gatherings held within the confines of the
United States, such as:
Third Pan American Coffee Conference, June 10-July 6, 1940;
Inter-American Maritime Conference, November 25, 1940, Washington,
D. C .;
North American Regional Radio-Engineering Meeting, January 14-30,
1941, Washington, I). C.;
Fourth Annual Convention of the Inter-American Bibliographical and
Library Association, February 20-21, 1941, Washington, D. C.

The agenda for many proposed Inter-American meetings come
within the scope of the work of one or more of the bureaus of this
Department. Among these are:
Second Pan American Congress of Municipalities, September 14-21, 1941,
Santiago, Chile;
Second Inter-American Travel Congress, September 15-24, 1941, Mexico
City, Mexico;
Fourth Pan American Highway Congress, September 15-24, 1941, Mexico
City, Mexico;
Ninth International Conference of American States, 1943, Bogota, Colombia.

Through its several Bureaus, the Department was actively inter
ested in approximately 20 exhibitions and fairs in various categories—
several of international scope—-which were held in the United States
during the past fiscal year, and a similar number in other countries.
Among these, of course, the New York World’s Fair and the Golden
Gate International Exposition—each reopened for a second year—
were by far the most extensive. Since continued Federal participa
tion in these events was authorized by the Congress, and the Secre
tary of Commerce continued to serve as member and Chairman, re
spectively, of the two Federal Commissions, numerous administrative
duties fell to the lot of the Department during the life of the two
fairs and through the period of dismantling and distribution of Gov
ernment exhibits. As a source of information for future reference
in preparations for similar events and for other purposes, the official
records of the Commissioner of the Golden Gate International Ex
position were placed in the custody of this Department. Also, assist
ance was rendered the United States Coronado Exposition Commis
sion, of which the Secretary of Commerce was a member.
Exhibits, varying in type and size, were presented at 15 smaller
expositions within the United States; these included the American
Negro Exposition. September 1940, Chicago, and the One Hundred
and Sixty-sixth Anniversary of the War Department, June 1941,
Washington, D. C.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Of particular interest to the Department of Commerce were several
fairs in other places in this hemisphere, such as:
Second Grand National Fair of Lima, July 26-31, 1940, Lima, Peru.
Canadian National Exhibition, August 23, 1940, Toronto, Canada.
.North American International Exposition, October 1940, Guayaquil,
Ecuador.
Annual Sample Fair, November 1940, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Guatemala National Fair, November 17-24, 1940, Guatemala City,
Guatemala.
American International Fair, February 1941, Santiago, Chile.

At the 1940 Guatemala Fair for the first time a collective exhibition
of products from this country, housed in one building, and a display
of United States automotive products in another, attracted widespread
interest and favorable comment. As evidence of the success of this
venture (in which this Department cooperated extensively), like
displays were undertaken in one or two other Republics. The Depart
ment collaborated also in furnishing collections of United States
publications presented at several exhibitions in Latin America, the
books thereafter being deposited in the respective national libraries.
Similar projects are underway for the coming year, and this section
is cooperating with other Federal agencies in preparations therefor.
Close cooperation with other Government and semiofficial organi
zations has been maintained. This is especially true with respect
to the Department of State, the Office of Coordinator of InterAmerican Affairs, and the Pan American Union as a result of the
rapidly growing number of projects in the nature of conferences and
expositions being undertaken in the national effort to promote better
relations in the Western Hemisphere.

OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR.
During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1941, there were 615 legal
memorandums and opinions rendered ; the law and facts were reviewed
in 34 cases of appeals to the Secretary of Commerce involving the
revocation or suspension of licenses and certificates; the law and facts
were reviewed in 125 cases involving petitions for remission or miti
gation of penalties for violation of the navigation and inspection
laws; there were reviewed 190 cases submitted to the Attorney Gen
eral and 31 cases submitted to the Comptroller General ; 172 contracts,
116 leases, 58 bonds, and 2 revocable licenses were examined and ap
proved. Legislative matters handled numbered 227, involving semi
weekly meetings of a legislative committee ; 22 cases involving fatali
ties among seamen were reviewed. In addition some 600 miscellaneous
matters were handled.
All regulations issued by the Department and the Bureaus during
the year were examined and approved. The office also reviewed the
Federal Register work for the Department. Many other questions
not requiring written opinions, involving statutes, contracts, treaties,
regulations, and administrative law and procedure were disposed of
in conference with officials of the Bureaus and representatives of other
Departments.
By an order of April 22, 1941, the Secretary of Commerce placed
the legal work of the Department under the supervision and direc
tion of the Solicitor. Previously, there had been a divided respon
sibility between the Bureaus and the Solicitor.
The legal work of the Civil Aeronautics Administration is set
out in the report of the Administrator, and the legal work of the
Patent Office is contained in the report of the Commissioner of Patents.
13

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE
The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce paid large divi
dends to the American people during the fiscal year 1940-41, on the
relatively small investment made in the Bureau for its statutory pur
pose of “fostering, promoting, and developing the foreign and domes
tic commerce of the United States.”
The investment during the fiscal year 1940-41 was $2,213,000. This
is approximately 1.8 cents per citizen in the continental United States.
The amount appropriated for 1940-41 was stretched to cover greatly
increased activities caused by the world-war dislocations of foreign
trade and the Bureau’s participation in the rapidly expanding defense
emergency activities. These increases in the business of the Bureau
were handled on an appropriation less than 2 percent more than allo
cated to it in 1939-40, and only approximately 4 percent higher than
in 1937-38, when adjustments are made for activities transferred to
other agencies.
SERVICE OE SUPPLYING FACTS FOR DEFENSE

Much of the increased work of the Bureau has been done at the
request of the numerous groups of researchers and economists created
in the newly formed defense agencies. As a result, the Government
has been spared the expense of numerous fact-finding investigations.
The Bureau already had garnered, assorted, and stored the facts. It
was able to present them on short order.
In other instances the experience of the Bureau was utilized to sur
vey and report on recent changes. In some instances, allowances of
expenses were made to the Bureau by defense agencies when Bureau
funds for the additional work were lacking.
Before the end of the fiscal year, approximately 60 percent of the
effective time of the Bureau was devoted directly to defense fact
finding, reporting, analyzing, and interpreting, while virtually every
other activity was related to defense work. A large proportion of
the international, industrial, and commercial specialists of the Bureau
served on various defense committees at different times during the
year or were asked to present informed advice at committee meetings.
INTEGRATION OF BUREAU FACILITIES

The operations of the divisions and units of the Bureau were so
closely integrated for efficient service to defense that it would be
practically impossible, even if desirable, to isolate the effective parts
played in producing a single report by different subdivisions of the
Bureau.
The experience of men who have spent a lifetime in studying the
economic life of certain foreign countries was thrown into the hopper
15

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

along with that of men who specialize in certain commodities and that
of men versed in the intricacies of various phases of commercial life.
Out of that hopper would come a report which might deal with
the strategic oils usually used in millions of cakes of soap, or a com
plete report on the economic life and vulnerability of a nation that
may prove hostile to American interests.
Because Bureau activities have been so closely interwoven, they are
herein reported on a functional basis wherever possible. Where a
number of functions largely concerned certain areas of the world,
they have been grouped as area activities.
ECONOMIC BOOKKEEPING

Insofar as the data are available, the Bureau is keeping the essential
economic records, both foreign and domestic, which will be needed in
the post-war period as well as being of vital importance now. Anal
yses are being made, as time permits, of the strength and weaknesses of
the Nation’s economic life prior to the armament-economy era so that
this information will be available in usable form.
FRIEN DLY SERVICE TO THOUSANDS

The Bureau has also maintained its traditional friendly service to
individuals and organizations in the business, professional, govern
mental, and scholastic life of the Nation. Such calls have been
greater in number in the past fiscal year than in any other year of the
past decade. This has been because of the many perplexing changes
in both foreign and domestic trade and the unusual interest in the
economic and cultural life of other nations growing out of the war.
Requests of this nature amounted to hundreds of thousands during
the year.
FOREIGN COMMERCE— SCOPE OF WORK

The major functional groupings of the Bureau’s activities in foreign
commerce are:

Commodities
Finance
Industries

Law
Trade agreements
Trade controls

Trade promotion
Trade statistics
Transportation

These were hectic zones throughout the fiscal year. Swift change
was the common pace. Keeping up with developments abroad and
informing government and business of these developments in time
for effective action to protect United States trade and traders were
accomplished by close teamwork between the United States foreign
offices, the State Department, the Bureau, and the Department of
Commerce field offices, trade associations, and the press, especially the
business, financial, and trade papers and magazines.
COMMODITIES IN FOREIGN TRADE

Literally, scores of thousands of reports on commodities from abroad
have been made over the year to defense agencies, other governmental
officials, businessmen, and seekers after information for personal use.

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

A complete record of major requests would unduly extend this
report and burden the reader. Therefore, only a sample, sufficiently
representative to indicate the scope of the Bureau’s continuous provi
sion of facts about commodities in United States foreign commerce,
is given here: All imported products from Mediterranean, Balkan,
and North African regions; data on imported fats and oils as a basis
for the allocation of cargo space; resins and drying oils for paints
and varnishes ; essential and floral oils for perfumery ; balata for golfball covers ; carnauba wax, botanical drugs, vegetable tanning mate
rials, candelilla wax, citrus fruits, foodstuffs, cork, bristles, sage from
Yugoslavia, coffee, teak, lignum vitae, mahogany, balsa, Pan Santo,
toluol, Chilean nitrate, a long list of organic and inorganic chemicals,
strategic metals and minerals, and rubber.
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

The Bureau continued the compilation and analysis of data on
American investments abroad, foreign investments in the United
States, American tourist expenditures abroad, international insurance
transactions, and other elements in this country’s international busi
ness relations as well as certain economic and financial aspects of na
tional defense and frozen-funds control. Special bilateral balanceof-payments statements were compiled to meet numerous requests from
the Department of State, the Administrator of Export Control,
Treasury Department, as well as other Government agencies.
These statements, which were so prepared as to indicate the major
categories of our trade and financial relations with individual for
eign countries and principal geographic areas, were essential in
analyzing the probable economic relations of the United States with
Latin America.
They also proved to be indispensable in visualizing our economic
relations with other countries, including not only friendly nations
but also those whose policies appeared to be at variance with our
interests.
Considerable time was devoted to wartime financial developments
abroad, particularly to their effect upon accounts and claims of Ameri
can exporters resulting from old transactions. In this connection,
consideration was given to the subsequent effect upon such trans
actions of (1) orders freezing foreign assets in the United States
and (2) exchange restrictions.
The Bureau filled an increasing demand by Government agencies
for information regarding foreign investments in this country. The
number of such inquiries progressed with the extension of the
conflict area abroad and the acceleration of hemisphere defense
preparations.
In addition to the issuance of a monograph on Foreign Long-Term
Investments in the United States, 1937-39, and the annual bulletin
The Balance of International Payments of the United States, numer
ous special articles on foreign financial and economic subjects were
published in Foreign Commerce Weekly. There are now in course of
preparation studies on foreign holdings of United States corporate
bonds and foreign control of United States enterprises.

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE
INDUSTRIES ABROAD

A number of detailed studies of major industries in foreign coun
tries were begun in the early part of 1940. Results of some of these
studies were published. By early 1941, it was apparent that the
value of continuing this work on a world-wide scale had vanished
for the time being.
Many nations were removed from markets by conquest or blockade.
Industries in others were so completely changed by war needs that
data were obsolete by the time they could be published. Hence, these
over-all studies were abandoned temporarily/ Information being
received currently is filed for such historical Value as it may have.
The time budgeted for the above studies has been more than taken
up by special reports to defense agencies on the location and produc
tive capacities of industries producing materials essential to defense.
Much time has been given to confidential reports on the location of
strategic plants and structures in belligerent, occupied, and possibly
unfriendly countries.
LAW— INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS

In the wake of invasion of one European country after another,
ordinary business laws were suspended, and access to the courts was
closed to Americans. Nevertheless, an effort was made to follow the
new German and Italian corporation laws and the commercial de
crees of refugee governments affecting American interests, to aid in
the post-war determination of the rights of American companies
under the requirements of the original law, the invaders’ decrees, or
the decrees of the exiled governments.
Normal conditions of commercial law were disrupted in the Far
East also, because of the full mobilization of industry in Japan,
China, and other affected countries. No important changes occurred
in Australia, _New_ Zealand, India, Burma, and Thailand, although
trade restrictions increased. The British courts still remain open,
however, and general principles of commercial law are enforced, or
applied for future enforcement. In other major British countries,
as South Africa and Canada, the legal position of American business
and investment is more nearly normal.
Foreign industrial-property law.—Everything possible has been
done to place Americans in the best position to protect patent, trade
mark, and other rights in countries annexed to Germany or invaded
by the Axis powers, and to save them from extinction due to unavoid
able nonuse. Patent royalties were subjected in many countries to
taxation and exchange-control measures, and were cut off altogether
in some parts of Europe. The Bureau assisted patent owners with
information enabling them to take steps for their protection.
Trade-mark piracy.—During the year more than 300 instances of
apparent piracy of American trade-marks abroad were investigated
and brought to the notice of American owners, who were thus given
timely opportunity to file opposition to the interfering registration.
The Flag in commerce.-—A heavy commercial demand for articles,
textiles, and jewelry fashioned in symbolic designs, created a flood

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

of inquiries on the use of the flag and public insignia. A handbook
was prepared on “The Flag of the United States—Its Use in
Commerce.” The first edition of 3,000 copies was exhausted as soon
as announced, and reprints have been ordered.
Neutrality.—Until the advent of export control and the passage of
the Lend-Lease Bill, the not-too-clear terms of the Neutrality Act
of 1939 perplexed many foreign traders. The only comprehensive
explanation of the act issued by the Government was the Bureau’s
“Geolexigraph of the Neutrality Act of 1939.” This was a statement
of the terms of the act, as interpreted by the several enforcement
agencies, and a series of charts enabling one to ascertain the answer
to his problem at a glance, together with maps and forms. The
“Geolexigraph” was so useful that it was incorporated in private
loose-leaf services, published in newspapers, and distributed in large
volume from the Government Printing Office during the year. It
was given much of the credit for dissolving the export bottleneck
which developed in every port as a result of the uncertainty over
the meaning and application of the law.
The Bureau continued to assist shippers with problems arising from
confiscation, contraband seizures, losses of cargo by sinking or jetti
son, loss of property in transit or in burned or looted warehouses,
price procedure, preemption and requisition of property, in addition
to questions of compliance with our own laws.
In view of the delicacy of the question of foreign navicert and
blacklist systems, which were not acknowledged as applicable to this
country and its commerce, but of which, as a practical matter, Ameri
can shippers were obliged to take cognizance, care was taken to pre
clude any publication by the Bureau of these matters. However, the
field offices were promptly and currently supplied with all the orders
and instructions as they arose. This information was placed at the
disposal of shippers locally and without recourse.
Insurance.—The Bureau continued to assist the United States
insurance industry in its struggle to preserve its privileges and assets
in foreign countries where nationalization of insurance was rampant.
An Egyptian law required greatly increased deposit or investment
of insurance funds in Egypt, where the safety of such funds could
not meet American standards. Permission finally was obtained for
deposit in New York, conditioned only upon the assurance of the
United States Government that no obstacle would be placed in the
way of their withdrawal at the behest of the Egyptian Government.
In Cuba and Brazil the problems are even more serious and con
tinue under negotiation.
The transfer of the naval and aerial bases in the Atlantic and
Caribbean to the United States initiated a large volume of inquiries
from insurance companies, brokers, agents,' construction companies
and their representatives requesting information as to the work
men’s compensation, labor, and insurance laws of these bases. All
available information was supplied, although the liability of the
insurance companies writing risks covering the construction of these
bases has not been fully determined as yet.
Trade adjustments.—The war has eliminated trade-adjustment
activities with interdicted countries but has heavily increased those
arising in this hemisphere. The publicity over the promotion of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

hemisphere commercial solidarity brought the usual crop of fraudu
lent and get-rich-quick exporters, and much assistance was given to
the postal and justice authorities in combating them.
The Bureau has also assisted in the formation of an agency under
the auspices of the Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Com
mission, supported by prominent exporters and business publishers,
to participate in the work of eliminating trickery, as well as honest
misunderstanding, in our trade with Latin America.
TRADE AGREEMENTS

The Bureau represented the Department of Commerce in the inter
departmental trade-agreements organization. Through the Trade
Agreements Committee, Committee for Reciprocity Information, and
numerous subcommittees, it contributed a major share of the coopera
tive work on the heavier schedule of studies needed quickly in the
emergency.
Joint studies with the Department of State, Tariif Commission,
Department of Agriculture, and the Treasury Department, culmi
nated in announcements of intention to undertake trade-agreement
negotiations with Argentina and Uruguay on May 13, 1941. On
December 20,1940, a Second Supplementary Agreement with Canada
was concluded.
Eleven other tariif and trade studies were initiated and carried
on during the year, involving detailed consideration of the many
new factors injected by the war. Specific problems under existing
agreements were attacked. Individual commodity concessions such as
those on zinc, shingles, silver-fox furs, industrial starches, petroleum,
handkerchiefs, cordage, and oranges were especially investigated.
Statistics on United States trade with trade-agreement countries
were compiled and distributed to businessmen directly and through
trade associations and media established or approved by the inter
departmental organization. Educational material on the aims,
operation, and results of the program was distributed.
TRADE CONTROLS

Many calls for assistance in particular transactions affected by
changing restrictions and regulations of foreign governments were
given special handling in order to prevent heavy losses on ship
ments en route.
Three surveys were prepared analyzing the impact of the war on
the trade policies of Continental Europe, of the British Empire and
the Far East, and of Latin America, respectively.
Especially close study was made of the unusual war-born trade
arrangements between various foreign countries which seem likely
to continue after the war and which may limit the resumption of
former trade channels and methods.
Cooperation with the Office of Export Control.—When the United
States program of license control over the exportation of materials
regarded as essential to defense was inaugurated in July 1940, the
heavy calls from exporters upon the Bureau and its field offices, as
their accustomed source of information and guidance in export prob
lems, necessitated the Bureau’s undertaking a new line of service.

BUREAU OP FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

Through close informal cooperation with the Division of Controls
■ of the Department of State, and with the Office of the Administra
tor of Export Control, a regular system was established for general
dissemination of data on all developments of commercial consequence.
A special section on United States export control was set up in For
eign Commerce Weekly, which has come to be relied upon by ex
porters as the source of complete and automatic notification and
analysis of the week’s developments. This is supplemented by over
night notifications of important day-by-day announcements through
the field offices for local redissemination.
Bureau representation on the interdepartmental committee set up
by the Administrator of Export Control maintained a general com
mercial point of view in the formulation of new schedules and regu
lations. The special knowledge and experience of the Bureau’s
various commodity experts have also been drawn upon regularly.
Informal consultations between the Export Control Administration
and particular trade associations or groups were arranged.
The clarification and advice of the Bureau on many questions con
cerning the export-control program, as to licensability, interpretive
rulings, handling of applications, procedure in case of difficulty, and
the like, have been widely approved.
The Bureau has assisted the planning and administrative officials
in the Department of State and in the Office of the Administrator of
Export Control, through its familiarity with the problems of Ameri
can exporters and the trade-control measures and arrangements of
foreign countries.
FOREIGN-TRADE PROMOTION

The usual trade-promotion activity to aid United States foreign
traders, one of the oldest individual services of the Bureau of For
eign and Domestic Commerce, was utilized to a greater extent last
year by bona fide business concerns than in any year since 1933. The
Bureau furnished 7,268 individual reports on foreign concerns, upon
request, in addition to the several thousands made available as part
of the agency-replacement service of the hemisphere defense pro
gram. Likewise, as a service to firms newly entering markets, 5,388
specially prepared lists of foreign outlets or sources of supply were
furnished.
During the course of the year, 1,012 trade lists were compiled
and brought up to date for use of business firms seeking trade con
nections in foreign markets. A vast part of this service was connected
with the effort of the United States to see that the minimum require
ments of the other American .Republics were met. Despite a very
restrictive grading system applied to trade opportunities, designed
practically to guarantee results, 2,039 bona fide opportunities for
doing business were furnished to American firms.
Export-import commodity information.—The Bureau also pro
vides a medium for the development and dissemination of factual
information, designed to promote foreign trade in commodities. Such
export-import market information is supplied in answer to inquiries.
The Bureau strives to develop systematically and disseminate broadly
the most extensive and intensive commodity, foreign-market informa
tion. In furtherance of this objective, it provides continuing guid427433— 42

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REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

ance and counsel to the United States Foreign Service officers on com
modity reporting, and the formulation or revision of reporting sched
ules, questionnaires, and field inquiries. Action in this sphere is
additionally manifest through evaluation and utilization of all Foreign
Service commodity reports, market surveys, inquiry transmittals, ex
port or import trade opportunities, and foreign-government requests
for tenders.
More.than 150 terse, timely, commodity news items are prepared and
disseminated weekly, through the medium of the official publication
of the Bureau, the Foreign Commerce Weekly. Other dissemina
tions, usually involving research and supplementation, are pre
sented as contributions to the maintenance of subscriptions to 14
commodity group sections of the Industrial Reference Service. These
latter contributions are of four types: (1) Basic source information
pertinent to imported commodities; (2) basic marketing information
pertinent to exported commodities; (3) periodic foreign-market de
velopments affecting commodities; and (4) periodic U. S. exportimport market analyses of commodities.
Other essential adjuncts involve the preparation of commodity sta
tistical recapitulations, comprehensive factual abstracts, loan files,
bibliographies and reference reading lists, the formulation of special
articles for trade journals, and speeches before trade-association an
nual conventions.
Service is given to practically every branch of the Government and
particularly in connection with national defense and economic agen
cies. In fact, many members of the Bureau personnel, as members
of governmental committees, have prepared special reports on exotic,
strategic, and essential commodities, pertinent to general considera
tions, in addition to interpreting and disseminating export-import
market information.
In giving this service, the Bureau files of commodity material de
veloped over a quarter of a century are utilized, as well as incoming
foreign-trade data. An average of 200 news items and 7 Industrial
Reference Service issues have been released per week. Somewhat in
excess of 110 correspondence problems have required foreign-market
research, and approximately 20 visitors and 40 telephone inquiries per
week have sought immediate marketing consultation service.
Cooperation with 62 other agencies of the Government has resulted
in an average of more than 50 inquiries weekly on export-import mat
ters, and a number of such requests, particularly from defense agen
cies, have involved the effort of one or more men and from 50 to as
high as 150 hours of service in a single week.
FOREIGN-TRADE STATISTICS

Pursuant to the authority contained in Section A of the Act of
February 14, 1903, the Secretary of Commerce on May 1 , 1941, trans
ferred the authority and functions relating to the collection and com
pilation of foreign-trade statistics to the Bureau of the Census. The
transfer was in line with the policy of the Department consolidating
all current statistical reporting under the Bureau of the Census.
Before this transfer, emphasis had been placed on special services
and tabulations for Government agencies concerned with the accumu

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

lation of war-related materials and anxious to obtain more complete
and current statistics on the exports and imports of these commodities.
New reports for Government agencies.—The following reports have
been initiated during the past fiscal year: (1) “Licensed-Export State
ment” on a daily cumulative basis. Export accounts. Requested by
national defense agencies, particularly Export Control and the Divi
sion of Controls in the State Department. (2) “In transit shipments
of strategic commodities” for the Administrator of Export Control
and the Division of Controls in the State Department. (3) “Lendlease shipments,” for the Division of Defense Aid Reports. (4)
“Strategic material imports,” a month-to-month compilation of 425
classifications covering the imports of commodities by country of
origin, for those in the Office of Production Management directly
concerned with the accumulation of strategic and critical commodities
required for military and civilian needs. (5) “Exports, by subgroups,
according to continent and leading countries of destination.” This
report shows the destination of our exports in approximately ICObroad
commodity groups. Conversely, it furnishes a summarized account
of our export trade for each leading country and continent. (6)
“Country compilations,” a monthly summary of trade by principal
commodities, for our leading markets and suppliers.
Publication withheld.—Starting with export data for April, infor
mation relating to the country of destination for our exports was with
drawn for the time being from public access, being made available only
to authorized Government officials. This was done at the request of
a number of defense agencies to avoid disclosure to possible enemies of
the nature, extent, and direction of shipments from an arsenal of
democracy.
Changes in classifications.—The Classification Conference in the
fall of Í940 brought about an additional 104 new export classes, many
of which show exports of strategic and critical commodities. A sim
plified Schedule H covering shipments to Alaska was issued. This
reduced the 1920 regular export classification of Schedule B, to only
142 commodities which cover the most important articles shipped
to Alaska. In connection with the tabulation of licensed exports, a
classification was drawn up for all licensed commodities, totaling
1,071 items. This classification was aligned with our Schedule B
export classification. In June of 1941, an expanded Schedule B was
developed which brought out an additional 535 classifications, thus seg
regating practically every commodity in the Export Control schedules.
The use of an export declaration in the form of a copy of the
bill of lading for shipments to Alaska was initiated early in 1941,
together with the simplified classification formerly mentioned.
According to Seattle shippers to Alaska, this procedure will save
them $100,000 annually.
Analysis of foreign-trade statistics.—This activity, retained in the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, was centralized. The
basic statistics in the field of international trade and finances are
assembled in a readily usable and reproducible form. These data
comprise (1) foreign-country trade information; (2) United States
trade information; (3) commodity information; and (4) financial
information. It provides a “control” system which supplements the
basic analytical work of the Bureau.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Piles of the “visible” type are used to insure quick availability of
all materials and a high degree of flexibility and compactness in
filing. The form of the standardized statistical compilations was
determined with a view both to the immediate emergency require
ments of Government agencies for international trade and financial
statistics, and to the eventual peacetime requirements of Government
and business.
Athough established primarily to meet the exigencies of the
defense program in general, and the needs of the Administrator of
Export Control in particular, these facilities were made available
to all Government agencies and to business firms as well. By the
end of the year an extensive statistical request service supplementing
the analytical and interpretive facilities of the Bureau was in full
■ operation.
Foreign commerce in the war zone.—-The dislocation of foreign
commerce which began with the opening of hostilities in World
War II on September 1, 1939, not only proceeded at a dizzy pace in
1940-41 but resulted in complete disappearance of such trade from
many accustomed quarters.
For those sections of the world blockaded from commercial inter
course, or largely covered by the Lend-Lease Act, the Bureau has
undertaken to maintain all possible economic studies with material
available. This has been done to locate economic actions that may
prove of use to this country’s armament economy as well as provide
some basis for defense action or post-war planning.
Much of the material coming from blockaded countries is pure
propaganda. It is the task of the experienced personnel of the
Bureau, with their broad background of familiarity with the eco
nomic development of such countries, to sift the meaningful from
the false and to present significant findings to the Government and the
public.
From such studies have come reports on the German price-control
policy and technique, German economic policies in the occupied coun
tries of Europe, as well as on German plans for post-war economy.
Many articles have been prepared on basic economic conditions in
Soviet Russia and on each of the numerous small nations drawn into
the vortex of war.
Extensive confidential memoranda and reports, statistical and
economic, were furnished the National Defense Council, Office of
Coordinator of Commercial and Cultural Relations Between the
American Republics, the Export Control Administrator, the Office
of Naval Intelligence, and the Department of Justice.
The Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply, the
Export Control Administrator, and the War Department (G-2)
increased their requests to the Bureau for confidential information
and studies on European countries. Most of the Government depart
ments were interested in phases of price control in European coun
tries as affecting their particular activities. Other regular services
to Government departments included: International financial invest
ments and exchange regulations and requirements for Securities
Exchange Commission and the Treasury Department, duties on
specific commodities entering European countries and their colonies
for the Tariff Commission, economic developments and industrial

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

activities for the Office of Production Management, and extensive
translations for the National Inventors’ Council in addition to tech
nical discussions on behalf of the Council with foreigners offering
their inventions to this country.
Special statistical analyses, covering detailed compilations of
United States trade with Europe by commodity groups, production
and trade in primary commodities of Europe, and trade of Africa
by commodity groups and countries, were published.
STUDIES ON MAJOR FOREIGN REGIONS

The British Empire.—With the advent of the Lend-Lease Act, the
Bureau’s normal activities in connection with foreign commerce to
England became dormant for “the duration.” However, the Bureau
immediately entered upon an intensive study of the effects of the
war upon the economy of the various parts of the British Empire.
Concurrently it has been called upon to supply factual and ana
lytical material on British experience in the economic, financial,
social, and industrial fields, particularly with respect to price con
trols, exchange regulations, import and export restrictions, produc
tion policies and programs, and the success or failure of the steps
undertaken by other Government departments and agencies in con
nection with similar problems under advisement here. Considerable
time was given to questions relating to the sale in the United States
of British-owned dollar securities.
The schedule of reports required from Foreign Service officers
stationed throughout the British Empire was revised to conform to
prevailing war conditions.
Latin America.-—-The Bureau’s long study of Latin America and
the vast amount of information about that region in the files of the
Bureau have been heavily drawn upon for the hemisphere defense
program.
Special statistical and economic studies have been made for the
Federal Reserve Board, the Office of Production Management, the
National Resources Planning Board, Military Intelligence, Trade
Agreements Committee, Export Control Administrator, the Treasury
Department, and the Office of the Coordinator of Commercial and
Cultural Relations Between the American Republics.
Particular attention was paid to the trade-control measures of the
other American Republics, for their bearing upon the growing pro
gram of closer economic collaboration between the United States and
Latin America. Pamphlets were published presenting economic re
views, up-to-date information on the consular and customs regula
tions, documentation, and related matters essential to the proper
preparation of shipments to the other American Republics. The
preparation of a series of confidential handbooks for each of the 20
Republics of Latin America was undertaken and practically com
pleted by the end of the fiscál year.
Special effort was devoted to following developments in the com
plicated exchange situation prevailing in many of the Latin American
•countries.
Trends in American tourist expenditures in Latin America have
been the subject of further close study. Data already on hand have
been supplemented by special reports and surveys by American of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

ficers in foreign countries. Many requests for studies based upon
these data came from the Maritime Commission, Office of Coordinator
of Commercial and Cultural Relations with Latin America, and
other Government agencies, as well as from other sources, including
the Pan American Union. Special service was given to the Civil
Aeronautics Authority in connection with the latter’s investigation
of air services in relation to the travel movement between the United
States and Latin America.
A new departure in Bureau policy with the purpose of strengthen
ing its service to business and industrial interests was the sending
of three regional specialists through the strategically important Cen
tral American and Caribbean areas. They studied, at first hand the
general business and economic situation, industrial progress, and
other factors influencing United States trade with that region.
The legal status of American business in Latin America, while in
general uninterrupted in point of principle, has been subject to several
disturbing factors. The most important of these is the accelerated
application of the policy of nationalization. At present this affects
only a few broad fields, such as production and distribution of carbo
hydrates, the exploitation of natural resources, the development of
light and power, and the operation of major services such as banking
and insurance.
The extension of this policy may result in narrowing of American
opportunities. Means must be sought to open the way for American
participation in the industrialization of these areas if the efforts of
the Bureau to promote American business there and the special work
of the Coordinator of Commercial and Cultural Relations Between
the American Republics are to be substantially fruitful. The Bureau
met a heavy demand for Latin American industrial-property laws
and treaties.
The Bureau participated actively in the drafting of the InterAmerican Coffee Agreement, and prepared basic statistical data for
use in the assignment of quotas.
In the fall of 1940, the Bureau began to play an important part
in another phase of the hemisphere defense program. For 20 years
it has gathered information in the form of World Trade Directory
reports, furnished by the Department of State, special reports com
piled by American Foreign Service officers and cooperative reports
from banks and foreign traders in the United States. This made a
comprehensive file of information on several hundred thousand con
cerns in all parts of the world capable of providing spot information
to businessmen in the United States engaged in export and import
trade.
This peacetime trade-promotion activity of the Bureau provided
a basis for a study of sales outlets and channels of distribution in
the other American Republics to which was added information on the
political activities of firms and individuals in the other American
Republics. The purpose of this study was to determine those who,
from the profits obtained from lucrative American lines, were directly
or indirectly supporting subversive activities against the defense of
the Western Hemisphere.
In anticipation of the possibility of a list of blocked nationals, the
Bureau, in cooperation with the Office of the Coordinator of Com

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

mercial and Cultural Relations Between the American Republics,
undertook to ask manufacturers and foreign traders in the United
States to eliminate these undesirable connections from the channels
of hemisphere trade.
As a necessary adjunct to this program, the Bureau undertook the
task of providing agency replacements to those exporters and im
porters who broke undesirable relationships. The field service of the
Department of Commerce, through its long and intimate relationships
with individual businessmen, was ideally set up to carry out this
program. The Bureau prepared special abstracts of such political
information in 4,050 cases for interviews with individual business
concerns. The field service handled 2,400 special interviews, discuss
ing in confidence specific relationships between United States firms
and undesirable concerns or individuals located in the other American
Republics.
Letters were sent to 17,000 firms in the United States engaged m
foreign trade or having foreign-trade affiliations, requesting coopera
tion in checking all new accounts to prevent diversion of trade to
undesirables who were separated from their former suppliers.
With splendid support from the Department of State, 257 agency
replacements were made either from suggestions from the files of the
Bureau or from special field reports. In addition, the many foreign
traders who have secondary outlets in mind to take care of emergen
cies were able promptly to check such outlets and make the necessary
replacements.
Numerous conferences wTere held in Washington and other cities
with foreign-trade groups, organizations, and individuals in carrying
out this program. It is with gratification that the Department of
Commerce now hears from all sides that the impact of the publication
of a Proclaimed List of Certain Blocked Nationals was cushioned by
this program which informed businessmen of what _was likely to
happen, in sufficient time for them to make their adjustments long
before regulatory measures became necessary.
The Far East.—The Bureau made a special and voluminous statis
tical study of all the main products and strategic materials essential
to American industries which are obtained in whole or large part
from Far Eastern areas. This material was made available to all
departments of the Government as well as to students and private
business enterprises. It is hoped to expand this study during the
present fiscal year, or make it at least the basis of a number of
commodity analyses.
Shortly' aiter the middle of the fiscal year, special studies in the Far
Eastern field were requested and supplied to such other agencies as the
State, Agriculture, and Treasury Departments ; the United States Tar
iff and Maritime Commissions, the National Defense Council, Army
Industrial College, Export License Bureau, Price Administration and
Civilian Supply, Army and Navy.
TRANSPORTATION

The growing divisions and complete withdrawals of direct steam
ship services to foreign ports vastly complicated maintenance of
United States foreign trade. With the aid of the Foreign Service
officers of the State Department and constant contact with shipping

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

agencies, the Bureau was able to give day-to-day information of vital
importance to shippers regarding areas still open to trade.
For example, following the closing of the Mediterranean to Ameri
can shipping, the Bureau helped American owners of Turkish and
Greek tobacco to reroute cargoes via the Turkey-Iraq Railway and the
Persian Gulf, safely moving more than 4,000 tons of tobacco, valued
at several millions of dollars, out of the area of hostilities.
Reports were made to Congress on pending bills involving a wide
range of transportation problems. The Maritime Commission called
upon the Bureau for assistance on many occasions, including a com
pilation of the laws of principal maritime countries relating to the
registration of vessels.
Special studies regarding transportation systems in both friendly
and unfriendly countries were made for various defense agencies. The
movement of nonessential commodities on essential foreign-trade
routes was analyzed for the Office of Production Management. The
annual highway study, Highways of the World, was issued, and special
reports were made on strategic highways.
An up-to-date volume on modern cargo stowage, containing the latest technical information on stowing various commodities safely and
efficiently, was in preparation at the close of the year.
Other studies produced reports on the Pilot Training Program in
South America and on Equipment Used on South American Air Lines*
LIAISON

The Department of Commerce maintains a liaison office in the De
partment of State, in accordance with Reorganization Plan No. II, to
facilitate the coordination of the commercial work of the Foreign
Service of the United States. During the fiscal year 1940-41, a total
of 77,275 communications were received from the Foreign Service and
distributed to appropriate units in the Department of Commerce.
This total included: 27,199 reports and despatches, 3,929 telegrams,
1,469 trade opportunities, 4,955 miscellaneous items (mostly relating
to firms and individuals), 19,976 trade letters to American firms and
individuals, 17,210 World Trade Directory Reports, and 2,537 trade
lists. The outgoing communications from the Department of Com
merce to the Foreign Service were reviewed and forwarded as follows:
10,566 liaison letters and 685 telegrams—a total of 11,251.
The liaison office also took care of the distribution of certain types
of Foreign Service reports to other agencies and departments of the
Government. Reports distributed in this manner averaged 824 “ditto”
copies of 390 reports weekly.
The liaison office organized a 2-week period of instruction in com
mercial work for members of the Foreign Service attending the Foreign Service Officers’ Training School, and has supervised the activi
ties of other officers assigned temporarily to the Department of Com
merce for duty.
Effective December 18, 1940, the liaison office was made a central
clearing and record office for requests by representatives of other agencies for information and assistance. In addition to checking and facilitating requests of this character, the liaison office prepares periodic

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

reports covering the nature of such requests and the time involved in
their execution.
This office, in cooperation with other units of the Bureau, during
the year made a complete overhauling of foreign service reporting
system on commercial and economic affairs abroad, in order to obtain
more vital information more quickly, and in more usable form.
DOMESTIC COMMERCE

The activities of the Bureau in the domestic commerce of the Nation
range from problems covering the over-all functioning of the national
economy to requests for helpful information on a single commodity
or a facet of business operation coming from individual businessmen.
The various subdivisions of the Bureau work so closely together in
gathering, collating, analyzing, and reporting the facts about the in
ternal economic life of the Nation that their efforts can be grouped
under general headings: National Economic Services, Commodity
Services, Field Services, and Information Services.
NATIONAL ECONOMIC SERVICES

The work of the Bureau in keeping books on the functioning of the
national economy has developed in three ways during the fiscal year
1940-41. One of these directions has been along the line of continuing
established current studies.
A second direction has been the adjustment and correlation of the
soaring figures of the armament economy to the soberer levels of the
predefense era, for guidance in the post-war period.
The third direction of effort has been, since the Bureau finished its
many studies for the Temporary National Economic Committee in the
early part of 1941, to be of aid to business organizations in meeting
the kaleidoscopic changes forced by defense emergency priorities, con
tracts, and regulations.
The results of these efforts are found in the Bureau’s national-income
studies, analyses of current business activities, studies of the general
structure and operations of business, trade-association cooperation,
and interstate trade-barrier studies.
National income studies.—Considerable time during the year was
devoted to the progressive improvement of the three basic-income
series now published by the Bureau: (1) The Annual Estimates of the
National Income by Industrial Source and Type of Payment; (2)
the Monthly Series on Income Payments to Individuals; and (3)
the State Distribution of Income Payments on an Annual Basis.
During the year, the Bureau released its comprehensive description
of the income-payments series and the methods used in its
preparation.
Current income estimates for defense:—The Bureau has met the
need for reliable current estimates of the national income by pre
paring such estimates on a quarterly basis for recent years. These
have been released only for circulation within the Government, but
during the year plans were formulated for preparing a complete
historical series of quarterly national-income estimates to be pub
lished well before the end of the coming fiscal year.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Income 'payments by States.—The ground work has been laid forpublishing in the near future quarterly estimates of income pay
ments to individuals by States.
The analysis of the final products of the economy for the years 1929
to 1940 progressed satisfactorily during the year. The study of the
flow of commodities and capital formation and consumption is now
well under way. It is expected that the results of this study will be
generally available within the coming fiscal year.
A start has been made on rounding out the final-product analysis
by inaugurating the study of the flow of services to consumers, in
cluding the value of services performed by governmental agencies.
In connection with this the Bureau prepared estimates of construc
tion activity for release in the late summer, and published a special
study of municipal outlays for construction.
What is owed, publicly and privately.—During the fiscal year, the
Bureau completed its study of public and private net indebtedness
for the years 1929 to 1940, and prepared a bulletin on this subject
which is scheduled for publication early in the coming year. The
Bureau has also undertaken the completion of a comprehensive
survey of the composition of decedent estates.
Miscellaneous income study applications.—As in previous years
numerous services were performed for other governmental agencies,
including Members of Congress, to aid in finding additional sources,
of revenue to meet defense requirements. The basic significance of
income data, both national and State, was analyzed to determine the
potential demand for civilian supplies.
Inquiries of this nature referred not only to the national income,
but also to related economic measures. Considerable time was de
voted to the preparation of estimates of “gross transactions,” “value
added” in various industries, and the size distribution of personal
income. In the latter connection, the Bureau published in October
its study of the concentration and composition of individual incomes
over the period 1918-37.
Keeping up with current business activity.—During the year, the
Bureau collected, tabulated, analyzed, and released to the public vari
ous series of data widely used by business firms, Government officials,
and all whose affairs necessitate the analysis of business conditions.
It currently compiled, analyzed, and published comprehensive monthly
indexes of manufacturers’ inventories, shipments, new and unfilled
orders. Likewise, it collected, analyzed, and published comprehen
sive indexes of sales of chain shoe stores, chain drug stores, chain
variety stores, chain men’s-wear stores, and chain grocery stores.
As an original source in the field of consumer credit, it collected,,
analyzed, and released monthly data on the consumer installmentloan volume, repayments and outstandings of three types of cash
lending agencies. Included were credit unions, industrial banking
companies, and personal finance companies. Plans were completed
for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of monthly data re
lating to the installment credit experience of department, furniture,
household-appliance, and jewelry stores.
In addition to these monthly data, an annual report entitled the
“Retail Credit Survey” was prepared, analyzing the credit sales, baddebt losses, receivables, and collection percentages in 15 types of
credit-granting retail store groups.

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

In collecting, analyzing, and releasing the above-mentioned data
for public use, the Bureau has continued to receive the wholehearted
cooperation of merchants and manufacturers who voluntarily have
sent in their reports. The Bureau gratefully acknowledges this co
operation of businessmen—for only so long as the Bureau receives
it can these basic monthly reports on inventories^ orders, shipments,
and consumer credit be made available to the public.
In addition, there are other evidences of the cooperative nature of
the Bureau’s work in collecting, analyzing, and releasing current
business data. Thus, quarterly data on the consumer installment
loans of commercial banks are obtained through collaboration with
the Consumer Credit Division of the American Bankers Association,
while publication of complete monthly estimates regarding the
amount of consumer installment debt through December 1940 is a
continuation of a statistical project originated by the National Bureau
of Economic Research in collaboration with both the Russell Sage
Foundation and this Bureau.
A. primary purpose of collecting and analyzing such data as the
above is to have them as a basis for the construction of various
measures of business activity, as described in the next paragraphs.
Construction of statistical measures of lousiness activity.—The
Bureau does more than merely collect business statistics. In all
cases it increases their value by converting them into broader meas
ures of business activity. A good illustration is the Industry Survey
published by the Bureau where the samples of manufacturers report
ing their inventories, new orders, shipments, and unfilled orders are
expanded into indexes representing the totals of such data for all
manufacturing enterprises. Other examples are the index of retail
automobile dollar sales and the index of building-material shipments,
both computed and released to the press.
The Bureau also began to construct a comprehensive index of total
consumer expenditures in the United States. Part of this very basic
business index has been completed—consumer expenditures for goods.
Work is continuing on the other part of it—consumer expenditures
for services. When completed, the Bureau will be able to publish this
index showing total consumer expenditures monthly for goods and for
services.
Work was also begun on other important monthly business indexes,
such as one measuring total business inventories and another measuring
total consumer installment debt.
Economic analyses— In its work of appraising and reporting on
business conditions, the Bureau makes many general and special eco
nomic analyses. Some of these are for various officers of the Depart
ment and other Government agencies. Of this type were analyses of
the railroad freight-car situation, of the consumer-credit situation, of
the outlook for the national income, of productive capacity in various
industries—especially the steel industry, on defense output and others.
Other economic analyses were made and released largely for the use
of the public. One of'these explained in detail the factors governing
the demand for cocoa beans in the United States. Another detailed
the factors governing the demand for agricultural implements. Studies
of this type are, of course, valuable also to the Bureau’s personnel in
enabling it better to appraise the business outlook in individual indus

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

tries and in business as a whole. In connection with its work of ap
praising the current economic situation, the Bureau has made various
studies of the interrelationships between significant economic factors.
Operating facts for the wholesale grocery trade.—At the request
of Members of Congress, representatives of the trade, and the Wage
and Hour Division of the Department of Labor, the Bureau conducted
a survey of changes in wages, hours, and operating conditions in the
wholesale grocery and produce trades. The study covers the periods
prior to and following the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
This statistical report presents facts which permit an appraisal of
decisive factors as to whether the trades should be exempt from certain
provisions of the act.
The survey provides a wealth of material, helpful to wholesale
grocers throughout the country; data not hitherto available on
labor costs; hours of operation; scheduled working week; overtime
payments; average number of regular full-time employees; average
weekly pay; and the relation of overtime payments to sales, wages, and
expenses. Factual material is available by size of business, type of
operation, and location for all the major items covered.
Accounting methods for small retailers.—The Bureau is devoting
an increasing proportion of its time and energy to research in the
problems of the small-business man. It realizes that a small business
in one industry, or line of business, may be huge in structure compared
with a small unit in another line. Thus, a small steel company might
be far larger than the largest independent grocer. Hence, the approach
of the Bureau to the small-business problem has been to break it down
into industry and business classifications.
Since small independent retailers are the predominant form of
small business, the Bureau is particularly interested in promoting their
efficiency. Many studies dealing with small-store failures clearly point
to the need for better records—records which will enable small mer
chants to know, before it is too late, the exact financial condition of
their business, trends in sales volumes, in gross margins earned, and
in their costs of operation.
Record keeping is also increasingly necessary for tax purposes;
taxes such as the Federal income, social-security, and the State sales
taxes. With these needs in mind, a study of simplified methods of
Small Store Accounting was prepared during the year. This bulletin
is written in practical and easily understandable terms. It gives the
procedures for establishing and keeping records that are necessary for
intelligent management-—records that can be kept with a minimum
expenditure of time and effort. A “one-book” system is shown which
will provide the merchant with all the facts necessary, not only for
profitable operation but also for the preparation of income, socialsecurity, and sales-tax returns.
Trade associations.—During this fiscal year the Bureau completed a
detailed report on the general subject of trade associations, based upon
a study of 1,300 organizations. This report was published by the Tem
porary National Economic Committee of Congress in February 1941.
I t was followed by the preparation of a comprehensive directory and
report covering 3,000 trade and professional organizations of national
or interstate scope. It contains information on the size of membership,
the staff, and the principal activities of these groups.

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

In this work, the Bureau maintains the central file in the Federal
Government covering the Nation’s trade associations and other coop
erative organizations of businessmen. A consulting service on asso
ciation problems is provided, and the Bureau participates in confer
ences in this field. This function provides continuous cooperation be
tween the Government and organizations of businessmen. Business
organization movement is an expanding one, with more than 2,000,000
factories, stores, and shops now affiliated with some form of business
association. The objectives are those of providing their members with,
the latest information pertaining to all current problems such as
increased markets, technical research, Government relations, labor
problems, and public relations.
Interstate trade barriers.—The Bureau continues its active interest
in the removal of barriers to the free flow of commerce across State
lines. The informal Interdepartmental Committee on Interstate Trade
Barriers has been continued. The Bureau’s representative is the chair
man and gives full time to this work.
The Bureau, working with this commitee, seeks (1) to coordinate
the activities of the Federal Government directed toward removing
barriers to interstate trade; (2) to serve as a clearing house for tradebarrier developments and information from all sources; (3) to act as
a liaison between the Federal Government and the State governments,
working through the Council of State Governments; (4) to initiate
and implement research studies into the origin, operation, and effects
of trade barriers; (5) to cooperate with trade associations and other
groups to (a) disseminate educational trade-barrier data (b) to locate
and solve specific trade-barrier cases, (c) to work for a greater degree
of uniformity in Federal and State law, thus facilitating the move
ment of interstate commerce.
In carrying out this program, public addresses before a variety of
groups have been made, magazine articles have been written, and pub
licized conferences have been held. Information has been supplied to
editors, students, and discussion groups, and the Department has en
dorsed certain proposals made by the T. N. E. C. to Congress for an
attack on this problem. Close cooperation has been maintained with
the States by attending national and regional meetings of the Council
of State Governments and the Southern Governors’ Conference.
Studies now in progress are: (1) The Trend of the Trade Barrier
Movement in the 1941 State Legislative Session and (2) The Extent to
Which the Motor-Truck Movement of National Defense Supplies and
Materials is Delayed by State Highway Laws. A study of “Interstate
Trade Barriers and Michigan Industry” by Professors Wolaver and
Gault of the Law and Business Schools, University of Michigan, is
being published by the Bureau as an example to other researchers in.
this field.
COMMODITY SERVICES

A large portion of Bureau activities concerning commodities in do
mestic commerce has been devoted to servicing defense agencies as well
as providing information and assistance to businessmen in connection
with general and specific problems arising out of defense production.
In addition to making readily available a vast amount of basic datai
on commodities, raw materials for manufacture, and manufactured

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

products, one of the chief contributions has been the expert knowledge
and judgment possessed by various Bureau specialists, who have freely
given of their knowledge and time to defense agencies. A substantial
amount of the action taken by such agencies has been based upon this
judgment and knowledge.
The details of this service and assistance given to defense agencies
are too varied and too long to enumerate. An idea of their general
character is indicated by the following broad description : Surveys have
been and are continuing to be made of the raw-material requirements
for several large industries, such as the electrical goods, household
appliances, and railway-equipment industries; specific surveys of pro
duction, imports, stocks, anticipated demand for a long list of strategic,
critical, and essential materials (particularly detailed studies have
been made in connection with cork, natural bristles, nonferrous metals,
and lumber).
Many members of the staff have served as consultants on commodity
committees; others have been loaned to defense agencies to organize
new programs and conduct special activities.
A great deal of assistance is being currently rendered to the Office
of Price Administration and Civilian Supply in the way of current
data on commodities and products in which emergency situations have
arisen in either prices or supplies for civilian use.
While the defense program has been given priority, special attention
is devoted to a long-term program looking toward post-war economic
adjustment and peacetime economy. A major project is the development. of a series of monthly industry reports covering all the principal
manufacturing service, public-utilities, and distributive industries.
These monthly reports analyze thoroughly and interpret the current
and long-term trends in each industry, the relationship between indus
tries, and the forces and factors influencing general and specific indus
trial situations.
They are designed to provide both industry and Government with
better business statistics and facts, to enable the businessman to make
better decisions, and to provide Government with essential data for
legislative, administrative, and regulatory consideration. Approxi
mately 30 such monthly industry reports were originated during the
past fiscal year, with an equal number scheduled to be added during
the fiscal year 1941-42.
Because of the demonstrated need for a closer and systematic con
tact with principal business executives, the Bureau has established a
staff of industrial consultants who spend a large part of their time
calling on businessmen. The principal objective is to effect a closer
liaison between business executives and the Government through the
Department of Commerce. The industrial consultants will interpret
Government to business, act as Government economic advisers to busi
ness, and act as industrial advisers to the Government.
Despite the burden imposed by the defense program, the Bureau
was able to carry on many long-established functions not directly
connected with defense. Members of the staff served as technical spe
cialists, assisting the Government’s ordinary procurement program,
including the American National Red Cross. Some illustrations of
activities of this nature are the Survey of Motion-Picture Equipment
in High Schools and Colleges, designed as a market study for equip-

BUREAU OP FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

merit as well as a measure of the facilities for showing educational
films as a part of the general educational program; and an annual sur
rey of confectionery sales and distribution. A study was made of
world production and trade in sponges, which was published at the
expense of the industry.
FIELD SERVICES

During the past year the district offices of the Bureau of Foreign
and Domestic Commerce and the field service of the Bureau of the
Census were unified by order of the Secretary. They now constitute
the United States Department of Commerce Field Service.
Twelve of the existing offices were designated Regional Offices. Ter
ritorial boundaries were outlined for them identical with those of the
Federal Reserve System. These 12 regional offices will have responsi
bility for 19 district offices located within their regions.
The unification of the two services will provide a much more com
plete service to businessmen, for the offices now will represent the entire
Department of Commerce outside of Washington in its relations with
the business community. It will provide a much more complete serv
ice to businessmen by strengthening the facilities of the Department
available to businessmen and commercial interests.
The field offices will aid greatly in the collection of vital data re
quired by business in connection with the national defense program.
Within 2 months of the unification, calls upon the offices for service and
the collection of information greatly increased, requests coming not
only from other bureaus of the Department but from other Govern
ment agencies as well.
During the past year the Field Service has worked wholeheartedly
with a number of defense agencies. The closest possible liaison is
maintained with the National Defense Advisory Commission, the Office
of Production Management, Office for Emergency Management, Office
of Price Administration and Civilian Supply, Division of Priorities,
Defense Contract Service, and the Coordinator of Commercial and
Cultural Relations Between the American Republics.
All of the field work of the Special Division of the Office of the
Coordinator was carried on through the field offices.
With the expansion of export control, the Administrator of Export
Control established his own representatives in several cities. In all
cases these made their headquarters within the local office of the United
States Department of Commerce. All routine “housekeeping” was
done for them by the United States Department of Commerce Field
Service. They work closely with the regional and district managers
and utilize the facilities of the offices. With the cooperation of the
various managers, they won rapidly the cooperation and confidence of
local exporters. In every one of the 31 cities of the United States
where Department of Commerce field offices are maintained, they have
been the principal source of expert and specific information in connec
tion with the operation of export control and the various freezing or
ders of the Treasury Department.
Late in June, the Bureau of the Census undertook a survey of ware
house facilities in the United States for the Office of Production Man
agement. The field offices of the Department of Commerce under

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

took the follow-up work of obtaining the prompt return of question
naires from more than 2,000 warehousemen in 29 cities and contiguous
territories.
The relationship of the interstate trade-barrier program with the
field offices has not been overlooked. Vigorous cooperation was ac
corded this important phase of the work of the Department of Com
merce. All offices cooperated in the first survey, November 15-December 15, 1940, on the delays and stoppages by highway barriers of de
fense supplies and materials, and all contacts with the trucking indus
try in connection with the survey were made through the field offices.
There has been no let-up in the volume of routine work in the offices
during the past fiscal year and whenever some important export-con
trol order, freezing order, or priority is issued, the offices have been
overwhelmed with inquiries concerning the precise mechanism of oper
ation. In fact, it has been necessary to expand our telephone facilities
m several cities in order to handle the increased volume of inquiries
resulting from such orders.
Cooperation with university_ schools of business and departments
of economics.—Cooperation with university schools of business and
departments of economics by a coordinator of university research has
been continued and extended this year. The Bureau acted as a clear
ing house for business and economic research of interest to business
men, Government officials, and research workers.
The first compì lati on of studies in progress was issued December 1940
under the title of Survey of Business Research Projects at Universities.
It contained reports on 515 studies being conducted by 448 research
workers at 56 colleges and universities. It reveals information on a
wide range of practical problems, and serves as an inventory of busi
ness research work in progress. Wide acceptance of this publication
brought about increased cooperation in the second edition to be pub
lished in the fall of 1941.
One of the important contributions of this work is to focus the at
tention of research workers upon the problems of national and hemi
spheric defense. Because of the location of a number of universities
their research staffs are in an advantageous position to conduct re
search into defense problems of a local nature which may have national
implications. As rapidly as these research projects are completed
copies are being filed with the Bureau in its research library for the
use of Government officials and others.
Realizing the great need for organized facts carefully interpreted,,
as a result of our sudden shift from a peace to an armament economy,
the Bureau is preparing a list of research projects to recommend to
schools of business and departments of economics over the country.
Establishment of a cooperative business research station._The
Bureau, in cooperation with the Board óf Regents, University of Min
nesota, established, in December of this past fiscal year, a cooperative
business research station on the campus of the University of Minnesota
and in close proximity to the Regional Office of the United States De
partment of Commerce in Minneapolis. This station was established
as an experiment to determine the advantages of decentralization of
research on problems of national significance, as well as on those of a
more regional and local character, to examine locally some of the prob
lems of small business, and to explore the opportunities for active
cooperation in practical research for business.

BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE

An advisory committee was set up, including members of the uni
versity staff, businessmen of the Twin Cities area, and representatives
of the Bureau located in Minneapolis. This council selected a research
project, “Income Data as a Guide to Marketing,” making use of origi
nal statistical information collected by the Minnesota Income Study.
The results of this first investigation will be of interest to retailers,
wholesalers, manufacturers, research agencies, trade associations, busi
ness papers, and Government officials, interested in the application of
income data to the problems of business.
Appointment of regional business consultants.—During the past
fiscal year, 12 regional business consultants have been appointed to
positions in the Regional Offices of the United States Department of
Commerce to supplement the work carried on by regional managers
and commercial agents and the activities of the Washington Divi
sions of the Bureau. They will perform three major functions: (1)
Serve businessmen of their regions with the latest ideas relative to
business policy and operation under current conditions, with emphasis
upon such relationship as business and the Federal Government,
business and the consumer, business in one industry and trade with
that of another, and internal management operating questions. At
the outset a great deal of their time will be given to business_ problems
created by the national emergency; (2) work with business_ andeconomic research personnel in business research and educational
institutions, in order to keep abreast of business and economic research
activities, coordinate industrial and economic data of the region, de
termine gaps in these data, encourage research needed to fill the
important gaps, and conduct research themselves; (3) prepare peri
odic reports for the use of Bureau personnel in Washington, as well
as for interested businessmen, covering basic conditions of the region
and industrial conditions for specified industries of major importance
to the region.
The men selected for these positions have had sound academic
training, actual experience in business, are acquainted with the prob
lems of business, and speak the language of the businessman. As
the fiscal year closed, these 12 men were entering an 11-week training
period in Washington. During this time they will become intimately
familiar with Government procedure, policies, personnel, and the
program of the Bureau, as well as with the business and economic
research activities and national defense programs of a number of other
closely related agencies in Washington.
INFORMATION SERVICES

Publications.—The Bureau was allotted $136,915 for printing the
results of its efforts. In addition, approximately $75,000 was made
available for processing factual information of immediate usefulness
but not necessarily of permanent importance.
This amounts to approximately 7 cents per year for each of the
more than 2,800,000 business establishments in the country, without
considering the students, research workers, professional men, and
others who might find the publications useful.
For this expenditure, the Bureau produced : (1) Foreign Commerce
Weekly, a publication devoted to giving American foreign traders
4 2 7 4 3 3 — 4 2 -------- C

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

up-to-date authentic information on new developments abroad,
affecting foreign commerce. This publication runs from 40 to 48
pages per week. (2) Domestic Commerce, a weekly bulletin of 34
pages of condensed information on industry and trade within the
United States. (3) The Survey of Current Business, a monthly
publication with a weekly supplement. This publication provides
Government and business with more current statistical information
than does any other single source and authoritatively reviews major
economic developments in national life.
As funds are limited and payments for subscriptions do not accrue
to offset the Bureau’s publishing costs, it is necessary to seek dis
semination of Bureau work on a broad scale through exchanging
publications with the commercial press. A large volume of reprints
of Bureau material arises from this exchange.
Semipermanent factual information is disseminated through two
services: (1) International Reference Service and (2) Industrial
Reference Service. More than 500 releases containing from 4 to 16
pages each, appeared through these services during the year.
More important studies are produced in pamphlet or book form
throughout the year as manuscripts are finished. Among the more
permanent records of national economic life printed during the past
fiscal year were: Foreign Long-Term Investments in the United
States; The Balance of International Payments of the United
States; The Flag of the United States—Its Use in Commerce; Survey
of Business Research Projects; and Foreign Commerce and Navigation
of the United States (annual report).
APPROPRIATIONS
Salaries and Expenses, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce_$1,410, 000
Field Office Service, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce___ 422, 000
Customs Statistics, Department of Commerce_____________________ 1381, 000
Total------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2, 213, 000

Customs
appropriation
was transferred to the Bureau of the Census at
the1The
beginning
of theStatistics
1942 fiscal
year.
PERSONNEL
Type of employment

Total............................................................................ ........ ...

Employees on roll June 30, 1941
District of
Columbia
29
Ö70

Field

282

Total

852

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
National defense statistics and decennial census compilations con
stituted the principal work of the Bureau of the Census during the
fiscal year.
Census statistics, which depict the economic and demographic
structure and activities of the country, become even more important
than usual in a period of national emergency. In addition to collect
ing and publishing general-purpose data from the decennial and other
census canvasses, the Bureau of the Census carried the major part of
the load of current industrial reporting for national defense pur
poses and compiled other statistical inquiries for national defense
agencies.
Preparation for publication of the statistical information collected
in 1940 for the Sixteenth Census of the United States, reached its peak
during the year. A large part of the most important information
from this national inventory was prepared and released to the public.
J. C. Capt was appointed Director of the Census on May 22, 1941,
succeeding William Lane Austin who retired after serving 40 years
in various capacities in the Bureau, including 8 years as Director.
DEVELOPMENTS AND INNOVATIONS

Constant attention is given by the Bureau to an evaluation of its
work, and every effort is made to perform its duties more efficiently—
that is, to give more information, more promptly, to more people at
less cost. New inquiries have been instituted and changes in existing
inquiries made during the year in response to defense and other needs
that have developed.
ORGANIZATION CHANGES

A number of internal organization changes were effected during
the year to make the services of the Bureau more efficient. All ad
ministrative services were combined into a Division of Administrative
Service and all functions relating to the furnishing of information
to the general public were consolidated into a Division of Information
and Publication. The Geography, and Field Divisions were com
bined shortly after the end of the year into the Field Service Division.
Subject-matter divisions were expanded to include the compilation
of data collected in the censuses of the Territories and possessions,
and the Division of Territorial, Insular, and Foreign Statistics was
abolished. A new division, that of Current Manufactures Reports,
was created to serve the needs of national defense and to satisfy the
increased demands of business interests for current industrial facts.
Two changes in the scope of the Bureau’s activity were made within
the fiscal year. First, responsibility for the collection and compilation
39

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

of foreign trade statistics was transferred from the Bureau of Foreign
and Domestic Commerce to the Bureau of the Census. Secondly, on
May 26, 1941, the field offices of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce and the field service of the Bureau of the Census were
consolidated into the Department of Commerce Field Service. Bepresentatives of this Field Service will be located in 12 regional and
19 district offices to aid in distributing information published by the
Bureau of the Census, and in improving the relations between the
Bureau and the respondents of the various inquiries.
EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND PERSONNEL STUDIES

During the present fiscal year, comparative studies were begun to
evaluate the methods utilized in recruiting and training the large
field staff employed in the canvass of the decennial census, described
in last year’s report.
Many of the training techniques applied in the field were also used
in preparing the 9,000 new office employees for their work in Wash
ington. Editing and coding supervisors and clerks were given in
tensive training in the subject matter which their work would cover.
Techniques of visual education were employed extensively. Objec
tive tests were used to determine abilities and, to a limited extent,
served as a basis for assignments.
M ACHINE TABULATION

The present census is the first decennial census in which there has
been an extensive use of summary punch cards, a technique made
possible by recent machine developments. After the tabulations are
made from the individual punch cards and recorded on the machine
result sheets, summary cards are punched from these result sheets,
and tabulations made on summary sheets. The intermediate clerical
work involved in the preparation of statistical tables from the machine
result sheets has been greatly reduced by this technique. In some
cases it was possible to prepare these sheets in the form required for
final publication.
The use of special equipment, such as collators, multiplying punches,
and specially built or wired tabulating machines, have effected great
savings in the work involved in preparing statistical tables for pub
lication and permitted the Bureau to make more information available
to the general public. The use of mechanical methods to reduce the
work involved or replace certain hand operations of editing and coding
schedules has been greatly extended. Thus, if a punched card for
housing shows a bath or shower in a dwelling unit but no running
water, or any one of several other unusual or impossible combinations
of items, that card is automatically segregated from the others and
can be checked against the original schedule. New developments both
in commercial equipment and in machines developed and constructed
in the Bureau’s mechanical laboratory have been fully utilized.

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

sa m plin g

Decennial population census.-—An important innovation of the
Sixteenth Decennial Census was the provision made for the scientific
development of a 5-percent sample of the population, along with the
complete decennial enumeration. This sample was developed pri
marily as a means of obtaining supplementary information at a low
cost. The questions asked of this representative cross section of the
population, in addition to those asked of everyone, related to social
security status, usual occupation, veterans and their dependents, fer
tility, and parentage. This use of sampling permits analyses of im
portant social and economic phenomena which otherwise would
necessarily have been neglected on account of the cost of taking a
complete canvass.
Through the transcription of basic items and early tabulation of the
returns of this sample, the Bureau published preliminary figures for
more important population characteristics within a relatively short
time after enumeration, nearly a year earlier than was possible in
former censuses.
Special tabulations, not only of the supplementary but of the basic
census data, will be made from cards punched for this sample at a
fraction of the cost required for a complete tabulation. These cards,
furthermore, may be retained after other cards are destroyed and will
be available for many special studies of the 1940 population that may
be required during the next decade.
The experience gained in the 1940 population sample has aided
materially in demonstrating the soundness of sampling methods for
census use. The experience was especially valuable since a great many
items were known for both the sample and for the total population,
and thus the reliability of the sample could be determined exactly.
Proposed sample censuses and research in sampling techniques.—In
these rapidly changing times governmental agencies, business, and the
public require not only the benchmark information provided by the
various censuses but also up-to-date information concerning changes
taking place subsequent to the censuses. Such information can be ob
tained through the use of scientific sampling procedures. At the
request of the Bureau of the Budget, the Bureau of the Census is
preparing specifications for a current Nation-wide collection of popu
lation, housing, and agricultural data on a sample basis. Research
concerning the precision and relative efficiency of various sampling
procedures is in progress.
At the request of several national defense and local civic agencies,
plans have been completed for a proposed sample census for the Wash
ington, D. C. area which would not only supply information needed by
local authorities but would also serve as a proving ground for plans
developed for the national sample.
During the year a project to furnish pertinent information on the
variability of population and housing characteristics, facilitating a
more efficient design of sampling surveys, was undertaken in coopera
tion with the Work Projects Administration of New York City.
Current reports.—Some of the current reports regularly issued on
manufactures and business have long been based upon a sample of the
establishments operating in the various fields covered. In most of

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

these instances, however, the method of sampling has been imposed
upon the Bureau because cooperation by businesses covered has been
on a voluntary basis. The size and adequacy of the sample, therefore,
has varied. The Bureau has recently undertaken studies of the re
liability of these canvasses and of the efficiency of different sampling
procedures.
Application to office administration.—The need for verifying all of
the work of certain editing clerks and card-punch operators was
eliminated by the use of sample verification. After high proficiency
was attained by an editing clerk, for example, further verification of
that clerk’s work was done on a sample basis to determine whether the
high standards were maintained. Indications point to substantial
savings in time and money by extensive use of this procedure.
PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE CHANGES

A bill has been introduced in Congress to provide for quinquennial
censuses of manufactures, mineral industries, and business and for
collection of current statistics by the Bureau of the Census. The
quinquennial census here proposed would be taken in years ending
in “3” and “8” and would replace the present biennial census of manu
factures, and the decennial censuses of business and mineral industries.
These inquiries would be removed from the conflux of censuses taken
in years ending in “0”, and the work of the Bureau would be spread
more evenly throughout the 10-year period.
The extension of the authorization for collection of current statistics
would permit the Bureau to extend its services to Government and
business in this field and to place the current reports now obtained on
a more sound and reliable basis.
NATIONAL DEFENSE

The Bureau’s experience in statistical organization and analysis,
its vast store of basic economic and demographic information, and its
specialized personnel and equipment have been placed at the disposal
of the agencies directing national defense. In order to facilitate the
collection, compilation, and early release of vital information, the
Bureau was designated by the Civil Service Commission a national
defense agency.
To effect priorities for collection and processing of statistics needed
for defense purposes, and to provide adequately for consultations
between the Bureau and the various defense agencies requiring sta
tistics, a newly appointed Assistant Director has been charged with
the primary responsibility of planning and facilitating defense activ
ities of the Bureau. A new division was organized to handle special
inquiries and tabulations required. The entire Bureau, however, par
ticipated in preparing reports of information vital to national de
fense. Agencies with which the Bureau cooperated include the Wai
and Navy Departments, the National Defense Advisory Committee,
Office of Production Management, Office for Emergency Management,
Selective Service System, Office of the Housing Coordinator, the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation, the Immigration and Naturalization
Service (Division of Alien Registration), and other Federal agencies
engaged in national defense projects.

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

Priority was given to tabulations of decennial census data most
urgently needed by defense planning agencies, and a number of special
tabulations were also prepared for the use of these agencies. Several
new canvasses were likewise undertaken to furnish information re
quired for the defense program. Finally, the results of special in
quiries of the Office of Production Management, Selective Service
System, and other agencies, were coded and tabulated for those
agencies.
THE SIXTEENTH DECENNIAL CENSUS

The close of this fiscal year represents the halfway mark in the
3-year decennial census period. The first two phases of the censusplanning and enumeration—were substantially completed by the be
ginning of the year. The last two phases—compilation of data and
preparation of final reports—occupied the Bureau during the cur
rent year.
Ali schedules were edited and coded. The punching of cards was
completed for agriculture, business, manufactures, and drainage, and
was substantially completed for population, housing, mineral indus
tries, and irrigation. A large part of the tabulation was also com
pleted for the first group of subjects and was well under wTay for the
last group. Examination and analysis of the results of completed
tabulations were in progress. Preliminary reports were issued for
all major fields for the decennial census and a number of the final
reports were published.
Altogether, schedules covering over 180 million reporting units were
received in the decennial canvass. As the schedules for a census sub
ject are received in the Washington office, they are started on a series
of processes, adapting principles of “assembly line” organization to
the handling of mass statistical data. Information on the schedules
is edited for completeness and for internal consistency, coded to facili
tate tabulation, and transferred to tabulation cards. These punched
cards, which are the basis of the tabulation system, are then fed
through electrically powered machines which sort, count, or tabulate
certain answers according to a tabulation plan. The basic machine
used for the population census, for example, can count 60 items while
cards pass through at the rate of 400 a minute.
During the past year, information from decennial census schedules
was transferred to more than 249 million punched cards. These cards
were sorted and run through tabulating machines the appropriate
number of times to obtain the required results. If every time a card
was run through a machine is counted as a card unit, the work of the
decennial census during the past year involved more than 3 billion
card units.
The totals obtained on the tabulating machines are automatically
printed on result sheets, which are then examined carefully for ma
chine errors. The information is summarized, percentages, ratios, and
similar measures are computed, and tables are prepared for publi
cation.
The most significant basic data are published in a series of brief
advance reports and the detailed tables are presented in the printed
final reports. For the Sixteenth Decennial Census consolidated final

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

volumes now planned, over 60 thousand quarto-size pages will be
required.
By sending the reports of each State separately through this assem
bly line, information becomes available for some States before other
States have gone through the preliminary stages. For the same
reason, some States may be passing through a second or third series
of tabulations before the first series is completed.
POPULATION

General reports.—Preliminary announcements of the population
count were made by the supervisors in the field for counties, places of
10,000 inhabitants or more, and in many cases, for smaller places as
soon as the enumeration of the area was completed. The first local
announcement of this type was made for Odessa, Del., on April 10,
1940. As the schedules were received from the field, the Bureau reannounced, State by State, the preliminary population figures for
counties and places of 10,000 inhabitants or more. Upon completion
of the verified office count, announcements were issued for each State
giving the final population figures for counties, incorporated places,
and minor civil divisions. The final count of the population of the
Nation as of April 1,1940, was announced on December 4, 1940.
A new feature of the Sixteenth Census was the early release of reports
showing population, together with the number of occupied and vacant
dwelling units from the housing census, for each of the 140 metro
politan districts, and for census tracts in each of the 60 tractecl areas.
Another new feature of this census was the early release of prelim
inary reports on such population characteristics as age, sex, color or
race, and employment status. These reports, based upon the 5-percent
sample, preceded the final complete tabulations by many months. .
Mechanical tabulations of the detailed population characteristics for
counties and smaller areas were completed for 1,773 of the 3,098 coun
ties or equivalent subdivisions. Analysis of the results of these tabu
lations and preparation of tables for publication progressed as rapidly
as the tabulations became available.
Fertility study.-—In order to obtain more adequate information on
changes in fertility, information on children born to 2,500,000 women
15 years of age and over is being transcribed from the 1910 Population
Census schedules. This project, sponsored jointly by the Bureau and
the Work Projects Administration in New York City, was almost
completed by the end of the fiscal year.
Apportionment of Representatives in Congress.—The Bureau ful
filled the legislative requirements connected with the apportionment of
Representatives in Congress by transmitting to the Secretary of Com
merce on November 28,1940, a statement showing the final populations
of the various States and the number of Representatives to which each
State would.be entitled according to computations by the methods of
major fractions and of equal proportions. The information was trans
mitted to the President who officially reported on this matter to Con
gress on January 8,1941.
Under present legislation the number of Representatives from each
State in the next Congress will be based on the computations by the

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

method of major fractions, but several bills proposing modifications
have been introduced in Congress. Hearings were held before com
mittees of the Senate and of the House of Representatives at which
technical testimony was given by a Bureau representative.
HOUSING

Housing data were obtained in the same interview as population data
and the schedules of the housing and population censuses were received
in Washington together. After preliminary checks, the two sets of
schedules were separated for editing, coding, and compilation of data.
A hand count of schedules provided preliminary State reports on
the total number of occupied and vacant dwelling units, the last of
which was issued in November 1940. Revised figures based upon a
verification of this count were subsequently released and the last State
report and the United States total were published early in February
1941.
Editing and coding of schedules preparatory to machine tabulation
were greatly facilitated by the use of a precoded schedule, but entries
for individual dwelling units were carefully edited to check the ac
curacy and the consistency of the replies. At the close of this fiscal
year, housing data had been transferred to punch cards for 32 million
of the 37 million dwelling units. Basic tabulations of housing char
acteristics for small areas, which will appear in the first series housing
bulletins, had been completed for 22 million dwelling units. These
tabulations show occupancy and tenure, color of occupants, state of
repair, plumbing equipment, number of persons per room, and similar
information. These data will be shown not only for States, counties,
urban places, and wards, but also for blocks in cities having 50,000 or
more inhabitants in 1930. More detailed tabulations, which will
appear in the second series housing bulletins, were under way. Final
result work preparatory to publication of bulletins kept pace with
tabulations.
A Work Projects Administration project sponsored by the Bureau
of the Census has begun preparation of maps of housing data by blocks
for cities which had 50,000 or more inhabitants in 1930. The subjects
covered are essentially the same as those included in the first series
housing bulletins.
AGRICULTURE

Farm, and ranch.—Office operations of the Census of Agriculture
were completed approximately 2 months in advance of the time sched
ule maintained during the last decennial census. Editing and coding
of the 6,096,799 schedules—one for each farm—were entirely completed
during this fiscal year.
Tabulation of agriculture data was divided into three parts corre
sponding to the three series of State agriculture bulletins planned. In
the first series of such bulletins, information is included on uses of land,
principal crops, and livestock. The second series bulletins will contain
remaining information on the agriculture schedule except that relat
ing to value of farm products. The third series will cover value data
for farm products, including distribution of farms by chief source of
income.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

By the end of the fiscal year the first series bulletins for all States
had been published, final tables for the second series bulletins were
ready for publication for 22 States, and some preliminary reports
had been issued for the third series tabulations.
Irrigation and drainage.—The 1940 Census of Irrigation was con
fined to 20 States in which irrigation is a recognized feature of agri
cultural practice. Florida was included for the first time in 1940, but
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were
covered by this inquiry in both 1920 and 1930.
In the presentation of the results obtained on almost 100,000 sched
ules, extensive statistics on irrigation enterprises will be shown for
the first time by drainage basins. This method of presentation will
make possible the calculation of available water, water use, etc., for
such areas. Maps showing the boundaries of the drainage basins are
being prepared for distribution to users of the reports.
The Census of Drainage provided information on more than 83,000
enterprises in 38 States. The editing and tabulation for these enter
prises was completed and final tables for 10 States were ready for
publication.
m anufactures

Reports of the 184,244 establishments canvassed in the 1939 Census
of Manufacturers were edited, all of the card punching was completed,
and tabulations were well advanced at the close of the fiscal year.
Preliminary reports for each of the 446 industries in which establish
ments were classified were released by January 1941. United States
summaries by industries and by geographic divisions and States were
released in December 1940 and January 1941, respectively. Final
reports by industries will be made available in 65 bulletins before
being combined into a single volume.
Two series of State reports followed the preliminary industry re
ports, one showing the data arranged by industries, the other giving
summary statistics for counties and cities. Reports by industries were
also released for the 33 industrial areas and for cities having 100,000
or more inhabitants.
A report on inventories in the hands of manufacturers at the be
ginning and end of 1939 for industry groups and for individual indus
tries was also published. Information on expenditures for plant and
equipment was obtained for the first time in this census and is reported
by industries and States. Statistics on power were compiled for the
first time since 1929. These data were published for industry groups,
individual industries, geographic divisions and States, and are being
compiled for the 33 industrial areas.
BUSINESS

The editing, coding, and basic tabulations of more than 3 million
schedules were completed at the end of the fiscal year for almost all
phases of the Census of Business. United States summaries by kinds
of business were issued for Retail Trade and Wholesale Trade in
December 1940; for Service Establishments and Places of Amuse
ment in February 1941; and for Hotels and Tourist Camps and

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

Courts in April 1941. The early dates of these releases were made
possible by so planning the work that schedules were edited and coded
as rapidly as they were received in the Washington office.
By April 1941 all State reports were issued for Ketail Trade,
Wholesale Trade, and Service Establishments. These reports pre
sented basic data pertaining to number of stores or establishments,
volume of business, personnel, and pay roll by kinds of business
classification for States, counties, and cities.
A number of reports are planned to give detailed statistics on par
ticular aspects of these fields of business. The type of operation re
port for Retail Trade has already been issued and presents data by
kinds of business for chain stores, independents, and other types of
operations. Commodity sales data for retail stores will be published
in a series of 13 separate reports according to kinds of business classi
fications and groups, three of which have been completed. Other
reports completed or nearing completion include employment statis
tics by broad occupational groups for retail trade, operating expense
data for wholesale trade, employment and pay-roll reports, and size
of business reports for retail trade, wholesale trade, and service
establishments.
State reports for the construction industry were completed shortly
after the close of the fiscal year.
Sales finance companies were included for the first time in the
Business Census of 1939. The report on this phase of the census,
issued in October 1940, presents data showing the purchases, holdings,
employees, and pay rolls of sales finance companies engaged exclu
sively or mainly in purchasing and holding installment paper arising
from sales to consumers of motor vehicles and consumer goods of all
kinds. It is supplemented by data on bank holdings of similar paper.
Reports on the “Distribution of Manufacturers’ Sales” are being
issued by industries, 21 preliminary releases covering 33 industries
having been made available before the end of the fiscal year. The
information on which these studies are based was gathered as part
of the Census of Manufactures, but the data were compiled and
published with the reports of the Census of Business.
MINERAL INDUSTRIES

Advance results of the 1939 Census of Mineral Industries, which
marks 100 years of Census effort in gathering data in the field of
mining, have been of special interest in the light of the current de
fense program. This census provided much new information on
mining enterprises, such as itemized data on production, man-hours,
and man-shifts worked in each mining department, the extent of
multiple-shift operations, and information on capital outlays, power
equipment, and on certain varieties of mining machinery. These
figures throw light on the ability of the Nation to produce the in
creased quantities of minerals needed not only to meet the require
ments of expanding manufacture for civilian consumption but also
to supply the primary needs of modern warfare for both mechanized
equipment and motor fuel.
Besides the production of regular Census data useful for defense
purposes, mineral experts of the Census Bureau assisted the Office

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

of Production Management in connection with work related to the
priority control placed over virtually all metals. Further assistance
was given in connection with a proposed survey of metal consump
tion and stocks for which the Census Bureau would act as the col
lecting agent.
Schedules for the 80 industries covered by the mineral-industries
census were edited, coded, and tabulations were either completed or in
process of completion at the end of the year, and IT advance industry
reports had been issued. The advance industry reports have been
greatly enlarged and include tables presenting in formation not re
ported in previous censuses.
The survey of the bituminous-coal industry, conducted as a co
operative effort of the Bituminous Coal Division of the Interior
Department and the Bureau of the Census, combined the facilities
of both agencies to promote economy and efficiency in collecting sta
tistics. Early preparation of a relatively complete advance statis
tical report on bituminous coal is planned.
TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS

By the close of the fiscal year, all the reviewing, editing, and cod
ing of the returns from the Territories and possessions for popula
tion, agriculture, manufactures, and business were completed and
work on the housing schedules was in progress. Preliminary reports
on population, manufactures, and housing for all areas in which
these inquiries were made, together with a preliminary report on
agriculture in the Virgin Islands, were issued. Final reports were
published on population and agriculture in Guam and American
Samoa. Information for outlying areas will be published in the
appropriate subject volumes of the Sixteenth Census.
INQUIRIES OTHER THAN THE SIXTEENTH DECENNIAL CENSUS

The regular intercensal work of the Bureau of the Census is being
continued throughout the decennial census period without curtail
ment, and, in many cases, has been expanded to meet the current
statistical requirements of the emergency period. A constant effort
has been made to integrate the results of intercensal projects with the
broader economic and social picture presented by the decennial
census.
VITAL STATISTICS

Birth and death statistics.—Continued improvement and extension
of the basic vital statistics data, so that they will be of maximum
value to persons interested in public health and demographic statis
tics, have resulted in numerous developments in the tabulation and
publication of mortality and natality statistics. Especially im
portant are the more extended analytical presentations of material
m a series of special reports, and the extension of tabulations of births
and deaths by place of residence as well as by place of occurrence.
An expanded program of tabulation and analysis is in progress for
the years 1939 through 1941, so that many studies can be made which
are dependent on comparable population data from the decennial
census. Accurate and detailed birth and death rates, for example,

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

can be computed only for periods for which adequate population
data are available.
Work was continued on the matching of infant cards obtained at
the time of the Sixteenth Census population enumeration for each
child born between December 1, 1939, and April 1, 1940, with the
registered births and infant deaths. This project provides for the
first time a simultaneous and consistent test of the registration of
births in every county of every State. The facts that are being
revealed by the birth registration test project indicate that many
States will require technical assistance in obtaining complete birth
registration. When completed, the project will enable the Bureau
to assist the State vital-statistics offices in directing their work toward
improved birth registration in specific areas shown to be deficient.
It will also permit corrections for deficiencies in birth reporting and
thus make possible the more effective use of birth statistics.
Delayed registration of births.—The Bureau of the Census co
operated with representatives of other Federal agencies and State
registrars in developing a standardized procedure for delayed reg
istration of births. Approximately 60 million persons in the United
States are now unable to obtain birth certificates. . Since so many
rights and privileges are dependent upon the proof of age, citizen
ship, and other facts of birth, there has been wide demand for some
method by which such proofs can be filed where no original regis
tration of birth was made.
The procedure recommended was approved by the Conference of
Vital Statistics. Registration Officials and by the Conference of State
and Provincial Health Authorities of North America. Adoption of
this procedure is now under consideration in many States. It pro
vides for submission to the proper State official of evidence as to the
age, birthplace, and parentage of the person being registered. Docu
ments which may be used as evidence include such records as those
of churches, schools, physicians, hospitals. State, local and Federal
censuses, and similar documents.. This evidence will be investigated
and, if satisfactory, a delayed certificate of birth, which will list the
supporting evidence, will be issued.
Marriage and divorce statistics.—The collection of marriage and
divorce data for the years 1939 and 1940 was nearly completed at the
end of the fiscal year. These data, like birth and death records, are
collected by paying for transcripts from the vital-statistics bureaus
of the States. They are being collected only for those States in which
adequate records of these events are filed centrally.
In addition to social and economic studies of the family, marriage
and divorce statistics are used for analyses of population trends, in
vestigations concerning changing birth rates, estimates of housing
requirements, and other studies. There is great demand, therefore,
for information regarding age, residence, occupation, and other char
acteristics of persons being married or divorced, as well as for a
simple count of these events.
A count of the number of marriages and divorces and tabulations
of- some additional information from court records concerning
divorces were made by the Bureau prior to 1933. The collection was
discontinued at that time as an economy measure. The Census Ad
visory Committee has recommended the establishment of permanent

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

registration areas for marriage and divorce and the continuance of
the collection of these statistics on an annual basis.
Institutional statistics.—The regular annual publications issued
during the past year include Prisoners, 1938; Judicial Criminal Sta
tistics, 1939; and Patients in Mental Institutions, 1938. The lastnamed publication represents a consolidation of the reports issued in
previous years under the titles Patients in Hospitals for Mental
Disease, and Mental Defectives and Epileptics in Institutions, and
contains an additional section of combined data covering mentally
defective and epileptic patients wherever housed. The 1939 report
on mental patients is being expanded considerably. Resident patient
data have been gathered for the first time since 1933 and detailed
tabulations on causes of deaths as related to mental diagnoses and
other variables will be included.
A special report on terms served in lieu of payment of fine was
issued covering prisoners in the Baltimore City and District of
Columbia jails.
A hospital study was undertaken in 1940 in an attempt to make
complete the list maintained for the purpose of tabulating deaths in
institutions. About 18,000 institutions were found under about 30,000
name variations. From the questionnaires sent these institutions it
has been possible to prepare a nearly complete list of all hospitals in
the United States, with data on their facilities and services.
Plans are now being made for the decennial enumeration of the
dependent, defective, and delinquent classes authorized by statute of
1906 and last taken in 1933.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT STATISTICS

Finances.—Annual reports on financial statistics of States and of
cities are now issued in three volumes. The first volume is a series
of reports for the individual States and cities covered. The second
volume includes summary, functional, or analytical reports, and the
third volume is a handbook of comprehensive tables.
Individual reports for 1939 were released for 17 States and for 14
cities. In the 1939 reports for cities, the financial transactions of
housing authorities are included for the first time.
A study was made of the total public indebtedness of State and
local governments as of June 30, 1940. The report was based on a
complete canvass of the larger governmental units—the 48 States, all
cities having more than 30,000 population, all counties over 50,000
population, and all large special districts and authorities. The
smaller units were covered on a sample basis. The estimate of State
and local interest-bearing debt was published in the Treasury Depart
ment Bulletin for December 1940.
The second annual survey of State tax collections was made during
the year. An estimate of the total amount of Federal, State, and
local taxation in the United States in 1940 was included in the final
report.
Employment and pay rolls.—Each quarter since its inauguration
last year the data of the quarterly employment survey have been pub
lished in 10 separate releases, which include a general summary and

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

reports for States, five population groups of cities, two population
groups of counties, and townships. Indexes of trends of employment
and pay rolls of State and local governments by type and size are
included in these reports, as well as figures for each reporting govern
mental unit. Reports on functional distribution of employment and
pay rolls have also been published. Sufficient returns have now been
received to estimate for each State the total amount of pay rolls, sepa
rated according to type of governmental unit and population size in
1940.
Election proposals:—The usual analyses by subject, type of measure,
and votes were included in the annual reports on State and city pro
posals voted upon in elections. The report on State proposals in
cluded, in addition, a short statement of each question approved by the
voters.
Municipal Reference Service,—The Municipal Reference Service
now includes over 24,000 books and pamphlets and approximately 5,000
pieces of documentary and reference material on the 48 States, on cities
having populations greater than 50,000, and on a selected group of
counties. The growing demand on the resources of this collection was
evidenced by a 72-percent increase in material lent to Federal,-State,
and local officials, as well as to private research agencies, over the
preceding year.
Decennial inquiry.—Preliminary planning for the decennial inquiry,
“Wealth, Public Debt, and Taxation,” has been started. Taken decen
nially in the years ending in “2,” this survey covers all political units
which have the power to levy taxes or incur debt. The 1932 survey
covered 182,651 such units.
COTTON AND OILS

The quinquennial report on cotton ginning machinery and equip
ment for 1940 was completed during the past year, and preliminary
releases were made available by counties. A final report is in prepa
ration.
Publication was continued of the regular semimonthly, monthly, and
quarterly reports. During the year the current reporting service in
this field was expanded to include two new monthly reports : Consump
tion of raw cotton by 12 different classes of manufactured products in
which cotton was used and the production and stocks of cotton linters
by type of cut. Heretofore information on linters was obtained and
published annually at the close of the season, but this information is
now obtained monthly because of the importance of linters in the
manufacture of munitions.
The various reports issued throughout the year are summarized m
three annual bulletins : (1) Cotton Production in the United States by
Crop Years, (2) Cotton Production and Distribution, and (3) Animal
and Vegetable Fats and Oils.
CURRENT MANUFACTURES AND BUSINESS REPORTS

In order to advance the release of reports on manufacturing indus
tries closely related to national defense, a number of current manu
factures reports were temporarily suspended. Several trade associa-

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

lions immediately arranged at their own expense for the tabulation by
the Bureau of reports affecting their industries. At the close of the
fiscal year many of the reports had been resumed. Manufactures re
ports on 49 industries or commodities are now being published, 36 of
these on a monthly basis, 8 quarterly, and 5 annually.
Monthly reports are published on trends in sales of independent
retailers by kinds of business for 6 cities* and by city-size groups for
each of 34 States. Merchandise stocks of retailers were surveyed to
investigate the feasibility of collecting monthly inventory information
for retail trade in addition to the regular annual report. Over 40
thousand retail merchants cooperate in making these reports.
Approximately 4,000 wholesalers cooperate in a monthly survey
which provides information on trends in sales, inventories, and credit
experiences for a representative sample of wholesalers from all parts of
the United States. The data are shown for as many as 36 kinds of
business, by geographic regions.
RELIGIOUS BODIES

The remainder of the denomination bulletins were issued during the
year and the entire series was combined with a United States summary
in Volume II of the 1936 Census of Religious Bodies. This report in
cludes data on membership, financial and other statistics, together
with the history, doctrine, organization, and work of 256 denomina
tions. The first volume of the report, presenting statistics by subjects,
is in process of printing.
LIFE TABLES

Preliminary life tables for the decade 1930-39 for white and non
white males and females were prepared during the past year. The
tables reflect the average mortality experience during the decade.
Preliminary tables for the entire United States were made possible
at such an early date by the completion of the vital statistics registra
tion areas early in the decade and by the preliminary tabulation of
the age, sex, and race distribution of the population from the 5-per
cent sample of the decennial population census returns.
The development and extension of tabulations of births and deaths
by place of residence also have made possible, for the first time, the
computation now in progress of separate life tables for the rural and
urban populations, and for large cities. Abridged life tables for the
nine geographic divisions are also in preparation.
GEOGRAPHY

A 3-year project, financed in part by W. P. A. funds, remeasuring
the area of all minor civil divisions on the best maps available ivas
brought to the final stage of completion this year. These area data
will be presented in tabular form, accompanied by minor civil divi
sion State outline maps. This project represents a distinctive geo
graphic contribution inasmuch as it is the first basic remeasurement
of the United States since that prepared for the Tenth. Decennial Cen
sus of 1880, and was made possible at this time by greatly improved
maps. Maps, graphs, and charts were prepared for Census publica
tions, for exhibits, and for other agencies.

BXJKEAIT OF THE CENSUS.

p o p u l a t io n e s t im a t e s a n d l o c a l c e n s u s e s

To meet the demand for improved and more extensive estimates of
the population in intercensal years, the Bureau has collected much
basic material and is investigating new methods of preparing popula
tion estimates. Revised preliminary population estimates for the
United States, Territories and possessions, States, and cities of 100,000
or more inhabitants have been issued for the years 1930 to 1939, as
well as preliminary estimates of the population of the United States
as of May 1, June 1, and July 1,1940. Estimates of the male popula
tion 21 to 35 years of age for States, and for cities of 100,000 or more
inhabitants were prepared during the year at the request of the
Selective Service System.
Special local population censuses were taken during the year at the
request of five communities: Chesterfield town, Cheshire County,
N. H .; Johnsonburg borough, Elk County, Pa.; Jenner township,
Somerset County, P a.; Cass township, Schuylkill County, P a.; and
Cambria township, Cambria County, Pa. All expenses of these
censuses were met by the respective, communities.
NEGRO STATISTICS

Statistics on Negroes are assembled from different inquiries and
censuses for presentation and analysis as a service to the public.
During the year several special reports were prepared. Plans are
now being formulated for an extensive report on Negroes in the
United States, 1930-40.
DIRECT RELATIONSHIPS W IT H THE PUBLIC

To an ever-increasing extent the Bureau of the Census is being
called upon by Federal agencies, by businessmen, by social agencies,
and by research workers to furnish basic facts for all types of activity.
In order to perform its functions efficiently, the Bureau must be
constantly aware of administrative and research problems in a wide
variety of fields. Keeping constantly in touch with the statistical
needs of the public is an essential function of the Bureau.
ADVISORS TO THE BUREAU

Outside guidance to the Bureau is epitomized in the general Census
Advisory Committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the
American Statistical Association. This committee is composed of
men of broad experience and interests who are at the same time highly
trained in specialized fields comparable to the Bureau’s major fields
of inquiry. During the past year the committee met three times, and
individual members were consulted from time to time throughout the
period.
At the close of the year, Dr. William F. Ogburn, of the University
of Chicago, was designated chairman to succeed the late Dr. Chaddock; and Dr. Luther Gulick of the Institute of Public Administra
tion and Prof. Frederick F. Stephan, of Cornell University were
appointed members. Other members are Dr. Murray R. Benedict, of
the University of California; Paul T. Cherington, of McKinsey and
Company; Dr. J. Frederic Dewhurst, of the Twentieth Century
427433— 42------------7

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Fund; and Dr. Willard L. Thorp, of the Associated Gas and Electric
Corporation.
Permanent advisory committees in the specific fields of vital statis
tics and State and local government, and the advisory committee on
housing have also given generously of their time. Numerous special
ists in other fields have been called upon individually or as temporary
committees to advise the Bureau technicians in matters within their
experience.
DISTRIBUTION OF REPORTS

Almost a half million copies of Census publications were mailed
out during the year. An analysis of general requests for Census
publications during a 6-month period gives the following rough
indication of the relative frequency of different sources of requests:
Source of request:
Business (firms, associations, journals, etc.)_________________________ 28
Government agencies______________________________________________ 21
Teachers and students_____________________________________________ 1 4
Journalists and publishers other than business______________________ 9
School and public libraries_________________________________________ 7
Miscellaneous associations and individuals___________________________ 21
in q u ir ie s

Service was given to all newspaper wire services, 1,900 daily news
papers, several thousand weekly newspapers, and more than 900
magazines, trade journals, and agricultural publications.
SEARCHES OF CENSUS RECORDS

During the last fiscal year 339 thousand certificates were sent to
applicants seeking proof of their age, place of birth, and related in
formation. Over 73,500 additional cases were on hand at the end of
the year awaiting action. The number of these searches was larger
than in any preceding 12-month period.
Of these searches, 221 thousand were made during the last 6 months
of the fiscal year. This increased demand is due to the fact that late
in the year 1940 industrial organizations engaged in defense produc
tion began to require applicants for positions to prove American
citizenship and often age as well. Many persons whose births were
not registered requested the Bureau of the Census to certify returns
made for them at earlier census periods. Approximately three-fourths
of the requests are from persons employed or seeking employment in
national-defense projects and one-fourth from persons qualifying
under the provisions of the Social Security Act.
The completion during the past year of a card index based on the
returns for families enumerated in the 1880 Census in which there
were children 10 years of age or younger will help somewhat in this
work. Bequests are being received currently at the rate of 650,000
per year, however, and there are definite indications that the number
of requests will increase further since proof of citizenship and of age
are becoming more widely required in defense and welfare procedures.
RELEASE OF UNPUBLISHED DATA

Much greater detail is often tabulated than can be included in the
published reports of the Bureau of the Census. Such detail, though

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

55-

required by the Bureau for efficient and accurate compilation of its
published statistics, would not have sufficiently wide use to warrant
the cost of publication. The complete tabulations, however, are often
of particular value to persons conducting intensive research about a
specific area or subject, and are made available to such persons at
the cost of photostating or transcription. This service is, of course,,
limited by the legal restrictions on the disclosure of individual
reports.
In the past, the extent to which this service was utilized was limited
because of a lack of knowledge on the part of potential users as to
what is available in this form. As a step in overcoming this lack, the
Bureau has prepared and distributed a “Ivey to the Published and
Tabulated Data for Small Areas.” This publication presents in tabu
lar form, a guide to the information tabulated for the Sixteenth De
cennial Census for counties and smaller areas and indicates the data
which will appear in published form.
SPECIAL TABULATIONS

A number of special compilations have been made for other Federal
agencies and nongovernmental organizations. The most important of
these tabulations have been made in connection with national-defense
activities, discussed earlier. Several others were made at cost for
business firms, research organizations, and local planning agencies.
CONFERENCES

The Second National Conference of Vital Statistics Registration
Officials, attended by more than 60 State and city registrars and health
officers, was held in Washington, D. C., in March 1941, under Bureau
sponsorship, to discuss problems of keeping vital statistics abreast of
developments and serving the needs of national health, welfare, and
defense programs. Bureau officials have been active in the organiza
tion and development of the Inter-American Statistical Institute.
The personnel of the Bureau have attended numerous scientific and
technical meetings, contributed papers, and participated in discussions
of technical problems.
PAN-AMERICAN AND OTHER FOREIGN RELATIONSHIPS

An official of the Bureau spent nearly a year serving as a technical
consultant in Uruguay and other South American countries, assisting
in the development of vital-statistics reporting and services. Another
official was recently loaned to the Panamanian Government to serve
as a consultant on governmental statistical procedures. The Bureau
is in constant touch with the statistical offices of these and other
American Republics.
A program of fellowship training and of consulting field work
throughout South America is being developed in cooperation with the
Pan-American Sanitary Bureau.
Among the visitors from outside the continental United States who
paid extended visits to the Bureau to study Census methodology were

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

officials and students from Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, Brazil,
Canada, China, Thailand, and Turkey.
GENERAL AD M IN ISTR A TIV E SERVICES

Specialized groups within the Bureau contribute to the effective con
duct of all the activities mentioned in this report. The participation
of these groups in the Bureau’s operations is outlined below.
FIELD OPERATIONS

Collection of data in the field, and all activities that involve work
away from the Washington office, are under the supervision of the
Field Service Division.
The field work of the Decennial Census was brought to a close early
in the fiscal year, but checking and verification of returns extended
operations for several months.
The field work for the Censuses of Population, Housing, Agriculture,
Drainage and Irrigation was completed by the close of August 1940,
and the field work for the Censuses of Business, Manufacturing, and
Mines and Quarries was also completed except for a few concerns in
New York City and Chicago, whose reports were received in October.
The enumerations for the Censuses of Hawaii, Puerto Pico, and the
Virgin Islands were completed in July 1940, and for the Census of
Alaska in November 1940.
The final administrative reports of district and area supervisors
are now being analyzed to determine sources of difficulties encountered
in this census with a view to improving future canvasses. Field per
sonnel are currently engaged in collecting information for continuing
inquiries and in advising persons outside the Bureau who assist in the
collection of data used by the Bureau.
M ACHINE TABULATION

The punching of cards and the tabulation of information from these
punched cards are centralized for all Census subject fields. This
branch of the work was the largest of all services during the past year.
At the peak of operations 4,626 persons were employed on this work
and over 2,100 pieces of punching and tabulating equipment were used.
During the year more than 260 million cards were punched and the
work involved about 3.5 billion card units.
STATISTICAL RESEARCH

Technical and administrative studies of a general nature which apply
to more than one subject-matter field, the evaluation of census findings
and their application to special problems, the preparation of technical
reports and interdivisional compilations, are the responsibility of a
centralized technical staff.
INFORMATION AND PUBLICATIONS

Public relations, the printing of publications, and the distribution
of census information and publications to the general public, are com
bined under the same administrative supervision.

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

geog raphy

Geographic planning, problems in geographic coding and allocation,
and the preparation of graphic material for Census reports and ex
hibits, are primarily under the supervision of the Geographer of the
Census.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE

Employment of personnel, financial control, purchase of supplies and
their distribution, acquisition of space, building and maintenance of
equipment, indexing and distribution of mail, and photographic, pho
tostat, and microfilm service are centralized under the Chief of the
Administrative Service Division.
PERSONNEL

The peak number of persons employed in the Bureau during the
decennial census period was reached during December 1940. On Jan
uary 1, 1941, a total of 9,987 employees were engaged on the work of
the Bureau in Washington, 91.7 percent of whom were employed only
for the census period.
The following table shows the number of employees on J une 30,1941,
and the number of appointments and separations during the fiscal year
ending on that date.
Personnel, June 30, 19-bl, and appointments and separations, fiscal year 19Jfl
Bureau Washington
office
total
8,671
7,769
1,620
795
7,051
6,974
9,415
7,867
125
28
7,839
9,290
13,431
5, 225
1,204
5,711
198
105
Expirations of appointments-----------------------------------------2,585
2,585
1,272
4,87121
21
24
17
21
21

Field
902
i 825
77
1, 548
97
1,451
8, 206
4,517
93
3,599
7

i Includes special agents for cotton and for vital statistics.

This table, however, does not give a complete picture of persons
employed in the field on work for the Sixteenth Decennial Census.
Only temporary supervisory and clerical employees of field adminis
trative offices (including squad leaders and interpreters), all of whom
were appointed from Washington, are included. On June 30, 1940,
there were 6,659 persons employed in this category ; 1,329 appointments
were made during the fiscal year 1940-41 ; and the entire 7,988 either
had been terminated or had resigned by June 30,1941.
All of the 532 district offices were closed by August 31,1940, and all
of the 105 area offices by October 26,1940.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

In addition, there were a total of 123,0691 persons employed as
enumerators for the Decennial Census. Only 932 of these remained
on the rolls on June 30, 1940, and all were separated before November
1940.
In addition to the number of employees shown in the table, 2,549
temporary special agents (252 in the Washington office, and 2,297
outside of Washington) appointed for limited periods at $1 per
annum, or without compensation (employees of other Government
services) were on the rolls on June 30. Of this number, 105 special
agents without compensation were employed on W. P. A. projects
in the Washington office, and 1,260 in New York City, on projects
sponsored by the Bureau. There were 361 appointments of special
agents at $1 per annum, or without compensation, made during the
fiscal year in the Washington office, and 2,533 outside of Washington,
and 584 and 3,154 separations, respectively, in this group.
APPROPRIATIONS

For the work of the Bureau during the past year, $18,058,480 was
made available. Of this amount, $17,850,000 was appropriated for
the regular work of the Bureau, $110,000 was allotted the Bureau
for work under the Social Security Act, $77,230 was allotted or trans
ferred from other Federal agencies for special work, and $21,250 was
paid by nongovernmental agencies for special work. The following
table shows the appropriations by purpose and source.
Appropriations and other funds made available to the Bureau of the Census,
by source, fiscal year ended June 30, 19J/1
Purpose

Total

Source of funds
or Non
Bureau Allotted
transferred
appropria
from
other
tions
Federal govern
mental
agencies

All Bureau work... __________________ $18,058,480 $17,960,000
Regular salaries and expenses:
Salaries and expenses, Social Security Act__ ___ 17,850,000
110,000 17,850,000
Emergency fund for the President, War_____
75,000 110,000
21,2,230
250
Work for outside organizations or individuals ___L

$77, 230

$21,250

75,000
2,230

21,250

'T h is figure includes 170 persons employed as enumerators on the Special Population
^Census of St. Joseph and Marshall Counties, Indiana, during August 1939.

PUBLICATIONS

The following lists present (1) the current periodic publications of
the Bureau, (2) special reports published during the year, and (3)
the tentative list of Sixteenth Decennial Census final bound volumes.
A definitive list of Decennial Census volumes will not be finally
.approved until next year.
CURRENT PERIODIC PUBEICATIONS
Cotton Production and Distribution by
ANNUAL
Seasons.
Business : Retail Inventories.
Animal
and Vegetable Fats and Oils.
«Cotton and Oils :
Manufactures :
Cotton Production in the United States by Clay Products, Non clay Refractories, and
Crop Years.
Sand-Lime Brick.

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS

Cotton and Oils :
Manufactures— Continued.
Cotton Ginned (12 Specified Dates).
Paper and Paperboard.
Pulpwood Consumption and Woodpulp Cotton and Linters Consumed and Stocks
Held at Consuming Establishments and
Production.
in Storage.
Lumber, Lath, and Shingles.
Cottonseed Crushed and Products Manu
Farm Machinery and Equipment.
factured and Stocks.
Negro Statistics:
Convention Dates of Negro Organizations. Activity in the Cotton Spinning Industry.
Consumption
of Raw Cotton by Classes of
Negro Aviators.
Products.
Negro Newspapers and Periodicals in the Manufactures:
United States.
Asphalt Prepared Roofing.
State and Local Governments :
Financial Statistics of States, Vols. I, II, Automobiles.
Automobile Financing.
and III.
Financial Statistics of Cities, Vols. I, II, Boots. Shoes, and Slippers (Other than
Rubber).
and III.
Cellulose Plastic Products.
State and Local Government Debt.
Commercial Steel Castings.
State Tax Collections.
Cotton, Leather, and Allied Garments, and
Proposals Voted Upon in State Elections.
Proposals Voted Upon in City Elections.
Uniforms Cut.
Domestic Pumps and Water Systems and
Vital Statistics and Institution Reports:
Windmills.
Vital Statistics, Pts. I and II.
Floor and Wall Tile.
Vital Statistics, Special Reports.
Prisoners in State and Federal Prisons and Galvanized Range Boilers and Tanks for
Hot Water Heaters.
Reformatories.
Leather Gloves and Mittens.
Patients in Mental Institutions.
Malleable Iron Castings.
Judicial Criminal Statistics.
General: Statistical Abstract of the United Mechanical Stokers.
Men’s, Youths’, and Boys’ Clothing, and
States.
Uniforms Cut.
QUARTERLY
Methanol.
Oil Burners.
Business : Canned Food Stocks.
Paint. Varnish, Lacquer, and Fillers.
Cotton and O ils:
Paperboard.
Animal and Vegetable Fats and Oils.
Plastic Paints, Cold Water Paints, and
Oils Subject toi Sulphonation.
Calcimines.
Manufactures:
Blowers. Fans, Unit Heaters, and Accessory Porcelain Enameled Products.
Public Merchandise Warehousing.
Equipment.
Pulverizers for Pulverized Fuel Installa
Edible Gelatin.
tions.
Electrical Goods.
Electric (Mining and Industrial) Locomo Pyroxylin-coated Woven Cotton Fabrics.
Railroad
Locomotives.
tives.
Red-Cedar Shingles.
Lacquers.
Warm Air Furnaces, Winter Air-Condition Steel Barrels arid Drums.
Steel Boilers.
ing Systems, and Accessory Equipment.
Steel Office Furniture, Shelving and Lock
Wheat and Wheat-Flour Stocks.
ers, and Fire-Resistive Safe Industry
Wool Stocks.
Products.
State and Local Governments : Employment Structural
Clay Products.
Survey of Personnel and Payroll in
Sulphuric Acid.
State and Local Governments.
Superphosphates.
Underwear, Knit Cloth and K nit Fabric
MONTHLY OR MORE FREQUENTLY
Gloves.
Wheat
Ground and Wheat-Milling Products.
Business:
Antifriction Bearing Metals.
Retail Sales of Independent Stores. (Re White-base
Consumption.
ports for each of 34 States, 6 Cities, and Wool
Wool Machinery Activity.
a summary.)
Wholesalers’ Sales. Inventories. Stocks, Vital
S tatistics:
Motor
Vehicle Accident Deaths (Weekly).v
Collections and Accounts Receivable.
Mortality Index.
Confectioners’ and Competitive Chocolate Weekly
Monthly Vital Statistics Bulletin.
Products— Manufacturers’ Sales and
Registrar.
Credits.
Illuminating Glassware—Manufacturers’
Sales and Credits.
SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS
the Published and Tabulated Data for
Census of Religious Bodies, 1936 (Decennial), Key to
Small Areas, Sixteenth Decennial Census
Vol. II, Pts. I and II, Denominations.
International List of Causes of Death, 1939. Maps(Preliminary).
of Selected Industries Reported at the
Census of Manufactures, 1937.
SIXTEENTH DECENNIAL CENSUS FINAL BOUND VOLUMES
(Tentative list as of July 1, 1941)
Business— Continued.
Agriculture :
Trade.
Vol. I : Series 1 and 2 and U. S. Summary. Vol. I l l : Retail
Distribution.
Vol. II : Value of Products by Counties Wholesale
Service
Businesses.
and U. S. Summary.
Construction Industry.
Vol. I ll : Summary volume, Statistics by Geography:
Subjects.
Areas and Population Densities of Counties
Irrigation.
by Minor Civil Divisions.
Drainage.
Metropolitan District Report.
Business :
Statistical
Atlas of the United States.
Vol. I : Retail Trade.
Industrial Atlas of the United States.
Vol. II : Retail Trade.

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Housing :
Population:
Vol. I : Special Volumes.
Vol. I : Number of Inhabitants.
Vol. II : Characteristics of Residential Vol. I I : Composition and Characteristics.
Structures, etc.
Vol. I l l : General Report by Subjects.
Vol. I ll : General Report by Subjects.
Vol. IV : The Labor Force.
Vol. IV : Mortgage, etc.
Vol. V : The Labor Force.
Vol. V : Family Housing Statistics.
Vol. V I: Internal Migration.
Vol. VI : Metropolitan Districts.
Vol. V I I : Families.
Manufactures :
Vol. V III: Metropolitan Districts.
Vol. I : General Summary State and City Vol. IX : Tract City Tabulations.
Reports.
Vol. X : Tract City Summary Report.
Vol. II : Industry Reports.
Vol. X I : Supplementary Returns.
Mineral Industries : Census of Mineral In Summary of all Sixteenth Census subjects
dustries, 1939.
Abstract of the Sixteenth Census.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
GENERAL ACTIVITIES

Finances and personnel.—The Bureau’s appropriation for 1941
was $2,037,500. In addition, $100,000 was provided for enlarging
the optical glass plant, and $21,000 for fencing the Bureau’s prop
erty and for employing additional guards. The sum of $24,500
was allotted for travel and $41,750 for printing and binding from
the funds of the Department of Commerce.
The purchase of “Pembroke Park,” a tract of 12.5 acres adjoining
the Bureau’s property on the west and north, was consummated,
thus rounding out the site which now comprises 67.8 acres. The
dwelling house has been altered to adapt it for office purposes, and
the Division of Trade Standards will soon occupy these quarters,
thus relieving congestion in other buildings. Preliminary plans for
a new materials testing laboratory to be erected on the site have
been prepared.
The regular staff (including temporary employees) at the close
of the year numbered 1,204, an increase of 222 as compared with
June 30, 1940. Eighty research associates stationed at the Bureau
by national engineering societies and trade associations are working
on problems of mutual interest to the Government and industry.
Testing.—One of the most important services which the Bureau
renders is the testing of supplies (other than food and drugs) pur
chased by the Government, and the calibration of instruments and
working standards for private individuals and_ firms. This basic
work shows a 10-percent increase over the preceding ye ary
Publications.—During the year 191 printed publications1 were
issued in the Bureau’s own series and 120 articles were published
by members of the staff in scientific journals and books. Fifty-four
mimeographed letter circulars were prepared and distributed on
request. The Bureau has acted as sponsor and as the distributing
agency for the series of mathematical tables prepared under the
technical direction of Dr. A. M. Lowan by the Work Projects Ad
ministration. Seven of these tables are now available.
Visiting committee.—This committee is made up of: Gano Dunn,
chairman of the J. G. White Engineering Corporation; Dr. Frank
B. Jewett, president of the Bell Telephone Laboratories; Dr. Carl
T. Compton, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technol
ogy; Dr. William B. Coolidge, director of the research laboratory
of'the General Electric Co.; and Morris E. Leeds, president of the
Leeds & Northrop Co. Dr. Jewett, whose term expired on June
iOn theof following
pages a letterRPandrefers
a number
parentheses
the Journal
series and
number
Bureau publications.
to a inresearch
paneridentify
from the
or
Research of the National Bureau of Standards : C, Circular ; BMS, Building Materials
and Structures : II, Handbook ; R, Simplified Practice Recommendation ; CS, Commercial
Standard ; and LC, Letter Circular.
61

REPORT OR THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

30, 1940, was reappointed by the Secretary of Commerce for another
5 years. The advice of the committee has been of great value in
mapping out the Bureau’s research program and in planning for
probable future requirements.
International action on electrical and 'photometric units.—Because
of unsettled world conditions, no progress has been made toward the
international adoption of the new units of electricity and light. How
ever, in order not to lose the benefits of data already obtained, the
Bureau is continuing its determinations of the absolute values of the
electrical units. This program will soon be completed and the projects
will then be laid aside until international negotations can be resumed.
Thirty-First National Conference on Weights and Measures.-—This
conference, held June 3 to 6, inclusive, was attended by 251 members
and guests from 28 States and the District of Columbia. The most
important action of the conference was the endorsement of proposed
Federal legislation for food-package standardization which would
make mandatory in retail sale the use of packages conforming to cer
tain prescribed units. This is in complete accord with long established
weights and measures principles. The conference likewise recorded its
approval of a bill now pending in Congress concerning the use of net
weights in interstate and foreign transactions in cotton and made sev
eral changes in its recommended specifications and tolerance for weigh
ing and measuring devices and in its regulations for the sale of 16 dif
ferent classes of commodities.
Conference of public-utility engineers.—Twenty-one States, the Dis
trict of Columbia, and the Philippines were represented by 38 dele
gates at the nineteenth annual conference of State Utilities Commission
Engineers which was held at the Bureau on May 13, 14, and 15. In
addition, three Federal Commissions sent 16 representatives. Thirteen
technical papers were presented and discussed. The conference voted
to invite Federal engineers to participate in next year’s meeting on the
same basis as engineers from the States.
Interdepartmental Screw Thread Committee.—This committee has
held three meetings and has revised the report issued in 1939 (H25) to
provide more fully for the needs of the Federal Government and to
bring the screw-thread standards into agreement with current indus
trial practice. The committee has had the full cooperation of its liaison
members, representing the screw-thread industry, several engineering
groups, and sectional committees engaged in the standardization of
threaded products.
_American Gage Design Committee.—The revised and enlarged edi
tion of the publication on gage blanks prepared by this committee has
been issued as Commercial Standard CS8-41. As compared with the
original edition of 1933, it contains new standards for thread-setting
plug gages, taper-thread ring gages, dial indicators, and master disks.
Federal specifications.—The Bureau made many investigations and
tests in connection with the development and use of purchase specifica
tions. The Director served as chairman of the Federal Specifications
Executive Committee, under the auspices of which 1,345 specifications
were prepared for the use of executive departments and establishments
of the Government. In the preparation of these specifications the
Bureau cooperates with 70 other agencies of the Federal Government.
It has representation on 63 of the 71 technical committees of the FSEC.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

It holds chairmanship of 35 of these technical committees, vice chair
manship of 8, and secretaryship of 4.
American Standards Association.—The Bureau is sponsor (or co
sponsor) of 27 projects carried out under the procedure of this asso
ciation. It has 162 representatives on 119 ASA technical committees,
having chairmanship of 12, vice chairmanship of 2, and secretaryship
of 7. It is represented on the following coordinating agencies of the
association : Board of Directors 5Standards Council ; Electrical Stand
ards Committee; Mechanical Standards Committee; Advisory Com
mittee on Ultimate Consumer Goods; Safety Code Correlating Com
mittee ; and Building Code Correlating Committee. All of the safetycode, building-code, and plumbing-code requirements thus far formu
lated under the auspices of the Bureau have been accepted as a basis for
the development of safety, building, and plumbing codes, under the
American Standards Association procedure. Two members of the
staff of the Association are located at the Bureau to facilitate the,;
cooperative work of the two organizations.
American Society for Testing Materials.—The Bureau has 316 representations on technical committees and subcommittees of the ASTM, a
national technical society devoted to the promotion of the knowledge or
engineering and the standardization of specifications and methods of
testing. The Bureau holds chairmanship of 31 of the ASTM committees, vice chairmanship of 4, and secretaryship of 9.
The staff of the Bureau takes part in the activities of 125 addi
tional technical and trade organizations representing various fields of
endeavor, including science, technical research, and commerce, both
national and international. It has 450 representations on technical
committees of these organizations, many of which depend upon theBureau’s cooperation in carrying forward their scientific and technical
activities.
National defense—During the period covered by this report the
Bureau has been engaged on many confidential projects for the Army,
Navy, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and the
National Defense Research Committee. Under an order of the Secre
tary of Commerce, the Bureau’s laboratories have been closed since
July 15,1940, to all visitors except those having specific official business,
with the Bureau. In order to make this restriction effective, the entire
property is being fenced and 10 additional guards have been provided..
The safeguarding of the grounds is rendered difficult by the fact that
a public street passes through the property. Efforts to have this street
closed have so far been unsuccessful.
The following brief summaries of the work of each of the Bureau’s
Divisions are necessarily confined to nonconfidential items.
ELECTRICITY

High-voltage laboratory.—Although the contractors have not yet put.
into satisfactory working order all of the equipment included in thebuilding contract, most of the apparatus for high-voltage testing and
research has been installed. The standard voltage transformers and
the 500,000-ohm shielded resistor previously used in the old laboratory
were moved to the new building, and the testing of voltage transformers
has been carried on there since April 1. The new testing equipment

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

for both the “resistance method” and the “standard transformer
method” have been used in actual tests and found satisfactory.
The large absolute electrometer with its six fragile 7-foot quartz
insulators was dismantled and moved safely to the special room pre
pared for it in the new building, but has not yet been reassembled.
With one minor exception all of the new equipment for extending
the range of available voltages has been delivered to the laboratory.
The three 1,000-kva. 350,000-volt transformers of the cascade set have
been placed in position—one in a pit and the others on insulating ped
estals on trucks. Progress has been made on the circuits and switches
through which these transformers will be supplied from the 1,500-kva.
motor-generator set. The 2,000,000-volt surge generator has been
assembled on its truck and seems to have very satisfactory mechanical
rigidity. Two pairs of aluminum spheres for standard spark gaps
have been received and accurate templates made for testing their
shape. The smaller spheres (1 meter in diameter) are in excellent con
dition. The larger ones (2 meters in diameter) show deviations from
a true sphere which are larger than specified.
Basic electrical units and standards.—Since international action on
the readjustment of electrical units has been indefinitely delayed, the
Bureau is bringing to a close its researches on absolute measurement
of current and resistance. Earlier measurements of current involved
some_ doubtful^ corrections concerned with the distribution of the cur
rent in wire windings of the current balance. Consequently, measurements have now been made with various combinations of coils, some
of which are compact spirals of aluminum ribbon and others single
layer helices of copper wire wound in screw-threads ground very ac
curately into glass supporting forms. The results agree satisfactorily
with those previously obtained at the Bureau and at the British Na
tional Physical Laboratory, and indicate that the NBS international
ampere is 15 parts in 100,000 smaller than the absolute ampere.
Some additional work is being done on two methods of deriving
values for resistance from mutual inductors of accurately known di
mensions. One of these methods is so direct that it gives a practical
means for frequent checks with the manganin coils which are now used
to preserve the value of the ohm. For this purpose the mutual induc
tor (of Campbell type with primary wound in a screw-thread on a
porcelain form) has been permanently mounted in a room from which
all magnetic material has been carefully removed. The results of the
absolute measurements of resistance so far completed all agree in show
ing the NBS international ohm to be 48 parts in 100,000 larger than
the absolute dim.
The basic international volt, actually used in practice, is maintained
by standard cells. A considerable number of new cells of the neutral
“Weston normal” type were constructed specifically to see how closely
their value would agree with that accepted in 1911. The results and
several lines of corroborating evidences agree in indicating that the
value of “international” volt has not drifted as much as 1 part in 100 000 in 30 years.
Magnetic saturation of iron.—The preparation of iron of extremely
high purity and the development of more reliable methods for meas
urements with very large magnetizing forces have made possible a de

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

termination of the saturation induction of iron which is believed to be
accurate within 0.05 percent. The value is 21.58 kilogausses. Details
of the work have been published (RP1354).
Publications on electrical measurements.—A number of papers of_a
fundamental character presenting results of years of development in
the Bureau’s electrical work were published. Research Paper RP1323
on Methods, Apparatus, and Procedures for the Comparison of Pre
cision Standard Resistors is a treatise of 65 pages dealing comprehen
sively with precise measurements of electrical resistance. Research
Paper RP1344, Standard Electrodynamic Wattmeter and AC-DC
Transfer Instrument, describes an instrument which is being copied
for use in many electrical standardizing laboratories. Another Re
search Paper (RP1419) which has been prepared describes the testing
and performance of volt boxes.
The fourth edition of the Code for Electricity Meters, which the
Bureau sponsors jointly with the Edison Electric Institute and the
Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, was issued in June
1941.
Radio.—Research on radio-wave transmission led to a better under
standing of conditions necessary for good radio communication. This
information was made widely available by published monthly reports
of maximum usable frequencies, by published predictions of radio
transmission conditions, and by treatises on radio transmission and
the ionosphere (LC614) and on radio distance ranges (LC615).
The operation of an ionosphere recorder (RP1384) during the
solar eclipse of October 1, 1940, disclosed how upper-air ionization
varies with the illumination. Recombination coefficients of the ion
ized layers in the ionosphere were determined.
The Weather Bureau, the Navy Department, and other agencies
were assisted in bringing the radio sonde, previously developed by
the Bureau, into practical service, the rate of use of these instruments
rising to 35,000 per year. Improvements were made in the electric
hygrometer so as to increase its effectiveness at higher humidities; it
was successfully adapted to numerous industrial applications, one of
which is described under “cement, concrete, lime, and gypsum” on
page 81.
Radio testing increased in extent, variety, and importance. Many
of the tests involved research on methods and instruments. Among
the more important ones were field intensity meters, power factor of
materials, and diathermy generators. The last were tested principally
for power output and frequency stability. These tests were requested
by the Federal Communications Commission to assist them in laying
a foundation for control of radio interference caused by such devices.
The standard frequency broadcasting station was destroyed by fire
on November 6, 1940. A partial broadcast service was immediately
begun with temporary equipment, and plans were made for an im
proved permanent station. Despite the set-back, the accuracy of the
standard frequencies broadcast continued to be held within a part in
10 million. Congress has provided funds for the construction of
a new broadcasting station for standard frequencies at a cost of
$230,000, which it is believed will be powerful enough to cover the
United States.

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
W EIGHTS AND MEASURES

Vehicle-scale project completed.—Believing that commercially used
motortruck scales and wagon scales throughout the United States as
a whole were not receiving adequate attention from weights-andmeasures officials, and recognizing that this condition resulted from
a general lack of suitable testing equipment, the Bureau undertook,
in November 1936, a country-wide program of vehicle-scale testing.
This was planned as a 5-year project, under which each State not
provided with adequate equipment was to be visited by a special
Bureau testing unit, manned by Bureau personnel, for the purpose of
testing a representative number of the motortruck and wagon scales
in service and supplying the State authorities with reports on the
results. These reports would be available to State officials for fur
thering their efforts to procure suitable equipment for routine testing
purposes. All testing conducted by the Bureau was to be carried on
in direct cooperation with State and local officials.
In May 1941, after 4y2 years of operation, the Bureau’s testing unit
completed its assignment, having made 2,840 tests of vehicle scales in
commercial operation in 48 States and the District of Columbia. Full
schedules were completed in 40 States. The 8 remaining States and
the District of Columbia had in operation adequate testing equipments
<of their own, but in each of these jurisdictions at least a few tests were
made, and in 2 large industrial cities in 2 of these States extended
series of tests were made for the information of the local weights and
measures officers.
A detailed report of every test and inspection was issued to the scale
owner, with a copy to the supervising officials. At the conclusion of
each State survey and the survey in each of the two large cities men
tioned a summary report was prepared and furnished to interested
«officials. Each year a cumulative progress report was presented to the
National Conference on Weights and Measures.
The expected need for thorough, routine attention to vehicle scales
by State and local officials was amply demonstrated; final figures
showed that 71.2 percent of the scales tested failed to meet the recog
nized requirements for accuracy. Installation and maintenance faults
were the rule rather than the exception.
As a result of the attention which has been focused on vehicle scales
and of the authoritative information on existing conditions which has
been supplied, State after State has procured specially designed equip
ment, enabling it for the first time to conduct proper tests of the scales
in its jurisdiction used for weighing commodities in motortruck and
wagon lots. In some States not having active weights-and-measures
organizations the Bureau vehicle-scale testing activities have stimu
lated movements for the enactment of laws and the establishment of
regulatory organizations to supervise not only vehicle scales but all
commercial weighing and measuring devices.
Railway track scales.—Through the operation of its three field equip
ments and of its master-scale depot in Clearing, 111., the Bureau has
calibrated 17 of the 19 master railway track scales in the United States
and has tested 1,036 commercial railway scales. Forty-nine railway
track-scale test-weight cars were standardized on the Bureau master

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

scale and 30 were tested in the field. The general accuracy of the
railway track scales of the country, as revealed by the Bureau tests,
remains at a high level—77.6 percent were found to be accurate, and
the mean of the maximum percentage errors developed on these tests
was 0.19 percent, as compared with the basic tolerance of 0.20 percent.
Graduation of precision circles.—Precision theodolite circles having
diameters of 4, 6y2, 7, and 9 inches have been prepared and graduated
for the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and for manufac
turers of precise instruments. A 10-inch circle was also graduated
which is to be used in testing the diffraction-grating ruling machine
now being constructed at the Bureau. A new design has been recom
mended to the Coast and Geodetic Survey and to manufacturers who
have constructed circles, following these recommendations, and sub
mitted to them for graduation. With the new design it has been
shown that the distortion resulting from mounting is negligible.
Identification.—Several Government agencies have continued to
request assistance on problems requiring specialized facilities for crime
detection. Beports of identifications are regularly made in complete
form and usually are accompanied by exhibits for use in court. This
procedure saves the Bureau much time and expense incident to court
attendance, and these reports and exhibits have in several instances
led the accused to enter pleas of guilty.
Thermal expansivity.—Precision measurements of the thermal ex
pansion and contraction of electrolytic chromium revealed definite
shrinkage during the first heating and cooling of test specimens. This
shrinkage appears to be connected with the evolution _of hydrogen
and undoubtedly reveals one of the reasons for the checking of chrome
plate.
Ilorological Institute.—The Bureau has continued to cooperate with
the Horological Institute of America in testing watches and in the
certification of qualified watchmakers. Through cooperation with
the National Resources Planning Board and the United States Civil
Service Commission, a plan has been worked out whereby all “junior”
and “certified” watchmakers will be registered for possible use in the
national-defense program. These two groups constitute a total of
2,240 men thoroughly trained in fine instrument work.
Dental materials.—Demands for copies of more than 100 separate
reports on dental research, many of which have long been out of print,
led the Bureau to abstract these reports for printing as a circular in
its regular series of publications (C433). Details of test methods
and illustrations of equipment are of particular value to dental schools
and testing laboratories. Information on materials and technics have
been supplied to the Federal Government, to representatives of foreign
governments, and to numerous dental organizations in the United
States and Canada.
The certification plan developed by the Bureau and the American
Dental Association has become an established procedure with the
profession. This is the first plan ever devised for purchasing dental
materials which has given satisfactory protection to the dentist and
to the manufacturer. Materials, guaranteed by responsible manu
facturers, are tested and, if found up to specification standards, are
listed by the association.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
HEAT AMD POWER

Thermometry.—During the year 2,288 laboratory thermometers, 66
electrical thermometers, and 2 industrial thermometers were tested
for the public and for Government departments. Thirty-nine percent
of the total number of instruments tested were for Government de
partments, representing 36 percent of the total fee value. In the
same period 96,444 clinical thermometers were tested for the public
and for Government departments, with testing for the Government
totaling 82 percent of the test items, representing 86 percent of the
total fee value.
_Fifty-six working standards for laboratory use were tested, and as
time permitted, methods of testing and actual conditions during use
of various thermometers were studied.
A paper on “Liquid-in-Glass Thermometers” was published in the
book “Temperature, Its Measurement and Control in Science and
Industry.”
International temperature scale.—Information concerning the pre
cision of reproducibility of this scale from —190° to +444° C. was
obtained by comparing 8 platinum resistance thermometers. These
were made in three different laboratories using platinum wire obtained
from three different manufacturers. The results will be useful in
setting up more stringent limitations on the purity of platinum wire
for resistance thermometers, thus improving the’reproducibility of
the International Temperature Scale.
Temperature symposium.—The Bureau participated prominently in
the Temperature Symposium sponsored by the American Institute
of Physics, contributing 25 percent of the 1,323 printed pages of the
volume on this subject published in February.
Film hazards.—Several fire tests of nitrocellulose motion-picture
film and similar products, were conducted in a 22 cubic foot container
and also in a 4 by_4 by 8 foot vault. The results indicate that the
enclosing construction should be designed to resist higher pressure
from the gases evolved by the burning material than required by
current regulations, assuming the same ratio of vent area to vault
capacity as at present prescribed.
Precision mercury manometer.—A precision mercury manometer
was constructed and assembled for measuring gas pressures up to 1.5
meters of mercury with an uncertainty of a few parts in a million.
Such highly precise measurements are required in gas thermometry.
Tables of thermal properties.-—Tables of thermal properties were
compiled for hydrogen, including HD and ortho and para varieties of
H 2 and D2. These properties included values of entropy, enthalpy,
free energy, specific heats, dissociation and exchange constants for the
ideal gas state calculated from the latest spectroscopic data; and
extensive tables of properties of state of gaseous hydrogen. Similar
tables are now being compiled for nitrogen and carbon monoxide.
Ignition temperature.—The self-ignition temperatures of a ran<*e of
liquids in air were determined. This involved injection of the charo-e
into a flask uniformly heated to a constant temperature. It was found
that only minor differences in ignition temperature resulted from
changing the capacity of the ignition chamber through the range 200
to 15,000 cubic centimeters.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Ignition quality of Diesel fuels.—The Bureau has undertaken the
analysis of data reported monthly by 19 members of the Cooperative
Fuel Research group and reported semiannually by other owners of
CFR Diesel-fuel testing units. This shows the reproducibility of the
ignition-quality ratings of Diesel fuels. Thirty laboratories partici
pated in the March 1941 semiannual tests.
Humidity and knock rating.—Although the knock rating of most
fuels is not appreciably affected by atmospheric humidity, approxi
mately one fuel in eight is rated higher in summer than in winter,
and an occasional fuel has its rating lowered by an increase in humid
ity. To minimize such effects, the standard methods of rating motor
and aviation fuels require that ratings be made at a humidity not
exceeding 50 grains of moisture per pound of dry air. A standard
unit, consisting of a tower filled with cracked ice through which the
engine air is inducted, has been tested and approved for use when
humidity control is needed.
Knock rating at altitude.—Empirical modifications of the standard
method for the knock rating of motor gasoline were authorized by the
ASTM in 1940 for use by laboratories located at high altitudes. Co
operative tests recently have been conducted in a special low-pressure
chamber at the Bureau to determine proper conditions for accurate
knock rating at altitude. The results show the need for revised cor
rection formulas and indicate that the nine carburetor-venturi sizes
now specified can be reduced to three. Field tests by a group of
cooperating laboratories are in progress.
Aircraft engines and accessories.—In cooperation with the Civil
Aeronautics Administration, laboratory examinations of engines,
magnetos, materials, and parts were made, following six commercial
airline accidents. About 1,200 spark plugs were tested for Govern
ment agencies to insure conformance with Federal specifications, to
determine whether servicing methods had anything to do with acci
dents, and to develop new and better plugs.
OPTICS

Production of meter bars in terms of light waves.—Since some metal
length standards have been found to change with time, while the wave
length of monochromatic light under standard conditions is invariable,
it is advantageous to be able to reproduce the meter directly from
light waves. To accomplish this, the Bureau has developed a ruling
machine using light waves for stepping off the desired length. Meter
bars produced with this equipment differ from the national standard
by less than 2 parts in 10 million, which is comparable with the un
certainty of calibration of the bar itself
Recording camera for interference fringes.—This new camera is in
principle not unlike the panoramic camera except that ordinarily the
latter moves during an exposure, whereas the former is stationary
while recording moving fringes. An image of the fringe field is
brought to a focus on the film as usual but is shielded from the film,
except for a narrow slit, by a screen placed just inside the focal plane.
During the exposure, the film moves uniformly in a direction per
pendicular to the slit and preferably parallel to the fringes. Thus any
movement of the fringes past a stationary reference line across the
427433— 42------ 8

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

slit is recorded. A shift of 100 fringes can be recorded by this camera
on 4 inches of film, whereas the usual methods of photographic re
cording would require 60 feet with less satisfactory results.
Radioactivity.—In cooperation with the National Research Council,
a series of 15 certified standard radium solutions and 12 rock samples,
analyzed for radium content, have been prepared. The quantity of
each is sufficient to meet the estimated needs of workers in the field
concerned with geologic age measurements, artificial radioactivity, and
radium poisoning.
A completely automatic system for observing vertical, horizontal,
and shower intensity of cosmic rays by means of triple-coincidence
Geiger-Mfiller counters has been constructed. Records of the threefold
measurements are printed automatically every hour. After pre
liminary tests this equipment was mounted on the schooner Morrissey
of the Louise A. Boyd Arctic Expedition to investigate the effect of
the earth’s magnetic field near the Pole on the intensity of cosmic ray
showers.
Radioactive preparations totaling 1,466 and containing approxi
mately 22,000 milligrams of radium were tested. Twenty specimens of
radium luminous material were tested for brightness.
Ultraviolet light recorder.—A photoelectric ultraviolet intensity
meter and recording apparatus was designed to secure a continuous
record of the ultraviolet solar and sky radiation on a horizontal plane.
By means of an electric clock, the counting mechanism starts at day
break and stops at sundown. Methods were worked out for calibrating
the apparatus in absolute values (gram-calories, or microwatts per
square centimeter). The Bureau is now prepared to calibrate similar
apparatus for the public.
Testing quartz crystals.—At the request of the Procurement Division,
Treasury Department, crystalline quartz is being tested to determine
its suitability for electric oscillators. The rejection of twinned ma
terial is accomplished by an optical test dependent on interference
fringes.
Optical instruments.—.A recent publication (C428) contains test
charts for camera lenses printed from steel engraved plates in order
that they may be as nearly identical as is possible with a printing
process. Test charts of uniform quality are thus made available for
the first time.
Two corona cameras and two large spectrographs were designed for
the _National Geographic Society-National Bureau of Standards
Eclipse Expedition. Each of these instruments is fully automatic, with
electric motors for the actuation of polarization equipment, for chang
ing the film, and for the drives which cause the instruments to follow
the sun. Each spectrograph photographs a section of the spectrum 40
inches long with a dispersion of 2.5A per millimeter for one instrument
and 5A per millimeter for the other. The range of the spectrum pho
tographed and the dispersion attained rank these spectrographs among
the most powerful that have been built for eclipse work.
A test film has been produced for determining the quality of motionpicture projectors. When this film is projected by the machine under
test, quantitative measurements may be made of the lateral chromatic
aberration and of the resolution in the different parts of the field.
Qualitatively the film enables an estimate to be made of the quality

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

of the definition and the curvature of the field. Steps have been taken
to make this film available to organizations especially interested in
measuring quality of projection.
_
Permanent photographie records.—Under authority of the Elliot
Bill (Public, No. 788, 76th Cong.), standards of quality for micro
photographie copies of documents intended for deposit in the National
Archives have been prepared and are in force.
Photometry and colorimetry.—Effective February 1, 1941, the pho
tometry section was transferred from the Electrical Division to the
Optics Division and merged with the colorimetry and spectrophotom
etry section. The combined section is designated as the photometry
and colorimetry section. This merger will facilitate the Bureau’s work
on the luminous rating of fluorescent lamps and other sources of
chromatic light, the measurement of the luminous transmission and re
flectance of materials, and all other problems of heterochromatic pho
tometry, on which the two former sections have often cooperated.
Lamp inspection and life testing.—Approximately 10,000,000 lamps
purchased by the Government were inspected at factories, and 11,162
were life-tested at the Bureau, these numbers being 96 and 42 percent,
respectively, greater than those for the preceding year. The testing
of this large number of lamps with their consequent power dissipation
and transfer of heat to the laboratories surrounding the life-test rooms,
has made it necessary to provide new quarters for these .tests, and a
test chamber is under construction.
Color aptitude test— The Bureau has cooperated with the InterSociety Color Council in the development of a color aptitude test to
predict the degree of success attainable by a person in a position for
which ability to detect and judge small color differences is essential.
Materials for a preliminary iorm of the test have been prepared, and
several suggested procedures for its administration have been tried out
on about 100 observers distributed among 10 institutions. This test
promises to be of great value in selecting color inspectors and matchers
in the textile, porcelain enamel, paper, and paint industries. The
preliminary materials also permit a rapid test of the two most common
forms of color-blindness. This test will reveal a red-green blind ob
server regardless of the amount of coaching he has received. It is,
therefore, a valuable supplement to color-blindness tests in the selec
tion of railway engineers and pilots for ships and airplanes.
Aviation lighting.—In cooperation with the Civil Aeronautics Ad
ministration, the horizontal ranges of three types of approach lights
have been determined. Observations from a balloon showed that a
pilot can rely on seeing these lights 100 feet below him even in mod
erately dense fog. A transmissometer for measuring the transparency
of the atmosphere has been developed through the laboratory stage.
A new type of boundary-light unit showing a red bar of light from the
landing area and a green bar from outside that area has been developed.
The 300-meter outdoor photometric range has been improved by the
addition of a new control light for correcting measurements for the
atmospheric transmission and a new goniometer capable of mounting
a 60-inch searchlight reflector.
Signal glass specifications.—As a result of the Bureau’s cooperative
work with signal engineers and manufacturers, the following formal
specifications have appeared during the past year: (1) Specification

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

69-40, Signal Glasses, issued by the Association of American Railroads,
Signal Section, and containing colorimetric specifications for highway
crossing red, blue, purple, and lunar white signal glasses previously
standardized; ( 2) Technical Report No. 1, Adjustable-Face TrafficControl Signal Head Standards, issued by the Institute of Traffic En
gineers, and containing colorimetric specifications for red, yellow, and
green traffic signals.
CHEMISTRY

Gases.-—The major portion of a study of instruments available for
the measurement of gas densities has been completed. This has in
volved the preparation and standardization of 14 gas mixtures covering
the entire range of commercial fuel gases, and the determination of
the performance of 11 forms of commercial apparatus under varied
conditions of use.
Properties of new types of synthetic rubbers, plastics, and textiles
have been determined, with particular reference to their use in airship
envelopes, barrage balloons, life rafts, and similar inflated structures.
The drying and storage of compressed oxygen for use by aviators
has been studied, and convenient apparatus for the accurate determina
tion of the moisture content has been developed. The time of contact
required for the removal of moisture from a highly compressed gas
by common drying agents was found to be much greater than previ
ously supposed.
Methods of analysis.-—New or improved methods of analysis were
published on: Decomposition of rocks and ceramic materials with a
small amount of sodium carbonate (RP1331); colorimetric determina
tion of phosphorus in steel and cast iron (RP1386); spectrophotometric determination of praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium
(RP1395); and the removal of static charges from chemical glassware.
Results of comparative tests of American chemical glassware were
published in the Journal of Research (RP1394) and in the Analytical
Edition of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. The analyst can
now select the ware best suited to his particular requirements.
In cooperation with the American Society for Testing Materials,
standard methods of analysis were prepared for soda-lime glass, me
tallic materials for electrical heating alloys, aluminum alloys, and for
the determination of lead, aluminum, and columbium in steel and iron.
The development of a method for getting osmiridium and other
refractory platiniferous materials into solution for analysis was prac
tically completed. Treatment with hydrochloric acid and an oxidiz
ing agent at temperatures near 300° C. in sealed glass tubes is em
ployed. By proper selection of operating conditions it has been found
possible to dissolve iridium (the most refractory of all the platinum
metals) at a rate comparable to that ordinarily observed for the more
soluble fractions of platinum minerals. Several other types of sub
stances, notably fused alumina, which are very difficult to prepare for
analysis by methods hitherto employed, have been found to yield to
treatment with hydrochloric acid at high temperatures. Preliminary
reports on the new method have been made to the American Chemical
Society and the American Ceramic Society.
A “standard sample” representative of'a typical manufactured gas
was prepared and sent to 30 laboratories. Twenty-four of them have

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

reported, and the results have led to the discovery of numerous sources
of error. This is the first time that a single gas has been analyzed
by a large number of laboratories under conditions which permit the
definite comparison of results.
A critical study was made of the volumetric methods of determin
ing carbon monoxide in gas mixtures.
In order to secure information on mass movements of the atmos
phere at great heights, apparatus was constructed for sampling the
stratosphere by the use of small sounding balloons. Because of un
favorable weather conditions, only a small number of samples have
been obtainable for analysis.
Standard samples.—Two new standard steels, a molybdenum-tung
sten high-speed steel and a molybdenum-chromium steel, were added
to the list of standards. Six renewal samples were prepared, com
prising three steels, a brass, a manganese bronze, and benzoic acid.
The Bureau now issues standard samples of 120 different kinds, used
for checking analytical procedures in industrial and scientific labora
tories, and as standards for physical measurements. Approximately
12,500 individual samples were sold, an increase of 20 percent over the
previous year.
Physical constants of pure substances.—The study of methods for
preparing benzoic acid of the very high purity desired for the funda
mental determination of the heat of combustion of this substance, and
for other standardizing purposes, was completed (RP1351). In this
connection a novel application of fractional freezing was made which
may prove generally useful in the purification of organic substances.
Á method for determining the optical constants of crystalline or
ganic compounds was worked out. It eliminates difficulties arising
from the characteristic peculiarities of shape of many organic crystals.
The standard electrode potential of sodium was determined over
the temperature range of 5° to 40° C. The results in international
volts were expressed by the equation E° =2.71324 + 0.0007532(¿ —25) +
0.000000688 (i—25)2. (RP1350.)
Relations between boiling point and vapor pressure over the range
of 100 to 1,500 millimeters were obtained for benzene, 2,2,3-trimethylbutane, 3-ethylpentane, and 2,2,4,4-tetramethylpentane. (RP1365.)
Thermochemistry.—Measurements were completed of the heats of
combustion of cyanogen and of the following paraffin hydrocarbons:
n-pentane, n-octane, n-dodecane, n-hexadecane, 2,4-dimethylpentane,
3.3-dimethylpentane, 3-ethylpentane, 2,2,3-trimethylbutane, 3-methylheptane, 4-methylheptane, 2,3,4-trimethylpentane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, and 2-methyl-3-ethylpentane. Values were calculated for the
heats and free energies of isomerization of the two butanes, the three
pentanes, the five hexanes, and the nine heptanes, from 0 to 1,000° K.
Constitution of petroleum.—The cooperative project with the Amer
ican Petroleum Institute on the isolation and identification of petro
leum hydrocarbons led to the following results: The isolation of six
new hydrocarbons, l-methyl-2-ethylbenzene, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalene, 1-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalene, 2-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalene,2-methylnonane, and 3-methylnonane; the improve
ment of apparatus for determining boiling points and freezing points;
the assembly of two more new distillation columns having a separating
efficiency of 100 theoretical plates; the assembly of a third 56-foot ex

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

traction column for separating paraffin and naphthene hydrocarbons;
and the completion of two general reports, one on the determination
of freezing points and amounts of impurity in hydrocarbons (KP1397)
and the other on azeotropic distillation (BP1402).
Electroplating.—The effect of polishing the base metal on the pro
tective value of electroplated coatings is being studied in cooperation
with the American Electroplaters Society.
A few years ago, magnetic methods and instruments were developed
at the Bureau for measuring nondestructively the thickness of elec
troplated coatings. The demand for these instruments, especially from
defense industries, has increased greatly. They are being manufac
tured by an instrument company and are calibrated at the Bureau.
Progress was made in studies of cathode films, current distribution,,
and the constitution of cyanide plating baths. The Bureau is cooper
ating with the O. P. M., Government departments, and industry in
efforts to adapt plating methods and specifications to the present short
ages of strategic metals.
MECHANICS AND SOUND

Stainless-steel sheet.—The application of stainless steel to aircraft
as an alternative to aluminum alloy has been hampered by the lack
of fundamental data on the tensile and compressive properties of the
material. An accurate knowledge of the compressive stress-strain
curves is particularly important for the efficient design of airplane
wings and fuselages in which the covering carries a considerable part
of the load. It is important to avoid buckling of the thin covering as
the result of compressive stresses.
The Bureau has done a limited amount of work in this field in the
past, but a great deal more has been made possible through a coopera
tive research program sponsored by the principal manufacturers of
stainless-steel sheet. The properties of the material depend on its
chemical composition, heat treatment, degree of cold rolling, and thick
ness, and they differ somewhat in the formed and in the flat sheet.
Compressive stress-strain curves have been obtained for flat and
formed stainless steel sheet of two chemical compositions, two heat
treatments, five degrees of cold rolling, and five thicknesses. The
properties of the flat sheet were obtained by the “pack” method de
veloped at this Bureau (NACA Technical Beport 659 and NACA
Technical Note 789). The properties of the formed sheet were ob
tained from compression tests of small spot-welded cylinders, follow
ing a technique developed by Bussell Franks.
Aircraft tubing.—High-strength steel tubes have long been used
in aircraft design to transmit concentrated loads to the body of the
airplane. Examples are the tubes used in landing gear and in engine
mounts, some of which are subjected to forces that produce simul
taneously axial_ compression, bending, and torsion. The strength of
such members is generally estimated from values obtained in pure
compression, pure bending, and pure torsion, with the result that excess
material must be used to secure safety. A more efficient design would
result from a knowledge of the actual strength of tubes under com
bined loads.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

75-

A1though attended with unusual difficulties, a systematic series of
tests has been made of high-strength chromium-molybdenum-steel
tubes under axial loads, bending loads, torsional loads, combined axial
and bending loads, and combined torsional and bending loads. The
tests under combined loads indicate a simple relationship by which the
strength under combined load may be estimated from the strength
under each type of loading acting independently.
Model tests of spillways.—The activities of the Geological_ Survey
and the Forest Service include the measurement of water flow in small
rivers and streams. Continuous records are obtained by the use of
spillways and weirs in conjunction with a water-level recorder. These
spillways and weirs are artificial structures built across the stream
channel to give a cross section of known shape and area. The greater
the flow of water in the stream, the greater will be the height of the
water surface above the crest or upper surface of the spillway or weir.
The relation between the height of the water surface above the crest
and the flow can be determined by measurements in the field, using
current meters. However, it is generally more convenient to make
model tests in a hydraulic laboratory.
A number of model tests of spillways and weirs have been made
for the Geological Survey. These had scale-ratios ranging from 1 :1
to 1:10. Models of prototypes, already in use as stream-gaging
devices, have been calibrated, and a variety of models have been tested
so as to develop a standardized form of weir to be used by the Survey
for stream gaging. The Forest Service also requested that a stand
ardized weir be developed.
The results will be checked by current-meter measurements in the
field as opportunity offers. A few such field measurements which
have been sent to the Bureau have been found to agree closely with
data obtained from a model.
Acoustics.—Last year the Bureau made examinations, analyses, or
tests of the acoustic properties of some 16 structures occupied or
being built by different Government agencies. Sound absorption
measurements were made on 90 large and 53 small samples of sound
absorbing material, and transmission measurements were made on 22
panels of different types of building construction. Likewise, in try
ing to reduce the noise level in military aircraft, a considerable num
ber of sound transmission measurements were made on different types
of construction which might be used for airplane cabins.
Data on sound transmission and sound absorption have been made
available to the public (LC632, LC633, and a Supplement to BMS17).
One of the most important problems is to determine accurately
absolute sound levels. Research Paper RP1341 deals with this subject.
Constant of gravitation.—The experimental work on the redetermi
nation of the constant of gravitation has been completed, and 5 of the
10 experimental results have been computed. These values are : 6.675,
6.677, 6.678, 6.678, 6.676, with a mean of 6.677it0.001. These results
show a ten-fold gain in precision over those obtained and published
in 1930.
Engineering instruments and appliances.—Approximately 1,251 in
struments were tested, principally for the various engineering bureaus
of the Government, and for the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Tests

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

and investigations were also made of approximately 300 mechanical
appliances for the Government departments in connection with their
approval for use or acceptance for purchase, including fire-extinguish
ing equipment, mail-metering devices, elevator safety appliances, and
a variety of engineering and office appliances.
Aircraft instruments.-—A number of investigations and develop
ments on aeronautic instruments have been in progress for the Bureau
of Aeronautics, Navy Department.
An investigation of corrugated diaphragms is in progress in coop
eration with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Data
on dashpot damping have been extended to include Reynolds Numbers
above the critical value.
A static head for mercury barometers was designed and constructed
for the Weather Bureau.
The investigation of the performance of sphygmomanometers as
pressure gages has been continued in cooperation with the American
Heart Association.
The effect of mercury upon glass of various compositions is being
determined at the interface with a vacuum, and at the interfaces
with dry and with moist air for the purpose of determining the best
glass for mercury barometer tubes.
Aerodynamic investigations.—In cooperation with the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics studies have been made of the
flow in the boundary layer of a friction plate placed in an air stream
of low turbulence.
ORGANIC AND FIBROUS MATERIALS

Payer for multicolor lithography.—The production of quality mul
ticolor prints by modern lithography has been greatly handicapped by
register difficulties in obtaining exact superposition (register). In
previous work the Bureau found the principal cause of poor register
to be due to a change in the moisture content of the paper during print
ing, even in controlled atmosphere (RP633), and subsequently showed
that the paper can be stabilized by the correct adjustment of the
amount of moisture in the paper (RP859). During the past year a
method was perfected by means of which the recommended hygro
métrie condition can be obtained by the printer. The capacity of the
conventional type of conditioning machine is, at the same time, greatly
increased. The method was adopted in the printing of Government
navigation and airway maps with virtual elimination of misregister,
and it is already widely used in industry. The quality of litho
graphic papers is being improved by studying the relationship be
tween manufacturing variables and the characteristics of 63 experi
mental papers made on the Bureau’s semicommercial machine. The
properties of these papers, as determined by laboratory tests and the
printing qualities obtained by multicolor printing under controlled
conditions, are being correlated with variables in manufacture. The
Lithographic Technical Foundation is cooperating with the Bureau
in this work.
Federal specifications for leather.—Federal specifications for
leather and leather products have been based primarily on chemical
composition and manufacturing requirements because of the small
amount of information available on physical properties and per

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

formance characteristics. Frequent revisions have been necessary
to follow the changes in manufacturing processes. Investigations
are now being made of those physical properties of leather which
are associated with serviceability. Since resistance to abrasion
has been shown to correlate closely with wearing quality, a machine
for determining this property has been designed, and a test method
developed (J. Am. Leather Chem. Assoc. 32, 325 (1937)). Abrasion
measurements are now being made on representative commercial
sole leathers and on leather selected by Army inspectors as satis
factory for service shoes. These data will be used in selecting
numerical resistance requirements for types and selections of leather
which have been shown to give satisfactory service. This test will
form the basis of a performance standard in the sole-leather specifica
tion, which is expected to replace some of the chemical requirements
now in use.
An accelerated aging test for leather is desirable for the best
interpretation of performance data. Recent investigations (RP1128
and RP1319) have shown some of the chemical and physical changes
that occur in both naturally and artificially aged leathers. Data
from this work are being used for selecting conditions^ for an
accelerated aging test which will correlate with changes in prop
erties that occur in naturally aged leathers.
Plastics.—Interest in these strong lightweight materials for use
in the fabrication of industrial and’household products has greatly
increased, and because of the priority situation with respect to light
alloys, many manufacturers have requested the Bureau to supply
information regarding plastics. Fortunately, a comprehensive sur
vey of the plastics industry, with particular regard to important
properties, forms available, methods of fabrication, typical applica
tions, and trade names and manufacturers of each type of plastic
had been prepared early in 1940. This survey was“ published in
the July, August, and September issues of the trade magazine
Modern “Plastics, and is available in reprint form.
The research program has been mainly concerned with problems
relating to defense applications of plastics in the aeronautical field.
It includes fabrication of aircraft structures and accessories, im
provement of materials used as transparent enclosures on aircraft,
and the evaluation of new plastics proposed for this application,
the formulation of airplane dopes to provide coatings which are
resistant to fire and to the severe weathering conditions encountered
in the Tropics, and the utilization of synthetic resins and cellulose
derivatives as coatings to protect airplane structures made of alumi
num and magnesium alloys against corrosion by salt water and
tropical elements. These researches have been undertaken at the
request and with the financial support of the Bureau of Aeronautics,
Navy Department, and the National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics.
The Bureau has continued its efforts to promote standardization
of testing methods for plastics and to develop new testing pro
cedures. A rapid method for determining the resistance to weather
ing of transparent plastics used as windshields on aircraft was de
scribed in a report published in the 1940 Proceedings of the Ameri
can Society for Testing Materials. This method has been adopted

REPORT OF TRIE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

by the Air Corps and the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics for testing
aircraft plastics, and has been made the basis of a tentative standard
test for color fastness to light by the American Society for Testing
Materials.
The absorption of water by plastics affects their mechanical and
electrical properties and dimensional stability. Data were obtained on
the effects of various conditioning procedures, times of immersion, and
prior history of the specimens on the values observed for water ab
sorption. These results were published in a paper in the 1940 ASTM
Proceedings. Measurement of the water absorption of a plastic con
stitutes a simple method of testing to ensure that the desired grade
or quality of material is being obtained, and a tentative method based
on this Bureau’s exploratory investigation has been adopted by the
ASTM. A report on the resistance of plastics to chemicals was
presented at the 1941 annual meeting.
The preparation of emergency specifications to utilize plastics in
place of scarce metals for articles purchased by the Government has
been an important new activity. The formation of a Federal Speci
fications Technical Committee on Plastics and a Specifications Sub
committee of ASTM Committee D-20 on Plastics at the close of the
year have given added impetus to this work.
METALLURGY

Pure iron.—The high-purity iron (99.99+ percent) previously de
scribed has been studied at the Bureau and by some outside agencies;
its important fundamental constants have been determined and a
report summarizing the data is being written. It is hoped that even
tually an iron which will approach still more closely to the pure
element can be achieved. Sponge iron of definitely higher purity
has already been prepared, but melting of this metal without any
contamination requires special refractories. Sulphur-free beryllium
oxide has been perfected on a laboratory scale to meet this need for
super-refractory crucibles, and specially purified alumina has been
prepared for the furnace parts. This high-purity iron has also
formed the basis of iron-carbon alloys used in studying the basic
quality of steels; a number of factors not revealed by conventional
chemical analysis are involved in this study, particularly austenitic
grain size. A report is in press (BP1403).
Aircraft metals.—The study of metals used in aircraft construction
has continued as a major project. Samples of materials which have
failed in service have been investigated. A special study was made of
ways to increase the impact toughness at low temperatures (RP1347).
The effect of subzero temperature ( —80° C.) on the tensile elastic
properties of stainless steel and other cold-woi’ked high-strength air
craft metals has been determined for the National Advisory Commit
tee for Aeronautics, and torsional-elastic properties are now receiving
attention. Long-continued service-stressing, short of failure, as in
fatigue, has failed to show any significant detrimental effect in steel
until microscopic surface cracks can be detected, whereupon the im
pact resistance progressively decreases with further stressing, the
effect being especially pronounced at low temperatures.

NATIONAL BUREAU. OF STANDARDS

As part of the work on the heat treatment of the duralumin type
of aluminum alloy, the susceptibility to corrosion of the treated
alloy has been correlated with the rate of quenching (RP1378). The
relative stability of various aluminum alloy aircraft forgings and
extrusions has been determined under conditions of combined stress
and corrosion.
.
Chromium plating of hollow steel propellers is an established
commercial practice, despite the fact that the fatigue limit of the
steel may be reduced. Tests have shown the possible extent of this
effect, together with the fact that the plating process can be con
trolled so as to minimize it.
N onfem us metals.—The strength and temperature limitations^ of
sleeve-type soldered joints in seamless copper domestic water tubing
have been studied, and an American Standard for the industry based
on the published report (BMS58) has been promulgated. At the
request of the sponsors, Copper and Brass Research Association, a
new investigation has been started on problems arising in sheet
copper installations, such as roofing and gutters. Results of a new
project to extend the methods for oxygen determination to nonferrous
metals indicate that the vacuum fusion procedure used for steels is
reliable for oxides in copper if suitable precautions are observed.
Results on the creep rate of copper alloys at elevated temperature, as
typified by copper and monel metal, have been assembled as a report.
Further study in cooperation with the Non-Ferrous Ingot Metal
Institute, on cast red brass “85—5-5—5” alloy, has served to establish
the significance of the usual impurities in this alloy. Ductility is the
only property seriously affected, provided proper foundry practice
is followed. A second report during the year (RP1385) adds to the
knowledge of the effect of cold-working of copper on its structure.
Ferrous metals.—The practical usefulness of the guided bend test
of a T-welded specimen to evaluate weldability of structural steels
has been repeatedly demonstrated in the selection of steels for shiphull construction, in cooperation with the Bureau of Ships. Hydro
gen, now generally recognized as an undesirable impurity in steel,
can be rapidly and accurately determined (RP1373). A start has
been made on the study of the principles underlying the “bright an
nealing” of steel to account for the observed differences in the re
sponse of different steels during this treatment. Results of a new
project indicate the probable usefulness of localized strengthening
of steel by flame treatment in lessening the hazard of fatigue failure
in notches. Useful application has been made of the Bureau’s
“micro” indentation hardness method (RP1220) in studying the
factors underlying the characteristic behavior of steel engraving
plates for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (RP1374).
Corrosion.—Continuous exposure tests in a marine environment,
followed by tension tests of the exposed metal, have continued to
give valuable information on the dependability of aluminum and
magnesium alloy sheets with both welded and riveted joints in air
craft construction (RP1316). Similar tests on stainless steel sheet
were followed by flexural fatigue tests to evaluate the corrosion ef
fect. Requests for the Bureau’s advice on the salt spray test show
that standardization of this widely used method for evaluating cor

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE

rosion resistance is urgently needed; work along this line has been
started. Observations have been continued on the corrosion rate of
various types of ferrous piping materials when used continuously
to conduct domestic water over a period of years. Companion speci
mens in the Bureau service lines have been used for comparison.
Results will soon be ready for publication.
CLAY AND SILICATE PRODUCTS

Optical glass, glazes, and enamels.—The optical glass ordered for
the Naval Optical Shop and the optical elements for binoculars
and camera lenses ordered by the Procurement Division of the
Treasury Department have been delivered.
The effect of various glass-forming oxides on the optical properties
of glass has been determined, so that it is now possible to adjust the
composition of a glass to give the desired optical constants without
going through the old-time “cut and try” method.
A study of the comparative properties of American-made glass
used for scientific purposes has been completed and will be of great
value to chemists, bacteriologists, and other users of chemical glass
ware. The relative solubility of commercial glasses has been meas
ured with the interferometer and by titration and conductivity
methods, and an improvement has been made in the quantitative de
termination of boric oxide in glass and other silicate compounds.
Results of the investigation of the durability of salt-glazed, ceramicglazed, and zinc-flashed bricks indicate that the saturation coefficient,
as defined by the absorption-boiling ratio, is not always an accurate
indicator of the resistance of the bricks to disintegration by freezing
and thawing, and that the saturation coefficient obtained as the ratio
of the water absorbed to the porosity of the brick is much more
reliable.
The urgent demand for aluminum, zinc, and tin in national defense
has indicated an expansion in the use of porcelain enameled iron for
such purposes as roofing and siding, kitchen and bake-shop utensils.
Technical^ specifications for utensils were prepared for the Procure
ment Division, and requirements for the structural units have been
recommended to several Government agencies. The study of weather
resistance^ of porcelain-enameled structural units installed at four
locations in the middle and eastern United States was continued, and
an accelerated weathering test was developed which appears promis
ing. Two tests for impact resistance and for torsional resistance of
porcelain-enameled iron specimens developed at the Bureau in coop
eration with the Porcelain Enamel Institute were adopted during the
year by that organization as tentative standards.
Ceramic whiteware and refractories.•—The complete report covering
the effects of three forming methods and six different heating sched
ules on the properties of 12 talcose whiteware bodies has been pub
lished (RP1371), and a note on the moisture expansion of 18 walltile specimens and 15 samples of tableware during periods of time
ranging from 1 to 23 years was published in the March 1941 Journal
of the American Ceramic Society.
Work is continuing on phase relations in the system PbO —A120 3—
Si02. Complete, or partial, fields for four ternary compounds have

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

been determined and one ternary compound lias been established as
4Pb0.Al30 3.2Si02.
Two English and six American ball clays, representative of those
in use in the whiteivare industry, were tested, and certain properties
determined. Essentially the object of the tests was to observe the
effects of electrodialysis and replacement of the adsorbed cations
present in the natural state, with others. Of the various cations
substituted, it was found that Na+ and K + had the greatest influence
on properties such as plasticity and strength.
A report giving the results of a study of air-setting refractory
mortars is being prepared for publication. Mortars of the type mar
keted dry apparently are quite refractory, but there is room for con
siderable improvement in other properties.
Cement, concrete, lime, and gypsum.—An electric hygrometer has
been used to measure the relative humidity in cavities in concrete
and cement pastes. It was found that within the concrete the humid
ity decreased very slowly. After a year’s drying of the concrete at
a relative humidity of 20 percent, the interior, 6 inches from the sur
face, was found to have a humidity of 60 percent (KP1334).
The air content of concrete apparently has a pronounced influ
ence on its durability when exposed to weathering. A satisfactory
method has been developed for determining the air content, even
when aerating agents are present which make this measurement par
ticularly difficult. The addition to concrete of aerating agents, such
as natural resins, tallows, and fatty acids in sufficient quantity to
cause an air content of 3 to 5 percent, markedly improves the re
sistance of the concrete to cycles of freezing and thawing. Why this
is so is at present unexplained.
An air permeability apparatus for measuring the fineness of
cement and other materials, has been found, rapid and precise for
measuring the specific surface and can be used for materials that are
extremely fine as compared with cement. The Wagner turbidimeter,
now standard for measuring cement fineness, cannot be used for
such materials.
The first proved syntheses of grossularite and andradite garnets
were carried out (RP1355). These garnets form complete solid so
lutions with tricalcium aluminate hexahydrate and with the corre
sponding ferrite. The hydration products of several of the constitu
ents of portland cement belong to this “hydrogarnet” series and the re
sistance of cements to sulfate disintegration appears to depend on
the extent of “hydrogarnet” formation during setting and hardening
of the cements.
A study of the reproducibility of measurements of the heat of hy
dration of portland cement using the Dewar flask calorimeter showed
that in half of the cases the difference between any two determina
tions of the heat of hydration of the. same cement (which may be
anywhere from 60 to 100 calories per gram at an age of 7 days) did
not exceed 1 calorie per gram, and that in 95 percent of the cases this
difference did not exceed 2.9 calories per gram.
The study of the system CaO-ALCk —IDO at temperatures from
21° to 90° C. has been completed. The alkali-containing systems
have been studied in cooperation with the Portland Cement Associa

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

tion. One paper is in press and another, covering the effect of heat
treatment and cooling rate on the microscopic structure of clinker,
has been published (RP1358).
A reaction involving the carbon dioxide of the air with magnesia
and gypsum has been found to explain the formation of MgSO* ef
florescence which often occurs on plaster and mortar.
Cement reference laboratory.—This laboratory, a cooperative
project of the. Bureau and the American Society for Testing Ma
terials, started its seventh inspection tour among cement laboratories.
More than 250 laboratories had requested this inspection. The veri
fication of compression testing machines was added to the work and
the results thus far have already demonstrated the value and need of
this part of the reference laboratory’s service.
One hundred and ninety laboratories cooperated in a series of
chemical determinations on two samples of cement. The results were
summarized and distributed to the participants. The study has been
helpful to laboratories, has prompted discussion of details of methods,
and has promoted further consideration of requirements for analyti
cal balances.
Field tests of the microammeters used in cement laboratories dem
onstrated the need for regular inspection of such equipment.
Branch laboratories.—More than 10,000,000 barrels of portland
cement were tested for the Federal Government by the Bureau and its
branch laboratories at Allentown, Pa.; Denver, Colo.; Permanente,
San Francisco, and Riverside, Calif.; and Seattle, Wash. This is an
increase of 2,000,000 barrels over the previous year.
Masonry and bride.—In a study of the distribution of bond stresses
in reinforced concrete, four types of commercial deformed bars and
two types of smooth bars were embedded in concrete cylinders of
fixed length and loaded in a manner to simulate action in reinforced
concrete members. The cylinders were supported on a steel plate
with a hole in it through which the bar passed. For the deformed
bars, the bond stresses were greatest at the loaded end of the cylinder,
that is, where it rested on the plate, and were approximately pro
portional to the loads. This indicates that the deformations on the
bars aided in resisting large movements of the bars in the concrete
even after some slipping had taken place.
The results of freezing and thawing tests made on a total of 4,558
bricks, comprising 722 samples of the various gradings produced by
229 manufacturers in 36 of the 48 States, were published (BMS60).
The data provide information on compressive and transverse
strengths, water absorptions by two methods, saturation coefficient,
and either the number of cycles of freezing and thawing required to
produce failure, or the percentage loss in weight after 51 cycles of
freezing and thawing.
A report on the investigation of “Some Properties of the Pore
System in Bricks and their Relation to Frost Action” was published
(RP1340).
Bmlding stone and aggregates.—The results of laboratory work on
the domestic granites have been published (RP1320). Further work
is in progress to determine the basic causes of scaling for this type of
stone near the base of buildings.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

A study of various properties of marble aggregates used in terrazzo
is almost completed. This includes data on hardness, absorption, den
sity, voids, shape of particles, and dust content. An apparatus has
been constructed for precise measurements on thermal expansion of
concrete aggregates, and an investigation to determine if volume
changes in the aggregate have a relation to the durability of concrete
is in progress.
SIMPLIFIED PRACTICE

Cooperation with national-defense agencies.—Simplification served
a very useful purpose in an earlier national emergency; it has been
applied successfully by industry, the public, and governmental agen
cies during the intervening period; and it is being put to work now,
by means of a plan of collaboration between the Department of Com
merce and the Office of Production Management, officially approved
by both of these agencies. This plan, the details of which are in
complete harmony with a policy outlined by the Department of Jus
tice to cover its relation with the Office of Production Management,
and the Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply, was
favorably received by industry and the public.
New, revised, and reaffirmed recommendations.—Six new simpli
fied practice recommendations were promulgated, bringing the total
effective list to 181. Surveys of 26 existing recommendations resulted
in the reaffirmation of 13, and complete revision of the remainder.
An increased demand for a majority of the existing recommendations
occurred, resulting in the reprinting of almost a dozen of them, to
replenish depleted sales stocks.
Simplified practice recommendations in the educational fe ll.—
Colleges and universities continue to include “simplification” in their
regular courses in industrial management, and are also introducing
the subject in special national-defense courses under the auspices of
the United States Office of Education. Textbooks for high school
and university use are, to an increasing degree, covering the subject
of simplification. The demand for material describing the activity
of the Division of Simplified Practice has been met by a new Letter
Circular, “Variety Reduction Effected by the Application of Sim
plified Practice” (LC651), which illustrates achievements in the elim
ination of unnecessary variety of manufactured products, and which,
by example, shows the broad applicability of the procedure that made
them possible.
TRADE STANDARDS

Commercial standards printed and promulgated.—Thirty-one com
mercial standards, including 16 new standards, 12 revisions, and 3
for exports were promulgated in mimeographed form. Those issued
in printed form covered: Gage blanks; Domestic burners for Penn
sylvania anthracite; Power shovels and cranes (exports); Pipe
nipples; Builders’ hardware (nontemplate) •; Electric direction-signal
systems for vehicles; Adverse weather lamps; Inner-controlled spot
lamps; Clearance, marker and identification lamps; Tail lamps; Li
cence plate lamps; Stop lamps; Electric warning lanterns; Liquid
burning flares; Phenolic disinfectant (emulsifying and soluble);
Stoddard solvent; Douglas fir plywood; Stair treads and risers; Oak
flooring (domestic and exports); Douglas fir entrance doors; Tank
stock lumber; Hosiery lengths and sizes; Woven textile fabrics; and

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Book cloths. The general discussion of the commercial standards
zation work, “Commercial Standards and Their Value to Business,5
was issued in revised form (CS0-40).
_
Portable electric drills.—On request of the Electric Tool Institute
and with the cooperation of producers, distributors, and users, a vol
untary commercial standard for portable electric drills (exclusive of
high, frequency), CS93M1, was developed, accepted, and promulgated
to become effective for new production from October 18, 1941. It
provides a nationally recognized specification which should promote
a better understanding between buyers and sellers regarding the
capacity and performance of these tools. Manufacturers will certify
compliance by a label or certificate bearing a uniform wording which
makes the seller legally liable for compliance with the requirements
of the standard. It provides minimum specifications and methods of
test for class A, heavy-duty, and class B, standard, rotary electric
drills manufactured in 11 standard sizes ranging from % 6 inch to iy2
inches, covering design, construction, safety features, nameplate
stamping, and minimum full-load ampere rating for each class and
size of drill.
Conferences.-—Forty-six conferences were held with representative
groups of consumers, distributors, producers, and testing laboratories
in the development and establishment of a wide range of commercial
standards of which there are 134 active projects. Written acceptances
of 27 of these as their standard of practice in buying and selling were
filed by responsible officers of 4,059 companies and organizations.
Standards for export.—In cooperation with the respective indus
tries and the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, certain com
mercial standards were established for export commodities. These
standards are to be published in appropriate foreign languages, and
will provide a basis for voluntary inspection or tests prior to ship
ment. Through voluntary certification of compliance by American
exporters, foreign buyers will be given additional assurances of the
quality of the certified product.
Conferences were held on insecticides, disinfectants, vitreous china
plumbing fixtures, gold filled and rolled gold plate articles, Diesel
engines, Douglas fir plywood, watthour meters, and portable electric
drills. Preliminary Spanish translations of standards for sanitary
cast-iron enameled ware and ground-glass joints, stopcocks and stop
pers were circulated to leading American firms for review and
comment.
Power shovels and cranes.—A commercial standard for crawlermounted, revolving power shovels, lifting cranes, dragline and clam
shell excavators (export classifications), was promulgated on Novem
ber 9, 1940. This was worked out cooperatively between the industry
and the Federal Government and provides for certificates of com
pliance issued by the manufacturer to the buyer in the form of brass
plates on each machine. The standard provides nomenclature, defini
tions, and requirements for shovels having dipper capacities ranging
from % to 2y2 cubic yards, and crane sizes ranging from 2y2 to 50
tons. It sets up uniform methods of determining working ranges,
power, line speeds, line pulls, crane sizes, and lifting capacities.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
CODES AND SPECIFICATIONS

Building codes.—In the stress of the present national emergency it
has become apparent that quicker results in production of recom
mended building code requirements are needed than can be obtained
through normal procedure. The correction of admitted deficiencies in
existing codes and the accomplishment of legitimate economies make
a definite contribution in the defense program. With respect to one
subject, that of plumbing, it has been possible to develop and publish
a manual (BMS66) that has already been put into general practice
by Federal agencies. It has been the means not only of reducing con
struction costs, particularly for small dwellings, but has helped in the
conservation of essential metals. This project has been carried out
strictly as a Federal undertaking, with the advice and assistance of a
committee representing the Federal agencies concerned.
An extension of this Federal type of work is now taking place in
the field of building-code requirements for dwellings. At the re
quest of the Division of Defense Housing Coordination a draft of
proposed emergency requirements for dwellings has been prepared
and will be reviewed by a committee of Federal technicians. This
is expected to have particular usefulness in rapidly expanding defense
areas where acceptance of its principles will provide a means of
safeguarding construction where no control now exists.
Safety codes.—The revision of the National Electrical Safety Code
has been completed, following an unexpected delay in the formal ap
proval of part 2 of the code relating to safety rules for the installa
tion and maintenance of electrical supply and communication lines.
This part was revised in recognition of the variations in wind and
sleet hazards throughout the country. A complete revision of the
Elevator Safety Code was undertaken during the year. On account
of the need for speed, in the present national emergency, it was
decided to issue a supplement to the existing code to cover only the
essential changes and a few needed interpretations.
Facilitating the use of specifications.—The total number of lists of
sources of supply of commodities guaranteed to comply with the re
quirements of Federal specifications and commercial standards was
increased from 142 to 860, with signed requests for 25,943 separate
listings from 14,110 firms. The increase in activity of the Bureau
in bringing Federal specifications to the attention of American manu
facturers is shown by the fact that during the fiscal year just ended
contacts were made with a total of 20,717 manufacturers of com
modities covered by Federal specifications, as compared with 9,766
manufacturers during the preceding year. Information concerning
the certification plan and the lists of willing-to-certify sources of
supply, and copies of Federal specifications were sent in compliance
with 1,751 specific requests from interested purchasing agents, other
consumers, and sources of supply.
Services to tax-supported agencies and consumers.—Governmental
agencies are utilizing more and more the services of the Bureau in
connection with the preparation and utilization of standards and
specifications. Upon request from the Purchases Division, Office of
Production Management, analyses were made of commodities cov
ered by Federal agency specifications involving the use of certain
4 2 7 4 3 3 — 4 2 -------- 9

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

critical and strategic materials, and reports were prepared contain
ing comments and recommendations on the use of substitute materials
as a means of conserving the supply of vital items for defense pur
poses. Material and information relating to simplification and
standardization were sent, upon request, to certain departments and
commissions of foreign governments—namely, Brazil, Uruguay, and
New Zealand, and to the British and Netherlands Purchasing Com
missions.
The manuscript for a publication relating to simplification and
standardization activities of national technical societies and trade
associations has been sent to the printer. The information it con
tains should prove useful to national-defense agencies. Many uni
versities and educational institutions offering courses in consumer
education are now making use of material and information concern
ing the Bureau’s work in the standardization and consumer fields.
Some of the Bureau publications are being used as textbooks in these
institutions. More than 16,000 copies of the publication “Services of
the National Bureau of Standards to the Consumer” have been dis
tributed upon request.
BUILDING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES

Structural properties of building constructions.—Information on
the structural properties of 6 constructions intended for low-cost
housing was added to that on hand covering the 88 constructions pre
viously tested. Data on concrete, masonry, steel, and wood thus made
available are assisting architects and builders in selecting constructions
of the lowest cost suitable for a particular building. With the assist
ance of the Central Housing Committee on Research, Design, and Con
struction, the test results are being analyzed and tentative performance
standards developed. To secure additional information on the be
havior of conventional wood-frame floors, the stiffness of 12 panels
having 6 different depths of joists was determined. A more extended
program has been formulated for the coming year.
Rain penetration and weather protection of masonry walls.—Tests
of water permeability were made on walls of specially designed com
mercial units and on specimens of rammed earth, rammed soil cement,
adobe, and blocks of soil mixed with portland cement or emulsified
asphalt. Resistance to water penetration under conditions simulating
exposure to wind-driven rain usually was about the same as for
masonry walls of brick, tile, or block of commonly used shapes. Leak
age through the joints of earth-block walls increased with their absorp
tion. Walls of rammed earth were eroded, while those of soil cement
resisted erosion and rain penetration. Exterior coatings of cementwater paints were effective in retarding water penetration, whereas
coatings of bituminous materials applied to the unexposed faces of
highly permeable masonry walls tended to blister. Additional data
were obtained on the effects of exposure to the weather on the water
permeability of masonry walls and the effectiveness of waterproofing
treatments.
Paints for exterior masonry.—To observe the physical properties
and weathering characteristics of representative paints for use as
decorative and protective coatings on exterior masonry walls, 193 test

NATIONAL BUREAU OP STANDARDS

walls and 1 small house were built and painted. Five types of paint:
Cement-water paint, oil paint, synthetic rubber coating, rubber
emulsion, and synthetic resin emulsion paint were applied under prac
tical painting conditions to walls of cast concrete, common brick,
concrete block, cinder block, and light-weight aggregate units. These
walls have been inspected monthly for evidence of film break-down
and loss of decorative value.
Roofing materials.—Two field surveys of the weathering qualities
and extent of use of roofing materials were completed. The first
covered the North Central States from western Pennsylvania through
the Dakotas, and the second from eastern Tennessee to western Texas.
These surveys included a census of the roofing materials used on ap
proximately 17,500 rural dwellings along more than 7,000 miles of
highway. The report on the first survey is in press and that on the
second is in preparation. A general report on roofing problems and
practices based on a questionnaire conducted through Federal housing
agencies was issued (BMS57), also a general manual on asphaltprepared roll roofings and shingles (BMS70).
Surface treatment of metal—The salt-spray tests and the WeatherOmeter tests have been completed on painted galvanized and black
steel panels. Outdoor exposure tests are being continued on the roof
of the Chemistry Building, but no new tests have been started.
Plumbing.—The plumbing manual (BMS66), which is the report of
the subcommittee on plumbing of the Central Housing Committee for
Research, Design, and Construction, has been received with unprece
dented interest. Its provisions are based largely on the Bureau’s
investigations of plumbing and on a study of existing practices as
represented by an analysis of several nationally known recommended
codes and a great number of State and local plumbing codes. It is
expected that through revision and addition the manual will represent
accepted Federal practice in plumbing construction, and will have a
considerable influence in modernizing State and local plumbing codes.
The technical results of the Bureau’s plumbing investigations are
being published in a number of separate reports. Report BMS65,
“Methods of Estimating Loads in Plumbing Systems,” gives a syste
matic means of making estimates of water demands based on the
probability of the simultaneous use of fixtures of different kinds, the
estimated greatest average frequency of use of fixtures in different
types of occupancy, and the water requirements of different fixtures
Other reports are in preparation.
Heating plants and appliances.—Performance tests were made on
1 instantaneous water heater, 2 oil-fired space heaters, 1 coal-fired
space heater, 1 fireplace heater, 1 oil-fired boiler, and 7 oil-fired warmair furnaces. One fuel-oil meter was calibrated. Two oil-burning
devices for installation in converted coal ranges were tested for the
Federal Trade Commission. Technical reports have been prepared on
12 of these devices and several of them have already been distributed.
Four trips were made to points outside Washington to investigate
special problems confronting the Federal Housing Administration.
Heat distribution crnd temperature gradients.—An oil-fired hotwater boiler and a hand-fired coal boiler of the same design were
installed in the basement of the Bureau’s test bungalow, together with
a suitable hot-water radiator system, and the temperature distribution

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

throughout the house was observed with each. It was found that the
liberation of some heat in the basement was very useful in raising the
temperature on and near the floor above.
Chimneys.—In order to study the natural draft in chimneys, two
lined masonry chimneys about 38 feet high were built on the Bureau
grounds. Each was provided with openings for changing its effective
height by approximately 5-foot increments. The temperature and
draft conditions prevailing in the 9-by-9-inch chimney were studied
for heights of about 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 feet. The temperature and
draft conditions in two insulated metal chimneys or flues were also
investigated.
Heat-transfer tests of wall sections.—The heat transmissions of 48
modifications of 37 different wall constructions were measured in a
guarded liot-box type of heat-transfer test apparatus. Of the different
constructions, 16 were of masonry, 11 of wood frame, 5 of sheet metal,
and 5 of rammed earth. Results of the tests of 20 of the constructions
have been issued in the form of 10 mimeographed reports and others
are in preparation.
Heat losses through floors.—At the request of the United States
Housing Authority, measurements were made of the heat losses in
winter from a heated structure through four types of concrete floors
on the ground and three types of concrete floors and one wooden floor
over ventilated and unventilated crawl spaces. An effort was made to
express the floor losses in a unit involving the difference in temperature
between the air in the heated structure and the ground temperature
some distance under the surface. The work will be continued during
the next winter season.
Floor coverings.—The physical properties of floor coverings that
have a bearing on their performance and durability in service include
resistance to abrasion, resistance to tear and fracture, indentation
characteristics, dimensional changes with change in atmospheric
conditions, and resistance to cleansing and finishing materials.
Many types of floor covering must be bonded to a subfloor, and a
failure in bond is very likely to result in failure of the covering.
Laboratory performance tests of various installations of floor cover
ings have been conducted at the Bureau with special emphasis on
their resistance to abrasion and resistance to tear and fracture
(BMS34, BMS43, BMS68). An investigation of the moistureresisting properties of adhesives for floor coverings (BMS59) showed
their resistance to be inadequate for bonding linoleum to basement
subfloors where moisture conditions are prolonged or severe. It is
considered advisable to waterproof concrete floors in contact with the
ground by the bituminous-membrane method. The indentation char
acteristics of 64 floor coverings were determined (BMS14, BMS73),
special consideration having been given to their ability to yield under
foot, or “comfort value,” and their resistance to permanent indenta
tion under a concentrated load. The effects of elevated temperature
and aging were included, and the influence of changes in relative
humidity on dimensions is being investigated. A specification for
felt-backed floor coverings was prepared at the request of other
Government agencies for use in connection with defense housing
projects. The specification covers three types of wearing surfaces:

NATIONAL BUREAU OU STANDARDS

linoléum composition, cellulose nitrate composition, and resin-treated
cotton-linters sheet.
Fire-resistance tests.—The fire resistance of wood-joist and steeljoist floors was determined, and the concluding fire tests were made
in programs covering clay hollow-tile and light-weight concreteblock partitions. Results with wood and metal-framed partitions
were published (BMS71). Progress was made on fire-hazard tests
with prefabricated chimney constructions.
Fire-resistance ratings derived from all available test data were
compiled for partitions, beams, girders, and some types of floor
constructions.
Commercial standards.—Among the commercial standards pro
mulgated this year, eight were for materials used in housing con
struction—namely, hardwood stair treads and risers, CS89-40; fac
tory fitted Douglas fir entrance doors, CS91-41 ; calking lead, CS94r41 ; lead pipe, CS95-41 ; lead traps and bends, CS96-41 ; Douglas fir
plywood (domestic grades) (fourth edition), CS45-40; domestic
burners for Pennsylvania anthracite (underfeed type) (second edi
tion), CS48-40; and oak flooring (second edition), CS56-41. The
first five are new standards, while the last three are revisions. After
careful investigation and conferences with those interested, tenta
tive drafts for three proposed commercial standards covering gas
floor furnaces, oil-burning space heaters, and pine stock doors, and
two proposed revisions covering wall paper (CS16-29), and auto
matic mechanical draft oil burners designed for domestic instal
lations (CS75-39) were prepared. Also preliminary studies were
made on revisions of plywood (hardwood and eastern red cedar)
(CS35-31), and fiber insulating board (second edition) (CS42-35).
GENERAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT, 1941

The amounts and objects of each appropriation for the fiscal year,
together with disbursements, liabilities, and balance for each appro
priation, are shown in the following table :

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
Disbursements, liabilities, etc., 19^1, 191/0, and 1939 appropriations
Appropriations

Total
appro
Liabilities
priations
1 Disburse
ments
$325,534.75 $272,563.27 $52,796.48
1,189.000.00
111,508.92
753,844.
55 1,076,149.08
727,680.08
26,156.47
121,791.77
119,262.20
2,397. 52
57
100,000.00
75,020.74
23,947.
37,796.
82
33,865.18
3,733.97
7,642.24
3,251.87
1,329.83
125,000.00 125,000.00
6,000.00
5, 572.14
184.27
11,300.00 11,216.66
2.000.00
62.30
1,935.92
19,800.00
19,270.43
354. 38
206,431.00
174,
379.
84
31,270.24
21,784. 43 20,468.18
1,091.62
20,000.
00 22,
18,932.09
1,008.63
24,167.00
604. 63
1, 268.98
50,492.01 45, 559.51
3,895.49
50,726.65 41, 292. 23
8,262.45
50,068. 57 43,176. 75
5,921. 98
100,000.00 92, 766. 86
7,123.04
9,000. 00
8, 002.17
756.
2,000. 00
1,919. 70
93
63. 23
47
14,8,000.00
000.00 10,009.
3,894.
34
7,518.35
448.75

Operation and administration 12_............ ...........
Testing, inspection and information 3_........
Research and development 4_........ ..................
Standards for commerce 5*.. . .......... _________
Enlarging optical glass plant building_______
Investigation of building materials, 1940-4178__.
Electrical building and equipment7.................
Land___________________________________
Appropriations transferred from other depart
ments:
Salaries and expenses, Weather Bureau__
Salaries and expenses, Bureau of Engrav
ing and Printing.....................................
Distinctive paper for United States securi
ties..................................... ............. ...........
Maintenance, Bureau of Ships_________
Aviation, Navy__________________ ____
Technical development, C. A. A.®_______
Incidental expenses of Army, 1940-41........
Air Corps, Army___ __________________
Administrative expenses, Home Owners’
Loan Corporation 9__________________
Administrative expenses, U. S. Housing
Authority 101________________________
Administrative expenses, Federal Hous
ing Authority 11_____________ _______
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics___
Establishment
of air
navigation facilities,
C. A. A_______
____________________
Maintenance, National Cancer Institute. _
Ordnance service and supplies, Army___
Ordnance and ordnance stores, Navy____
Appropriations transferred from other depart
ments under the provision of the Legislative
Act approved June 30, 1932:
Working fund, 1941:
Navy, aviation.......................................
6,400.00
3,532.54
Navy—Ordnance........ ...........................
54,000. 00 53,902.86
Treasury—Internal Revenue_______
6,
000.00
5,803.
23
Federal Trade Commission_________
10,000.00
9, 284. 58
Working fund, no year:
Maritime Commission.____________
15,000.00 14, 632.37
Navy, A. A. A___________________
168,000.00
25, 660.
531. 62
75
Navy—Yards and Docks___________
100,000.
00 55,
Navy—Supply Account fund_____ _
7,000.00
3,
283.06
Treasury, Procurement Division____
20,000.00
420.08
Working fund, 1940-42:
Defense Research Committee, War...
161,380.00
25,
536. 66
Defense Research Committee, Navy..
10,900. 00
7,777.06
Total, 1941................................ ........... 3,815,059.79 3,162, 782. 62
Total, 1940_____________________ 3, 257,073. 26
788. 65
23
Total, 1939__________ ___________ 122, 970,013. 74 3,190,
2,888,964.
1

2,327.11
11. 52
99.14
551.89
70.96
19, 679.
67
265.
95
2,573.75
874.66
113,873.72
3,003. 70
430,809.00
53, 604. 32
59, 740.11

Balance
$175.00
1,342.00
8.00
132.00
91,031.74
197.67
«3,060.54
243.59
83.34
1.78
175.19
780.92
224.63
59.28
293.39
1,037.01
1,171.97
969.84
110.10
241. 60
16.60
95.96
32.90
540.35
85.62
97.63
163.53
296.67
122,788.
58
44,073.
43
1,143.19
18,705.26
21,969.62
119.24
221,468.17
12,680.71
21,
308.98

1Includes transfers
departments,
reimbursements received and pending and appropriation
adjustments
as shownfrom
underother
the following
footnotes:
23$1,034.75.
$303,000.
4«$291.77.
$28,844.55.
9Available in 1942.
78$84.43.
Available in 1941.
719$492.01.
$726.65.
11$68.57.
32Does not include $359,600 transferred to Treasury Department, Procurement Division, Public Buildings.

PATENT OFFICE
RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES

Earnings of the Patent Office in the fiscal year ended June 30, 1941,
were $195,825.11 below those in the preceding 12 months, owing, in
large part, to the heavy decrease in the number of applications filed
by foreigners; to the transfer to the Register of Copyrights of the
function of registering prints and labels; and to the abolition of
renewals and of certain appeals in interferences. Concurrently, a
slight increase in the expenditures of the Office was necessitated by
its performance of duties concerned with national defense. The
income of the Office in 1940-41 was $4,149,141.97, as against $4,344,967.08 in 1939-40. There was an unearned balance of $220,466.10 at
the close of business on June 30, 1941. The deficit for the same
period was $374,382.81. In the 8 years from June 30, 1933, to June
30, 1941, the excess of receipts over expenditures has averaged $45,000
annually.
_
.
.
Applications received from foreigners seeking patents m 1941 num
bered 5,225, compared with 7,445 in the preceding fiscal period. This
decline was reflected in a reduction of about $66,000 in receipts. The
changes in the patent laws recorded in the annual report for 1940,
namely, the transfer of the registration of prints and labels to the
Copyright Office, and the elimination of renewals and of an appeal
in interferences, have also resulted in a considerable loss of revenue
to the Patent Office. It is estimated that they represented some
$60,000 of the total decrease in 1940-41. Along with these curtail
ments of its income, the Office was obliged to expend $15,060 for the
work of its Defense Committee, created to find and safeguard
defensive inventions covered by pending applications.
Including those for designs, applications for patents in 1940-41
were 65,901, or 3,486 fewer than in the preceding year. There was
a decrease also in the number of applications for registrations and
renewals of trade-marks. In 1939-40 the aggregate of these was
14,843. In the latest fiscal year their number was 14,302. Applica
tions for design patents totaled 8,462, the largest number ever filed
in any 12 months. Patents granted in 1940-41, including those for
designs, plants, and reissues, were 48,449, or 525 more than in 1939^10.
PATENT OEEICE DEFENSE COMMITTEE

By an act of Congress (Public, No. 700) approved July 1,1940, there
was assigned to the Patent Office a new and important function in
furtherance of national defense. This act authorizes the Commissioner
of Patents to order to be kept secret an invention revealed in an appli
cation and to withhold the grant of a patent whenever disclosure of
the invention might be detrimental to the public safety or defense.
91

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

To administer this act the Commissioner appointed the Patent Office
Defense Committee, whose members are patent examiners. This com
mittee initiates searches for applications for inventions in categories
deemed by defense agencies of the Government as having importance
and has submitted to it by the primary examiners those cases the pub
lication of which is regarded as detrimental to the national defense.
The committee considers these cases, and in collaboration with advi
sory agencies, determines those in which orders of secrecy should be
issued.
The Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy have consti
tuted an Army and Navy Patent Advisory Board to cooperate with the
Defense Committee in the selection of those applications which should
be held in secrecy. Other defense agencies likewise collaborating with
the Patent ^Office committee are the Office of Production Management
and the Office of Scientific Research and Development.
When a request is made to the Administrator of Export Control to
file an application for patent in a foreign country he seeks from the
Patent Office Defense Committee information as to the corresponding
United States application, since the actions of the Administrator and
the Patent Office must be coordinated. The committee investigates
every such United States application in the defense categories under
the Administrator’s control and, after any necessary conferences with
the advisory agencies, informs him of the status of the application
under the act. License to file abroad should not ordinarily be granted
if the corresponding United States application is held in secrecy, and
a patent should not be permitted to issue if a license has been refused.
To prevent interference with the use and further development in
the United States of inventions disclosed in applications held secret
under the act, the committee, in cooperation with the advisory agencies
considers petitions for modification of the orders of secrecy so as to
permit disclosure of such inventions to certain reliable persons named
in the petitions. It considers also questions of modifying the orders
to the extent of sanctioning the filing of applications in certain foreign
countries where they may be held secret under laws similar to Public,
No. 100. Many applications were considered by the Committee during
the first months of its existence, and secrecy orders affecting a large
number of them were issued. Members of the Patent Office Defense
Committee are Harold H. Jacobs, chairman; James A. Brearley, David
Bmgle, Vernon I. Richard, Mark Taylor, Winfred M. Adams, and
William G. Wiles.
CONDITION OF THE WORK

Applications pending on June 30, 1941, numbered 104.957, or 5,786
less than the total on June 30, 1940. Cases disposed of in the latest
fiscal year were 62,281, as against 64,571 in 1939-40. Cases awaiting
action were 42,106, compared with 44,902 on June 30, 1940. New
receipts wTere 4,824 below those in 1940.
The work of 4 examining divisions was within 3 months of cur
rent at the end of the year. Of the remaining divisions, 13 were
between 3 and 4 months in arrears; 14 divisions were behind between
4 and 5 months; 22 were between 5 and 6 months in arrears and
the remaining 12 were between 6 and 7 months behind.

PATENT OFFICE

CLASSIFICATION OF PATENTS

In addition to its regular work, the Classification Division in
the past year rendered assistance to the National Inventors Council
by loaning experienced personnel to establish a classification system
for ideas submitted to the council by inventors.
Reclassification of patents progressed' with a slightly reduced
examining force. Work on three classes (34, 106, 134) involving
20,568 original patents and 27,223 cross references, was completed
and these were issued as two new classes (34 and 106). In addi
tion, 177 subclasses, containing 4,653 original patents and 4,508 cross
references, were added to existing classes; 41 subclasses, containing
2,056 original patents, were abolished and the patents transferred
to existing classes; 2,497 miscellaneous patents were transferred;and 2,811 miscellaneous cross references were added to various
classes to facilitate searching.
In connection with the weekly issue, the classification of 41,646
patents was checked and 30,791 cross references were made.
Revision is proceeding with 19 classes, of which three (53, 156,
241) are receiving a final review before release. Work has been
suspended on classes 42 and 89 since the classifier has been called
to active military duty and has not been replaced.
Copy has been prepared to make current the Index to the Manual
of Classification.
The Classification Division wrote decisions in 874 controversies
as to assignment of applications for examination, and in 3,295 appli
cations rendered written decisions as to the propriety of require
ments of division. Informal decisions and information as to fields
of search, joinder, procedure, etc., were given in 9,534 interview's
with examiners and 4,883 interviews with inventors, attorneys, or
others not connected with the Office.
SPECIAL CASES

During the last fiscal year there were received 275 petitions from
applicants seeking to have their applications examined out of turn
in accordance with the practice of granting such special status w7hen
there is a prospect that the issuance of a patent would result in
investment of capital and the employment of labor in the manu
facture of inventions covered, or would otherwise be of public
benefit.
The total of such petitions was 23 less than that received in 1940.
Of the petitions filed in 1941 there were granted 120, of which 53
received such favorable consideration in the interest of prospective
manufacture necessitating original or additional use of capital and
labor.
PATENT OFFICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

This committee continued its monthly sessions during 1940-41.
Consideration of proposals for improvement in the internal adminis
tration of the Patent Office, as v'ell as suggested amendments to the
patent law, occupied a major portion of the committee’s time. The
relationship between patents and national defense was being studied,

REPORT OE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

and from time to time there were forwarded to the Secretary of Com
merce, through the Commissioner of Patents, recommendations for
keeping the patent laws abreast of the changes in the national-defense
program. The committee continued to cooperate with the Commis
sioner of Patents and the Patent Office officials with respect to the
reports of the Temporary National Economic Committee.
Since the last previous report there has been no change in the mem
bership of the Advisory Committee.
STATISTICS

Following is presented the usual statistical information regarding
the activities of the Patent Office:
Applications received during the fiscal year ended June SO, 1941 1
With fees:
Applications for patents for inventions---------------------------- 56, 578
Applications for patents for designs---------------------------------- 8 , 462
Applications for reissue of patents------------------------------------ 316
---------- 65,356
Applications for registration of trade-marks---------------------------------- 214,302
Total, with fees_____________________________________________ 79, 658
Without fees:
Applications for inventions (act Mar. 3, 1883)____________ 543
Applications for reissue (act Mar. 3, 1883)-----------------------2
Total without fees___________________________________________
545
Grand total_____________________________________________ 80,203
1 Including applications in which fees were refunded and transferred.
* Includes 2,837 applications for renewal of trade-mark registrations.

Applications for
Year ended June 30—
1932 ________________
1933 ________________
1934 ________________
1935 ________________
1936_____________________

patents for inventions with fees
Year ended June 30—
1937 _________________ 63,772
73,465
1938 ________________ 6 6 , 050
59,408
1939 _________________66,166
56, 095
56, 832
1940 ________________ 61, 425
1941 ________________ 56, 578
59, 809

Applications for patents, including reissues, designs, trade-marks, labels, and
prints, with fees
Year ended June 30—
Year ended June 30—
1932 _________
1937 ________________ 89,980
93, 859
1938 __________________92,018
1933 _________
79, 46'»
1934 _________
1939 _________________91,163
79, 367
1935 _________
1940 ________________ 87,059
81,000
85,102
1941 ________________ 1 79, 658
1936 _________
1 Prints and labels not included after July 1, 1940; transferred to Register of Copyrights.

June 30—
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936

Patent applications awaiting action
June 30—
___________________ 76, 723
1937 ___________________38,121
___________________ 49,050
1938 ___________________ 45, 723
___________________ 39,226
1939 ____________________42,215
1940 ___________________ 44, 902
___________________31,920
__________________ 33, 540
1941 ___________________42,112

PATENT OFFICE
Patents withheld and patents expired
1940
Applications in which issue of patent has been deferred under sec. 4885 It. S____

4,241
15, 361
38,973
781
3,936

1941
3, 260
16, 730
45, 218
747
3, 520

Patents granted and trade-marks, labels, and prints registered 1

Design patents________________________
Total.......................... ............................

1937

1938

1939

1940

39,412
65
4,939
405
11,329
1,955
551
58, 656

36,672
28
5,142
343
10, 529
1,806
609
55,129

41,908
52
5,154
359
10, 591
1, 770
545
60,379

41, 708
73
5,779
364
10, 254
1,856
614
60,648

1941
41,335
71
6,695
348
9,439
57,888

i Prints and labels not included after July 1, 1940; transferred to Register of Copyrights.

Statement of receipts and earnings for the fiscal year ended June SO, lOlfl
Unearned balance at close of business June 30,
1940_______________________________________ $218, 949.24
Collections during fiscal year ended June 30, 1941_ 4,176,181. 76
Total____________________________________ 4, 395,131. 00
Refundments__________________________________
25, 522. 93
Net collections-------------------------------------------------------------$4,369, 608.07
Earnings ;
$1, 693, 680. 00
Inventions, first fees
29,993. 00
Extra claims_ ______
9, 480. 00
Reissues _______ _____ ___
Designs
. _
8 6 , 945. 00
35, 825. 00
Design extensions
210, 540. 00
Trade-marks ___ _________
Oppositions
_
__ _
10,690. 00
Recording articles of incorpora
681. 0 0
tion
Recording international trade
60. 0 0
marks_ _ ___
$2,077, 894. 00
T o ta l_ _
__
Pinal fees —
_ _ $1,231,350. 00
15,383. 00
Extra claims ___
1, 560. 00
Disclaimers ____ _
1, 248, 293. 00
Total_____ _ _
_ -.
$63, 765. 00
Appeals
_ _
5,470. 00
Revivals ______ __ _ _
69,235. 00
Total
Printed copies, etc _ — — $409, 816. 95
9, 889. 20
Photoprints
57, 813. 70
Photostats
_ -----—
Mannspript __ _
106,103.40
6,118. 60
Certified printed copies
Total____________________________________ 589, 741. 85

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Statement of receipts and earnings for the fiscal year ended June 30, 19Jtl —Con.
Earnings—Continued.
Registration of attorneys___________________
$955. 00
Court costs refundments___________________
1, 388. 62
18, 524. 70
Drawings------------ ---------------------------------Assignments---------------------------------------------- 143,109. 80
Total earnings_________
$4,149,141. 97
Unearned balance June 30, 1941.
220, 466. 10
Net receipts.
4, 369,608. 07
Expenditures, fiscal year ended June 30, 19-tfl
Salaries------------------------------------------------------------------------------ $3, 625,559. 74
Photolithograpliing :
Current issue, black and white_________________ $44,130. 64
Current issue, color____________________________ 12,287. 50
Reproduction, black and white__________________ 83, 389. 75
Reproduction, color___________________________ ________
Photographie printing_________________________ 13, 713.19
Photostat supplies_____________________________ 58,079. 09
Total_____________________________________________ '___ 211, 600.17
Miscellaneous expenses_______________________________________
67, 550.91
Printing and binding:
Specifications________________________________$685, 763.90
Official Gazette_______________________________, 92, 538. 09
Indexes------------------------------------------------------- 11, 595. 02
Total_______
_______ 789,897.01
Miscellaneous _.
_______
49,000.00
Travel expenses:
Public use, etc.
$383. 05
Commissioner—
383.05
Total.
4,743, 990. 8 8
Receipts and expenditures
Receipts from all sources_____________________________________ $4, 369,608. 07
Expenditures________________________________________________ 4, 743,930. 8 8
Deficit________________________________________________
374,382.81
Receipts from sale of Official Gazette and other publications
(Superintendent of Documents)_____________________________
76, 031. 83
Comparative statement
June 30—

Receipts

1932___________________________________
1933____________________________________
1934.__________________________________
1935____________________________________
1936_______ ____________ ______ _
1937____________________________________
1938____________________ ... ______
1939_______ ____________________________
1940___________________________________
1941_______________________ ____ ______

1$4,487, 508.78
* 4,423,563.18
14, 383,468.11
14, 264, 874. 67
14, 368, 099.17
i 4, 565, 501. 69
14,551, 298.87
14, 742, 617. 26
14, 563, 916. 32
14,369, 608.07

Expenditures

Deficit

$5,314,851. 59 $827,342.81
4, 588, 585.02 165, 021. 84
3,876, 785.01
4, 153, 591.21
4,446, 463. 69
78, 364.52
4, 492, 273.47
4,476,913.25
4, 615, 505.11
4, 663, 539.42
99,623.10
4, 743, 990.88 374,382.81

Surplus
$506, 683.10
111, 283.46
73, 228. 22
74,385. 62
127,112.15

1 This does not include the amount received by the Superintendent of Documents for the Official Gazette
and other publications.

PATENT OFFICE
Comparative statement of expenditures under separate appropriations
Appropriation

1940

1941

$3, 557,189. 83 $3, 625, 559. 74
211, 600.17
179, 775. 68
789,897.01
804,991.16
49,000.00
59,162.90
67,550.91
62,008. 20
383. 05
411.65
4,663, 539.42 4,743,990.88

Patent •
Litigated cases
Interferences declared----------------------------------------------------------------1,053
Interferences disposed ofbefore final hearing------------------------------- 981
Interferences disposed ofafter final hearing--------------------------------- 223
Interferences heard_________________________________
2!26
Interferences awaiting decision---------------------------------------------------- 51
Trade-mark:
Interferences declared---------------------------------------------------------------- 113
Oppositions instituted----------------------------------------------------------------- 1, 054
Cancellations instituted_________________________________________ 167
Interferences disposed of before final hearing------------------------------- 955
Interferences disposed of after final hearing--------------------------------- 330
Interferences heard_____________________________________________ 357
Interferences awaiting decision----------------------------------------------------- 45
Before the Board of Appeals:
Appeals in ex parte cases---------------------------------------------------3, 978
Appeals in interference cases:
Priorities_______________________________________ 95
Motions_________________________________________ 31
— 126
---------- 4,104
Ex parte appeals decided-------------------------------------------------- 4,066
Appeals in interference cases decided:
Priorities_______________________________________ 120
Motions_________________________________________ 115
-------- 235
—----- 4, 301
Ex parte cases awaiting action---------------------------------------------2,584
Interference cases awaiting action:
Priorities------------------------ t----------------------------,—
41
Motions------------------------------------------------------------9
•--------- 50
-------- 2, 634
Oldest ex parte case awaiting action---------------------------------------- Apr. 22, 1941.
Oldest interference case awaiting action---------------------------------- May 16, 1941.
To the Commissioner:
Appeals in trade-mark interferences------ ---------------------2
Appeals in trade-mark oppositions------------------------------79
Appeals in trade-mark cancellations---------------------------- : 18
Appeals in ex parte trade-mark cases-------------------------- 44
Interlocutory appeals------------------------------------------------- _____29 P72
Petitions to Commissioner:
Ex parte----------------------------------------------- -------------------1, 035
Inter partes------------------------------------------------------------- 171
To make special------------------------------------------------------- 275
To revive----------------------------------------------------------------- 363
Renewed petitions to revive--------------------------------------- 79
Delayed final fee----------------------------------------------------- 198
Renewed petitions for delayed final fee------------------------ 52
Under Rule 78_______________________________________6 , 283
-------- 8 , 456
8 , 628

REPOET OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Litigated cases—Continued.
Cases disposed of by Commissioner:
Appeals in trade-mark interferences__________________
1
Appeals in trade-mark oppositions_____________________ 60
Appeals in trade-mark cancellations__________________ 13
Appeals in ex parte trade-marks______________________ 33
Interlocutory appeals_________________________________ 29
-------- 136
Petitions disposed o f:
Ex parte-------------------------------------------------------------------1,035
Inter partes_________________________________________ 1 7 1
To make special_____________________________________ 275
To revive____________________________________________ 363
Renewed petitions to revive__________________________ 79
Delayed payment of final fee__________________________ 198
Renewed petitions for delayed final fee_______________
52
Under Rule 78______________________________________ 6 , 283
-------- 8,456
-------- 8,592
Cases in District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia
Cases pending July 1, 1940____________________________________________ 130
Cases filed July 1, 1940-June 30,1941___________________________________ 110
240
Cases disposed o f:
Patent Office affirmed_______________________________________ 44
Patent Office affirmed only in part___________________________ 12
Patent Office reversed_________________________________________
2
Dismissed for want of prosecution____________________________
4
Dismissed by stipulation____________________________________ 5 9
Dismissed on motion of Commissioner_________________________
2
Total disposed of_______________________ ______________________ 123
Total pending on June 30, 1941__________________________________ 117
Cases in United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
Cases pending on July 1, 1940_________________________________________ 3 1
Appeals taken from July 1, 1940, to June 30, 1941_______________________ 18
Total_________________________________________________________
49
Cases disposed o f:
Patent Office affirmed______________________________________ 20
Patent Office reversed or affirmed only in part_______________
3
-------- 23
Number of cases pending June 30, 1941___________________________ 26
Cases in United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
Number of notices of appeals:
In ex parte cases (including 5 trade-marks)__________________ 89
In inter paries cases (patents)______________________________ 4 5
E x parte design application--_______________________________
1
In trade-mark oppositions___________________________________ 20
In trade-mark cancellations_________________________________ 1 0
Trade-mark interference___________________________________
1
XT
,
166
Number
of„ cases pending on July 1, 1940_______________________________
Number of cases docketed in court July 1, 1940-June 30, 1941__________ I
Total-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

109
133

242

PATENT OFFICE

Cases in United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals—Continued
Cases disposed o f:
Inter partes eases:
Patent Office afiirmed or appeal dismissed----------------------- 4o
Patent Office reversed or affirmed only in part----------------- 14
Ex parte cases:
Patent Office affirmed or appeal dismissed----------------------- 78
Patent Office reversed or affirmed only in part----------------- 13
Cases otherwise disposed of------------------------------------------------------7
Number of cases pending June 30, 1941----------------------------------------

OTHER DETAILS OF BUSINESS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR

As to the volume of business, the Office received during the year
65,356 applications for patents, reissues, and designs; 11,465 trademark applications, and 2.,837 applications for renewal of trade-mark
registrations; 161,901 amendments to patent applications, 13,255
amendments to design applications, and 13,862 amendments to trade
mark applications.
The number of letters constituting the miscellaneous correspond
ence received and indexed was 445,181. In addition 28,736 letters were
returned with information.
The number of printed copies of patents sold was 4,021,821; 1,242,465
copies of patents were shipped to foreign governments, and 828,228
copies were furnished public libraries. The total number of copies
of patents furnished was 6,776,621, including those for Office use and
other departments.
The Office received for record 43,697 deeds of assignment.
The Drafting Division made 697 drawings for inventors, and cor
rected 11,680 drawings on request of inventors; in addition, 5,969
drawings were corrected for which no charge was made; 120,731 sheets
of drawings were inspected, and 14,707 letters answered.
Typewritten copies of 2,609,700 words were furnished at 10 cents per
hundred words. The Office certified to 13,823 manuscript copies, and
furnished 5,373 miscellaneous certified copies. The Office also fur
nished 460,833 photostatic copies of manuscript pages, 36,058 photo
graphic copies, and 288,597 photostatic copies of publications and
foreign patents for sale; 19,653 photostat-manuscript pages, 70 certi
fied manuscript copies, and 14,784 photostatic copies for Government
departments, without charge; 30,275 photostatic and 17,658 photo
graphic copies for use of the Patent Office; 13,421 photostat copies
for sale through photoprint section and 291 photostats for Office use;
also 68,985 photostats for assignments, grants, and disclaimers for
official use; in all, 904,055 photostatic and 53,716 photographic copies
were furnished.

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION
The organization of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Naviga
tion remained substantially unchanged during the year with the ex
ception of tire reduction in the number of local boards of inspectors
throughout the area served by the Bureau from 48 to 45. The organi
zation of the Washington office of the Bureau is unchanged. The field
service is composed of 7 supervising inspection districts, 45 boards of
local inspectors, and 14 offices of shipping commissioners. In addi
tion, the Bureau operates a small fleet of patrol vessels for the enforce
ment of the navigation laws, particularly the motorboat laws.
VESSEL INSPECTION DIVISION

This Division, which is responsible for the safety and seaworthiness
of merchant vessels of the United States, has had much additional
work by reason of the accelerated shipbuilding program necessitated
by the national emergency.
Excluding all vessels of under 1,000 gross tons, vessels under con
struction and under contract in the United States yards jumped from
265 vessels aggregating 1,800,000 gross tons on July 1, 1940, to 955
vessels aggregating 5,800.000 gross tons on July 1, 1941. This is an
increase of 690 vessels of 4,000,000 gross tons during the year. Over
90 percent of this tonnage is comprised of large seagoing ships, and
all of the increased ship construction comes under the surveillance of
the inspectors of this Division.
The inspection of the materials and appurtenances, as manufactured
for installation in these vessels in all parts of the country, has placed
much additional work on the field and Bureau personnel of the Division.
Assisting the 90 local inspectors comprising the 45 boards through
out the United States were 337 assistant inspectors as of June 30,
1941, an increase of 27 over the previous year.
Attached to the Division’s administrative staff in Washington are
10 principal and 4 traveling inspectors who make frequent visits to the
field in the interest of securing uniformity and efficiency.
The reduction in the number of boards of local inspectors from 48
to 45 was carried out in the interest of economy and efficiency. The
board at Evansville, Ind., was moved and reestablished at Cairo, 111.
The board at Port Huron, Midi., was abolished, and its functions con
solidated with those of the Detroit office. The board at Bangor,
Maine, was abolished and its functions consolidated with those of the
Portland, Maine, office. In lieu of the board formerly located at
Marquette, Mich., a new board of local inspectors was established at
St. Ignace, Mich. The boards at Hoquiam, Wash., and St. Michael,
Alaska, were abolished and their functions integrated with those of
the Seattle board. It was necessary to establish a new board of local
inspectors at Miami, Fla., to take care of the increased activity in
101

4 2 7 4 3 3 -4 2 -

■ 10

102

REPORT OP TH E SECRETARY OP COMMERCE

that area. In the interest of improving administration and effecting
economies the supervising inspector’s office at Pittsburgh, Pa., was
moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to locate that office more centrally in the
district.
The 45 boards of local inspectors situated in the various ports within
the continental limits of the United States and in the Territories of
Puerto Eico, Hawaii, and Alaska apply and enforce the inspection laws
and regulations governing the construction, equipment, operation, and
manning of inspected merchant vessels under the administration of
the Division at Washington.
BOARD OF SUPERVISING INSPECTORS

In addition to presiding over their district, the supervising inspectors
are required by statute to meet as a board once each year and at such
other time as the Secretary of Commerce shall prescribe to promulgate,
with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, all necessary rules
and regulations under the vessel-inspection laws for the safety of life
and property.
During the fiscal year there were four executive committee meetings
of the Board of Supervising Inspectors as well as the required annual
meeting of the full Board in January. The executive committee
which convened July 23, 1940, adopted new regulations to govern ves
sels and other floating equipment used by civilian nautical schools,
made necessary by Public, No. 606, Seventy-sixth Congress, approved
June 12,1940.' Again, while in executive session on December 2,1940,
the executive committee of the Board adopted regulations pursuant to
the act of April 25, 1940 (Public, No. 484, 76th Cong.), known as the
new Motorboat Act, which apply to all motorboats and certain vessels
more than 65 feet in length propelled by machinery other than steam.
At the annual meeting of the Board in January 1941, exhaustive con
sideration was given to new regulations covering construction of boilers
and fittings and the welding of piping. In consequence thereof, rules
I and II were amended to bring them in line with modern practice in
these matters. Standard specifications were adopted for portable fire
extinguishing equipment and vest-type life preservers, buoyant cush
ions, and ring buoys. The Board revised the boundary lines of the
supervising and local inspection districts in accordance with the
recommendations adopted at the 1940 annual meeting.
The executive committee of April 3,1941, considered regulations cov
ering transportation, stowage, and use of explosives and other danger
ous articles and substances and combustible liquids on board vessels,
which regulations had been promulgated by the Bureau and approved
by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to the act of October 9, 1940
(Public, No. 809, 76th Cong.).
The committee amended certain sections of the general rules and
regulations governing all classes of vessels in conformity to the new
requirements, and the Board’s authority to write regulations to guard
against fire on inspected vessels was reaffirmed under section 2 (a) of
the subject act (Public, No. 809, 76th Cong.).
In conformity with the provisions of an act, approved on June 6,
1941, authorizing the acquisition by the United States of the title
or use of certain foreign merchant vessels found in United States
ports, regulations which provided for the inspection, certification, and

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gOI

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aNv JsroixoadSNi aMiavwr ao nvaana

104

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

and fire aboard the motorboat Nightingale, a vessel of 25 gross tons,
with the loss of 7 lives.
The clarifying legislation submitted to Congress during the year
1940 to raise the low safety requirements applicable to uninspected
motorboats carrying passengers for hire had not been enacted into law
at the end of the year. This proposed legislation, now designated as
H. 11. 555, provides that all motor vessels carrying more than 16 passen
gers on domestic voyages or carrying more than 12 passengers on inter
national voyages shall be subject to the provisions of title L II of the
Revised Statutes to such extent and upon such conditions as may be
required by the Board of Supervising Inspectors with the approval of
the Secretary of Commerce. The necessity for legislation of this char
acter was emphasized by the loss of the uninspected motorboat Don off
Harpswell, Maine, on June 30, 1941, resulting in the death of the 36
persons who were on board.
LICENSED OFFICERS

In view of the extensive demand for additional licensed officers to
man inspected vessels during the present national emergency, the proj
ect of the standardization and centralization of the examination and
licensing system was held in abeyance during the year. However,
several sample sets of examinations in both the deck and engineering
branches were published in the Bureau bulletin. A portion of the
material now available in the Washington office of the Division was
drawn upon to prepare supplementary examination questions and an
swers for subsequent distribution to the field offices.
During the fiscal year 12,204 deck officers’ licenses, 10,896 engineer
officers’ licenses, and 22,314 licenses to motorboat operators were issued.
TRAVELING AND PRINCIPAL TRAVELING INSPECTORS

During the fiscal year the traveling and principal traveling inspec
tors inspected 562 .passenger vessels, 191 freight vessels, 77 tank ships,
and 207 tank barges, a total of 1,037 vessels. There were 125 passenger
vessels inspected at sea while engaged on regular voyages. These in
spectors traveled a total of 226,097 miles in the transaction of their
official duties, including 114,830 miles traveled on ships at sea while
conducting reinspections. They also conducted 114 special and mis
cellaneous inspections, on 14 occasions served as members of “B” and
“C” marine investigation boards in the conducting of investigations,
and conducted 29 trials of licensed and certificated personnel in con
nection therewith. Special attention was directed to instructing ships’
officers and crews with reference to emergency drills and passenger
safety. “Man-overboard” drills were witnessed on passenger ships,
resulting in creating considerable interest in this drill. The standard
ization of station bills and emergency drill procedure was conducted
throughout the year, and great improvement was noted in the ability
of masters, officers, and crew members to cope with emergencies.
LOCAL INSPECTORS

A digest of the more important work performed by the field offices
of the Division is given below:

105

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION
Annual certificates of inspection

ton
Number Gross
nage
1,031
2,097
223
2,997
6,348

1,649,750
3,486,724
135,092
6,920,021
12,191, 587

Three hundred and thirty-two vessels aggregating 657,742 gross
tons were issued a first certificate of inspection. Because of delay in
complying with requirements or due to sale to foreign interests, 410
certificates of inspection were withdrawn during the year. Of this
number, 134 were returned upon compliance with the regulations.
Other certificates
Number
Passenger vessel safety certificates (International Convention)--------------- 116
Freight vessel safety radio telegraphy certificates (International Conven
tion)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4’ 364
Endorsing certificates of freight vessels allowing persons in addition to
the crew to be carried----------------------------------------------------------------- 4, 147
Certifying letters on boilers, steam motorboats------------------------------------42
Examinations and surveys
Passenger vessels—special surveys-----------------------------------------------------Vessels of other U. S. Government agencies inspected and examined (hulls
and boilers)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Examination of vessel hulls owned by U. S. Government agencies-----------Passenger vessel reinspections----------------------------------------------------------Hull examinations in drydock------------------------------------------- ----------------Tail shaft examinations and surveys--------------------------------------------------Examination and inspection of crew quarters for sanitation-----------------Examination and inspection of boilers installed in vessels operated by
other Government agencies------------------------------------------------------------Setting and sealing of safety valves---------------------------------------------------Officers’ licenses issued
Number of
candidates
Deck officers_______________
Engineer officers----------------Motorboat operators.............. Yacht officers, d eck ..---- ...
Yacht officers, engine----------Total________________

1,824
2,743
14,016
28
1
18,612

Passes
1,565
2,523
13,123
28
1
17,240

Failures
259
220
893
1,372

Issued
1,565
2,523
13 123
28
1
17,240

Oflicers on uninspected vessels (Draft Convention No. 53) :
Deck officers_____________________________________
Engine officers---------------------------------------------------Certificates of registry to staff officers-------------------------

229
178
296
2,482
6,367
1,025
6 , 791
507
7,236

Endorse
ments for
Renewal pilotage
or
tonnage
8,362
8,182
9,191
16

1,805

25,751

1,805

428
190
966

106

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Certificates of competency and identification issued to seamen
Able seamen certificates______________________________________________ 4 ,564
Certificates as lifeboatman___________________________________________ 5,429
Certificates as tankerman___________________________________________
704
Certificates as qualified member of engine department___________________ 4 ,578
Certificates of service_______________________________________________ 3 9 , 585
Certificates of identification__________________________________________ 3 ,056
Continuous discharge books__________________________________________1 1 ,380
Endorsements to certificates_________________________________________ 1 5 ,269

The local inspectors, in the examination and certification of seamen,
declined to issue on application 450 certificates as able seaman, 492 cer
tificates as lifeboatman, 53 certificates as tankerman, 408 certificates as
qualified member of engine department, 109 certificates of service, 2
certificates of identification, and 532 endorsements to certificates for
change of rating.
Inspection and acceptance of lifesaving equipment during manufacture
Lifeboats__________________________________________________________ _ 1,164
Life rafts_________________________________________________________
366
Buoyant apparatus------------------------------------------------------------------------959
Pairs of davits____________________________________________________
506
Life preservers____________________________________________________ 184, 012
Life buoys_____________________________ ___________________________ 20, 089
Line-throwing guns_____________________________..__________________
86
Signal pistol cartridges____________________________________________ 19, 796
Tensile specimens examined (steel boat hull and line-throwing guns)___
478

In the course of the inspection of lifesaving equipment at factories,
777 life preservers, 71 ring buoys, 3 line-throwing guns, 1,971 signal
pistol cartridges, and one pair of davits were rejected by the inspectors
for faulty workmanship or defects in construction.

Inspection and acceptance of boiler and pressure vessel equipment during
manufacture
Boilers____________________________________________________________
312
Unfired pressure vessels_____________________________________________ 2, 301
Steel boiler plates__________________________________________________ 5 ,118
Steel bars and shapes_______________________________________________ 8,807
Seamless drum forgings-----------------------------------------------------------------69
Corrugated furnaces________________________________________________ 170
Stay tubes------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 5 5
Pounds rivet material_________________ ,_____________________________ 78, 374
Miscellaneous boiler material_______________________________________ 3,204

Due to faulty workmanship or material, the inspectors rejected 4
unfired pressure vessels, 227 steel boiler plates, 101 other steel liars and
shapes, 282 pounds of boiler rivet material, and 58 other miscellaneous
pieces of material for boiler construction.
INSPECTION OF BOILERS OPERATED BY OTHER XT. S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AT
SHORE ESTABLISHMENTS

Inspectors of the Division examined and inspected 1,258 heating and
power boilers operated by a large number of Government agencies, in
cluding the War Department, the Veterans’ Administration. Depart
ment of Agriculture, Department of Justice, Department of Interior,
Department of Labor, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, Tennessee Val
ley Authority, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The expansion of

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION

107

Government agencies in connection with the national defense effort has
necessitated much additional travel and expenditure of time on the
part of the inspectors in carrying out the inspection of boilers and
pressure vessels under construction for such agencies or now installed
and in use. A procedure was initiated to secure reimbursement of
moneys expended in carrying out such inspections by means of securing
a transfer of funds from the Government agency concerned.
Certificates as qualified welder
Original certificates as qualified welder-------------------------------------------------- 586
Renewals of certificates as qualified welder---------------------------------------------- 0 0 ‘

Ninety-three applicants for original welding certificates and 35
applicants for renewal of welding certificates were rejected because of
failure to pass qualifying tests.
INSPECTION OF VESSELS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Two hundred and forty-seven new vessels were built and completed
under the surveillance of inspectors of this Division. In addition 20
new vessels were built and brought up to completion and then were
turned over to the XJ. S. Navy Department for operation. Reports
from the field offices show that the average number of new vessels under
construction per month over the whole country during the year totaled
138. The inspection of this new construction and the checking of the
vessels at various stages of completion for compliance with require
ments and regulations and the details of approved plans has been
intermittent due to the inability of the Division to expand its per
sonnel sufficiently to meet the needs of the increased construction
program.
in v e s t ig a t io n o f c a s u a l t ie s

The field offices completed investigations and findings on 1,467 cases
involving casualties, not deemed serious enough to warrant investiga
tion by Bureau personnel, or, in the case of casualties involving the loss
of life, by a properly constituted “A” board from the Bureau, the
Coast Guard, and the Department of Justice. Preliminary investiga
tions were conducted in conjunction with 33 major aA” board casualties
involving loss of life. Investigations were made in connection with 24
incidents of serious damage to vessels by accident or casualty, the most
important of the latter being the stranding of the passenger vessel
Manhattan, resulting in $3,000,000 damage to the ship and involving
$600,000 in salvage cost. No lives were lost in the stranding of this
luxurious passenger vessel.
.
.
Investigations were also conducted concerning 329 complaints in
volving misconduct, misbehavior, inattention to duty, or violation of
the navigation laws by licensed or certificated personnel.
MISCELLANEOUS EXAMINATIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS

In connection with carrying out the varied work of the Division,
inspectors from the field offices made 26,9 <4 visits to vessels, plants,
factories, or other establishments for the purpose of determining
whether the orders of the local inspectors concerning deficiencies had

108

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

been complied with ; to investigate casualties and examine damages to
vessels; to check overcrowding of passengers on excursion vessels on
Sundays and holidays; to investigate complaints of violation of the
regulations or navigation laws ; to determine the adequacy of manning ;
and details concerning other improper operation of vessels.
LAW ENFORCEMENT AND REVIEW DIVISION

During the past fiscal year, 13,375 applications and petitions,
compared with 7,976 in 1940, for relief from fines and penalties in
curred as a result of violations of the navigation laws dealing with
division of crews into watches, hours of labor, certification of per
sonnel, manning and citizenship requirements, inspection of vessels,
documentation of vessels, application of the coastwise laws to for
eign vessels, motorboats, etc., were reviewed and appropriate recom
mendations were made to the Secretary of Commerce with regard to
requests contained therein for mitigation or remission of fines and
penalties incurred.
The spread of the European war to Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, and
Russia continued to affect, to a very great degree, the foreign com
merce of the United States. Many new questions arose dealing with
the interpretation and administration of the Neutrality Act of 1939
and the regulations promulgated under that act. The very close
cooperation continued between the Departments of State, Treasury,
and Justice, and the Department of Commerce, so essential to the
enforcement of that act.
In a large number of cases, cargoes laden on foreign-flag vessels
in ports of the United States were later discharged in other ports
of the United States, in violation of the coastwise laws. Some
of these cargoes were laden prior to the outbreak of war in 1939,
while others were laden just before the extension of the war to
new belligerents. Because of the changed world conditions which
arose after the departure of the vessels from the United States, the
operators of these vessels ordered their return to ports of the United
States to avoid the possibility of capture or destruction of the ves
sels. On petition for relief' from the penalties thus incurred for
violation of the coastwise laws, recommendations were made to the
Department, in all of those cases where the bona fide of the transac
tion was established, for remission of the penalties.
_In December public hearings were held for the purpose of con
sidering the proposed regulations issued for the safe carriage of
explosives or other dangerous articles or substances and combustible
liquids on board vessels. In the light of information brought out
at the hearings, the proposed regulations were reexamined and ap
propriate changes made to permit the freer movement of some of
the articles or substances which are being regulated. These regu
lations were completed and approved by the Secretary of Commerce
in January.
The “A” marine investigation boards were called into session only
on one occasion during the fiscal year to investigate the loss of pas
senger life resulting from casualties to inspected vessels coming
within the jurisdiction of the Bureau. This was an investigation

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION

109

to determine the cause of the explosion and fire that occurred aboard
the motorboat Nightingale, a vessel of 25 gross tons, on May 19, 1941,
resulting in the loss of 7 lives. However, these boards were called
into session a number of times to investigate loss of life resulting
from accidents to members of crews, the majority of which may be
attributed to special hazards connected with seafaring life. A num
ber of these resulted from the storm of hurricane violence which
swept the Great Lakes on November 11 and 12, 1940, resulting in
the total loss and destruction of a large number of vessels and the
loss of all on board.
The total number of casualties investigated by the “A,” “B,” and
“C” marine investigation boards, and reviewed by this Division dur
ing the fiscal year 1941 and their comparison with those investigated
in 1940, is as follows:
lm
19J/0

Major “A” 1_____________________________________________
33
Minor “A ” 2_____________________________________________ 473
“B” cases_______________________________________________
24
“C” cases------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1,467
Complaintss_________________________
329

21
469
17
1,343
189
2, 039

Total_________________________________________________21,326
2 Single loss of life to crew members not due to casualty on inspected vessels, and also
loss of life on uninspected vessels.
3
Any complaint
with reference
to misconduct,
misbehavior,
inattention to duty, or
violation
of the navigation
laws by licensed
or certificated
personnel.
1 Loss of life to crew members due to casualty on inspected vessels.

PASSENGER ACT

The Law Enforcement and Review Division is also responsible for
administration of the Passenger Act of 1882, concerned with the wel
fare, health conditions, food, separation of the sexes, and care in case
of illness of passengers.
There were 245 voyages made during the fiscal year 1941, involv
ing 21,397 steerage passengers, as compared with 483 voyages involv
ing 102,801 steerage passengers during the fiscal year 1940. The
substantial decrease is attributable in large part to the restrictions on
travel from Europe as a result of the war.
approval of h om e ports

The act of February 16, 1925, provides that every vessel of the
United States shall have a home port which shall be fixed and deter
mined by the owner and approved by the Director of the Bureau of
Marine Inspection and Navigation. Thereafter, upon every change
in ownership or change in home port, the owner must designate such
home port and secure the approval thereof before the designation may
become effective. During the fiscal year 1941, there were approved
10,113 such home-port designations as compared with 9,987 approvals
during the preceding year.
COLLECTION OF FEES AND DUTIES

This Division, through the collectors of customs, supervises the col
lection of tonnage taxes and other navigation fees. It also considers
petitions of shipowners and operators for refunds of tonnage taxes and

110

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

navigation fees when they have allegedly been illegally or erroneously
assessed. During the fiscal year the sums of $1,237,898.50 in tonnage
duties and $198,949.01 in navigation fees were collected, as compared
with collections of $1,558,417.76 and $191,694.06, respectively, for the
fiscal year 1940.
NUMBERING OF MOTORBOATS

On June 30, 1941, there were numbered 331,819 motorboats. This
is an increase of 33,576 vessels over the previous 12 months. During the
period 8,132 motorboats were removed from the records, having been
reported lost, abandoned, etc.
PATROL FLEET

The patrol fleet maintained by the Bureau consists of three vessels,
the Siwash, the Navigation, and the Tyrer; one 25-foot launch; and
one 18-foot launch. The three patrol vessels are operated throughout
the year on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. One of the two launches is
assigned the district comprising the entire Mississippi River Basin.
The other is working in Pacific coast ports. The personnel of the
vessels is engaged in the enforcement of the navigation laws, partic
ularly the Motorboat Act, the Numbering Act, and the Tanker Act.
Examination of tank vessels having on board inflammable or com
bustible liquids in bulk continues to occupy some of the time of the
fleet. Out of a total of 11,347 inspections made by the patrol fleet,
3,972 violations were reported, and, in addition, other enforcement
officers reported 6,833 violations.
LEGISLATION

Several bills affecting the navigation laws were enacted during the .
year. Legislation recommended by the Department to correct con
flicting provisions of the navigation laws with respect to the trans
portation of dangerous, combustible, or inflammable cargo became law.
Other measures repealed provisions of existing law providing for
seamen’s protective certificates; required the master of every vessel
subject to the provisions of section 4551 of the Revised Statutes, as
amended, to report to the Bureau with respect to the employment, dis
charge, or termination of the services of every seaman not shipped or
discharged before a shipping commissioner; and authorized vessels
of Canadian registry to transport iron ore on the Great Lakes during
the 1941 season.
One of the major provisions of the recent emergency act to authorize
the acquisition by the United States of title to or the use of domestic
or foreign merchant vessels for urgent needs of commerce and national
defense, authorized the Secretary of Commerce to provide rules and
regulations for the documentation of certain of the vessels acquired by
or made available under that act. Another provision of the act dealt
with the inspection of the vessels.
Three of the most important emergency measures pending before
Congress at the end of the fiscal year were a bill providing for a waiver
of vessel inspection and navigation laws where required by the needs
of national defense ; legislation relaxing the strict requirements as to

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION

111

able seamen during the emergency period where the lack of qualified
able seamen makes such action necessary to provide for a continued and
steady flow of water-borne commerce essential to the national defense;
and legislation providing for amended load lines on vessels engaged in
the coastwise trade, commensurate with safety requirements, so as to
provide for a greater cargo-carrying capacity. In addition to those
emergency measures there were also before Congress bills to provide for
citizen ownership of American vessels; to require the manning of
those vessels by citizens of the United States; and bills relaxing strict
able-seamen requirements on smaller bay and sound motor vessels car
rying freight and on certain sail vessels. These bills were all endorsed
by the Department.
In view of the fact that the present laws regulating motor vessels
engaged in the transportation of passengers do not completely and
properly cover the subject, legislation prepared and submitted to the
Seventy-sixth Congress to safeguard adequately the lives of passengers
on such vessels was reintroduced in the Seventy-seventh Congress and
was pending at the close of the fiscal year.
In all, 39 bills and resolutions were reviewed and individual reports
on them were submitted to the Department at its request.
TECHNICAL DIVISIO N

This Division examines and passes on all contract plans and speci
fications for the construction of new or major alterations to existing
passenger vessels of the United States of 100 gross tons and over, pro
pelled by machinery. If the plans and specifications are approved by
the Director, the construction or alteration of the vessel may begin.
The Technical Division also passes on plans and specifications for
the construction of new vessels and alterations to existing types of
vessels, regardless of whether they are engaged in passenger or other
services. Since these vessels must comply with the Bureau’s safety
requirements before a certificate of inspection will be issued, it is also
necessary that their plans and specifications be approved to insure a
uniform standard of safety and to avoid additional construction
costs and unnecessary delays in sailings.
NAVAL ARCHITECTURE SUBDIVISION

Hull section.—-During the fiscal year 1941, plans and specifications
for 105 new designs, representing 680 new vessels, were examined and
appropriate action was taken.
In addition to the designs enumerated above, plans for 152 new
barge designs covering approximately 270 barges, as compared with
172 barges in 1940, were checked to establish their strength and com
pliance with Bureau rules. Plans for the alteration or conversion of
400 vessels, as compared with 372 in 1940, were also reviewed and
appropriate action taken.
Inclining tests on 60 vessels were conducted at various ports in the
United States and calculations were made in each case to determine
their stability. In instances of insufficient stability, installation of
ballast or other corrective measures were required. In a number of
cases, calculations were made to determine the effect of alterations on

112

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

stability of existing vessels, and appropriate action was taken to
insure the proper margin of safety.
During the year a large number of merchant vessels were taken over
by the War and Navy Departments to be used for various defense pur
poses. For many of these vessels the Bureau was able to furnish plans
and data regarding the intact stability characteristics, watertight
subdivision, and stability required to withstand various types of dam
age. Such information was forwarded to the Navy Department for
59 vessels and to the War Department for 51 vessels. For 29 vessels,
upon which the information requested was not available, the necessary
investigations were made and the results turned over to the Depart
ment concerned.
The work of testing fireproof materials, particularly deck covering
compositions, for use on board ship was continued throughout the
year. About 20 types of deck covering were tested of which 9 received
the Bureau’s approval, and in addition 2 types of insulation were ap
proved for use in Class A -l deck and bulkhead construction.
Special inspections were made on 14 vessels, including surveys and
testing of fire-protection and lifesaving equipment, determination of
bulkheading requirements, investigation of stability characteristics at
sea, etc.
Admeasurement section.-—Ax a prerequisite to documentation, that
is, the issuance of a register, enrollment or license that merchant
vessels are required to have on board, each vessel of the United
States must be admeasured to determine its gross and net tonnage.
The tonnage of a vessel as thus determined forms the basis for the
col lect ion'of port dues, pilotage, dockage, canal tolls, navigation fees,
etc. Crew spaces are also measured to determine the number of
men that may be berthed therein.
This section is responsible for the uniform application and inter
pretation of the admeasurement laws and regulations. It is also
responsible for the checking of blueprints and the analyzing of
tonnage-admeasurement figures to determine whether the proper
formulas have been applied and if the numerous spaces aboard
ship have been accorded the treatment required by law and regulation.
During the fiscal year 1,399 new vessels, aggregating 744,836 gross
tons, were admeasured for documentation throughout the United
States as compared Avith 1,366 new vessels, aggregating 544,171 gross
tons in 1940. The tonnage of 108 vessels, aggregating 929,866 tons,
were computed under the Panama Canal rides and appropriate
certificates issued, and Suez Canal Special Tonnage Certificates were
issued to 86 vessels, aggregating 820,141 tons.
Admeasurement figures, accompanied by appropriate blueprints,
were reviewed by this section for 145 new vessels, totaling 395,714
gross tons, as compared with 152 new vessels, aggregating 302,956
tons, in 1940. The review of these admeasurement figures consist
of scaling on blueprints the tonnage sections of the underdeck,
each between deck space whether included or excluded from tonnage,
water-ballast spaces, eArery open or enclosed superstructure, and
many spaces therein for the purpose of determining the gross ton
nage; after which the propelling-machinery spaces, crew quarters,
anchor gear, steering gear, chart house, master’s quarters, passage

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION

113

ways, etc., are separately measured, the tonnages of which are re
quired when computing a vessel’s net tonnage. Approved tonnages
and admeasurement figures are sent to other ports for the informa
tion and guidance of employees engaged in the measurement of sister
ships.

When changes or alterations are made in a vessel which affect
its tonnage application must be made for permission to change the
tonnage, and a new document issued. During the fiscal year 381
such applications, totaling 449,328 gross tons, were received and,
as in the case of new vessels, each was carefully reviewed, and where
irregularities were noted corrective measures taken and appropriate
instructions issued to the admeasurers concerned.
MARINE ENGINEERING SUBDIVISION

This subdivision examined plans and specifications relative to
marine engineering on 591 passenger and cargo vessels and 100
barges, making recommendations for approval or disapproval and
giving interpretations of the rules regarding design and materials
used in their construction. These plans covered various piping sys
tems, machinery arrangements, boilers, pressure vessels, valves, fit
tings, operating gear, Diesel engines, etc. Plans covering alterations
and repairs to boilers and machinery were also passed upon and sug
gestions given relative to design, material, and workmanship of these
repairs in accordance with the safety requirements of the Bureau.
Radiographs of 341 welded boilers, tanks, and pressure vessels were
also examined and passed upon. Plans for fuel-oil installations in
18 passenger vessels and 67 cargo vessels were also examined and
recommendations prepared for the issuance of permits by the Secre
tary of Commerce to use oil as fuel.
In order to facilitate shipbuilding as a part of the national defense
program the engineering subdivision continued its policy of cooperat
ing with those agencies of the Government directly concerned with
this activity. Modifications of the rules pertaining to piping and
similar details have been obtained and suggestions and recommenda
tions made concerning the design of boilers, which it is believed will
facilitate and speed up production of this equipment. Upon the ini
tiation of the Bureau, sponsored by the American Welding Society,
plans were also formulated whereby welding operators qualified by
the Navy Department, American Bureau of Shipping, or the Bureau
of Marine Inspection and Navigation, will be accepted by the related
organizations without additional tests being required for work on
boilers, piping, or pressure vessels coming under their jurisdiction.
This arrangement will establish a uniform standard for tests of weld
ing operators which would be accepted by each of the above-men
tioned organizations and undoubtedly work to great advantage in the
present shipbuilding emergency.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING SUBDIVISION

The major function of the Electrical Engineering Subdivision is to
approve plans and specifications covering the entire electrical installa
tion on new passenger, cargo, tank, and miscellaneous vessels, as well

114

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE

as plans and specifications for major alterations to the electrical
installations on existing vessels. These plans include lighting and
power distribution circuits, interior communication circuits, motors
and generators, switchboards and distribution panels, circuit protec
tive devices, electric cable, and miscellaneous apparatus such as elec
tric fire-detecting and alarm equipment, lighting fixtures and fittings,
telephone and other communication equipment, etc.
Electrical plans and specifications for 77 new vessel designs, repre
senting 551 new vessels, and plans for the alteration or conversion of
30 existing vessels were examined during the fiscal year 1941, as com
pared with 70 new vessel designs, representing 180 new vessels in
1940.
To assist manufacturers of electrical apparatus in determining that
their products are suitable for use on vessels, as well as to keep the
Bureau abreast of new developments in marine electrical equipment,
the policy of examining samples and plans of numerous items of equip
ment and issuing constructive criticism thereof has continued.
This subdivision continued its policy of active participation in meet
ings of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers’ Committee on
Applications to Marine Work in the revision of the 1938 edition of
A. I. E. E. Standards No. 45, “Recommended Practise for Electrical
Installations on Shipboard.” The 1940 revision of the Standards has
now been adopted as the Bureau’s general requirements for electrical
installations on shipboard.
In order to be prepared to recommend alternate types of electric
cable and other electrical equipment should a shortage in the approved
types of these items develop in the present national emergency, this
subdivision has been active in investigating easily attainable products
that do not comply in every respect to marine standards, but which
may be acceptable for the period of the emergency.
Plans and specifications for the purchase and installation of two
new Diesel-driven generating sets and for two new Diesel propulsion
engines for use on the Bureau’s patrol vessel USMV Tyrer were pre
pared, and the installation and testing of this new equipment was
supervised, by this subdivision. Specifications were also prepared for
the purchase of radio-telephone equipment for the Bureau’s patrol
vessel USMV Tyrer and the tender Psyche VI.
LOAD-LINE SUBDIVISION

This subdivision supervises the enforcement of the various load-line
acts and regulations, the preparation of amendments thereto, as neces
sary, and coordinates the work of the Bureau and classification socie
ties assigned with the actual work of surveying and marking ships with
load lines.
During the fiscal year, six amendments to the load-line regulations
were approved: (1) Simplification of center girder requirements; (2)
limited openings allowed in fuel-oil tanks; (3) elimination of the
requirement that passenger vessels’ load-line certificates be renewed
each year, allowing them to run the same length of time as for cargo
vessels; (4) definition of the type of warning signals to be used on
power doors; (5) prohibition of the use of cast iron for connections

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION

115

to a vessel’s side below the freeboard deck; and (6) authorization of
a practically continuous slot-type freeing port on steam colliers with
bulwarks.
During the fiscal year, load-line certificates were issued to 153 vessels
complying with the applicable regulations, and 173 certificates were
voided for various reasons, leaving a total on hand of 2,429 as of June
30,1941. Eevalidations of existing load-line certificates for American
vessels numbered 568, and for foreign vessels, 16. New load-line cer
tificates were issued for 5 foreign vessels. Annual load-line inspec
tions were accomplished for 2,250 vessels. Reports of sailings of 22,204
vessels were received and checked for compliance with the regulations.
There were 33 violations of the load-line acts reported on which
definite action was taken. Of this number, 6 foreign-vessel violations
were remitted in full while 3 were mitigated to a total of $1,050 in fines;
and 13 American-vessel violations were remitted in full and 11 were
mitigated to a total of $1,995.
Applications for special service load lines, as provided by Part 44
of the Load Line Regulations, were approved for 29 vessels, and
load lines for 19 special-type vessels were approved; also approved,
after obtaining agreement by Canada, limited special type load lines
to be assigned certain inland barges carrying ore from Buffalo on
Lake Erie to the Welland Canal. The American committee of Lloyd’s
Register of Shipping was approved as the assigning authority for 14
vessels.
Due to the present national emergency, an acute oil shortage devel
oped on the east coast, as well as a shortage of ocean and Great Lakes
transportation facilities for ore and other defense materials. To re
lieve this condition, numerous conferences were held with shipowners
and masters and various Government officials regarding proposed
deeper loading of tankers and certain other cargo steamships beyond
that allowed by the International Load Line Convention of 1930 and
the Coastwise Load Line Act of 1935, as amended. In this connec
tion, hearings were attended during June 1941 relative to a proposed
amendment to section 2 of the act of August 27, 1935, as amended
(H. R. 4988, 77th Cong., 1st sess., and S: 1632, same Congress) to
provide deeper loading for certain coastwise ocean and Great Lakes
cargo steamers.
SH IP PERSONNEL DIVISIO N

This Division supervises the field activities of 14 shipping commis
sioners located in as many ports throughout the United States, with
a personnel of 150 employees. It also supervises the activities of the
Central Records Section‘in Washington with a personnel of 57 em
ployees. The 1918 war records of 34,000 seamen and 16,000 officers
who were trained by the U. S. Shipping Board Recruiting Service
are also maintained by this Division.
The Central Records Section maintains sea-service records for some
400,000 seamen. During the fiscal year the following records were for
warded to this office to be checked, verified, and filed as required by
law: 15,826 continuous discharge books; 33,517 certificates of identi
fication ; 4,637 able seamen certificates; 5,518 lifeboatmen certificates;
4,465 certificates for qualified members of the engine department;

116

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE

39,794 certificates of service (in various ratings), and 702 tankermen
certificates, or a total of 55,296 certificates.
Public Law No. 251, passed by the 76th Congress, became effective
August 1, 1940, and provided for the registry of pursers and surgeons
as staff officers on vessels of the United States. Under this law 1,020
staff officers were registered and certificated during the year and the
records forwarded to the Bureau to be filed in the jackets of the
individuals subject to the act.
Public Law No. 869, approved October 17,1940, provided that mas
ters of vessels operating in the coastwise, Great Lakes, and nearby
foreign trade, who do not sign their crews before a shipping commis
sioner, shall make a report to the Bureau prior to each sailing listing
the members of the crew that have signed on and those that have been
paid off. In order to administer this new provision of law it was
necessary to establish in conjunction with the shipping commission
ers’ offices six regional districts at New York, Baltimore, New Orleans,
San Francisco, Seattle, and Detroit, and employ ship personnel inspec
tors to check the crews, instruct the masters, and assist them in mak
ing out their reports accurately. By receiving crew lists for the ves
sels in these services, the Bureau now has a centralized record of
all changes in the crews of American vessels in all services except those
navigating on inland waters exclusively, other than the Great Lakes.
These records afford an invaluable source of information as to the
citizenship, date and place of birth, and other generalities of every
person who holds American seaman’s papers.
AM ERICAN SH IPPIN G ON JU NE 30, 1941

On June 30, 1941, the merchant marine of the United States, in
cluding all kinds of documented craft, comprised 27,204 vessels of
13,639,553 gross tons.
The following tabulation is an analysis of American shipping of
June 30,1941, as compared with the figures of June 30,1939 and 1940.
1939

1940
1941
Number Gross tons Number Gross tons Number Gross tons
Total documented vessels U._ 27,470 14,631,991 27,212 14,018,188 27,204 13,639, 553
Vessels
in foreign
trade__engaged
______________
1,513 3,332,661 1,504 3, 658,083 1,506
3,612,450
Geographical
distribution:
Atlantic
and
Gulf
coasts__
16,816
10,197,150
16,
704
10.016,814
16,
715
9,685,902
Pacific coast__________
6, 868 2,471,239 6,759 2.046,698 6,722
1,965,060
.Northern
lakes___
____
2,108
1,
711,965
2,059
1,
669,389
2,028
1, 654,945
Western rivers________ 1, 678
251,637
1,
690
285,
287
1,739
333,646
FiveFreight__
principal services:
.
..
____
.
9,771
8,
614,
533
9,
367
8,267,118
9,
251
8,127,600
Fishing_________ ____ 6,674
241,912
225,158 7.133
230,225
Passengers___________
3,725 1, 344,850
722,853 6,910
3, 646 1,545,930
3, 542
503
1,297,157
Towing_______
____
3,527
3,517
345,403
3,
351,059
Tank_______________ 1,092 3, 088,671 1,108 3,028,154 1,199
3,108,769
Ownership:
Private.. Commis____ 27,334 13,774,958 27,083 13,217,615 27,123 13,149, 525
U.sion.............................
S. Maritime
136
857,033
129
800, 573
81
490,028
1Thegross
documented
350,823
tons. laid-up tonnage of the United States, on June 30, 1941, aggregated 1,361 vessels of

BUREAU OF MARINE INSPECTION AND NAVIGATION

117

An analysis of laid-up tonnage as of June 30, 1939,1940, and 1941,
follows :

Total merchant vessels_____
100 gross
tons and over:
U.sion---S. Maritime Commis-----------------5 netPrivate______________
tons and under 300 gross
tons................ ................. .

1939
Gross tons
No.
1,604 2, 252, 396
93
698
813

596, 725
1, 634,
726
20,945

1940
No.
Gross tons
1,281 1,050,656
80
396
805

549,365
480,
049
21, 242

1941
Gross tons
1,361
350, 823

No.

11
372
978

59, 890
267,
007
23, 926

APPROPRIATIONS

The following appropriations were made available to the Bureau
for the fiscal year 1941:

D ep artm en t sa la rie s -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $400, 640
S a la rie s an d g en eral expenses----------------------------------------------------------------- 2,468, 720
T o ta l_____________ __________________________ _______________________ 2, 875,360

The amount appropriated for the Bureau’s activities is offset in part
by the tonnage taxes, fees, fines, and penalties collected during the same
period. These amounted to $1,522,329.99.

427433— 42 ----------- 11

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY
The principal functions of the Coast and Geodetic Survey are the
surveying of all coastal waters under the jurisdiction of the United
States and the production of the nautical charts and coast pilot pub
lications required for the navigation of those waters; the compilation
of aeronautical charts for air navigation; and the accomplishment,
throughout our country and its possessions, of geodetic control surveys
which provide essential basic data for nautical charting and topo
graphic mapping.
In connection with its coastal charting work this Bureau carries on
comprehensive tide and tidal current observations along our coasts to
secure data of this nature for chart construction and for the prepara
tion of annual tables of predicted tides and currents. It conducts
investigations required to obtain information concerning the earth’s
magnetism, necessary for water and air navigation, and is in charge of
governmental activities contributing to a widely cooperative program
of earthquake study.
NATIONAL DEFENSE

Operations in all branches of the Bureau’s work during the past
year were governed almost entirely by the need for its products and
services in connection with national defense. The expansion of our
Navy, merchant marine, and air forces, inaugurated in the spring of
1940, brought an immediate increase in the demand for charts and
other navigational publications which continued throughout the year.
To fill orders for nautical and aeronautical charts during the year
it was necessary to issue over 1y2 million copies, an increase of 76
percent over the previous year and more than double the number
distributed in 1939.
The supply of over 290,000 nautical charts to the Navy and some
575,000 aeronautical charts to the Army Air Corps represented approx
imately a threefold increase in the quantities required by those services
under normal conditions. The needs of the Civil Aeronautics Admin
istration, Coast Guard, and other defense agencies were correspond
ingly augmented.
In addition to the issue of nautical charts from current stocks
the Bureau was called upon for the construction of a considerable
number of special charts and for the accumulation of a substantial
reserve supply of charts,, coast pilots, and tide tables for naval use.
The exceptionally heavy demand for aeronautical charts was due
both to the general expansion in aviation and to their use in pilot
training courses. Besides meeting this demand it was necessary to
undertake during the year, as a defense measure, additional charting
programs which will involve the construction of several hundred new
charts.
119

120

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Other office activities included the supply of extensive compilations
of control data to all Army corps areas; advance tide predictions for
use in planning the launching of vessels; the supply of special tide
and seismological data for construction projects; services in connec
tion with the construction and procurement of instrumental equip
ment for military use; and assistance to various defense agencies in
projects and studies involving the earth’s magnetism.
In the field the Bureau continued to expedite surveys, previously
in progress, of the Aleutian Islands and other areas where adequate
charts are especially important for naval operations. The remainder
of the force available for coastal charting work was engaged during
the greater part of the year on special projects required by the Army
and Navy.
These included surveys of four island bases in the Caribbean region;
topographic surveys in Puerto Rico; the wire-dragging of water areas
to be used for submarine trials; field work in various localities to ob
tain additional information for the construction of special charts for
naval use; hydrographic examinations of the approaches to several
water terminals in Alaska; and a considerable number of smaller
projects.
On June 19, 1941, the President issued an Executive Order trans
ferring three of the Bureau’s survey ships to the Navy Department
and providing for the transfer of three substitute vessels from that
department to the Department of Commerce. Preparations for these
transfers were in progress at the end of the year.
A substantially greater appropriation for geodetic surveys enabled
the Bureau to expand the progress of this class of work to about five
times the volume accomplished during recent years. The immediate
purpose of the greater part of the work carried on during the past
year was the establishment of essential control for topographic map
ping in strategic areas as designated by the War Department. In
addition to this, control surveys were executed in a number of locali
ties to provide data for various other defense projects.
At the request of the War Department one of the Bureau’s officers
was assigned to the Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, Okla., for about
3 months and two officers were detailed to duty with the First Observa
tion Battalion, Fort Bragg, N. C., for 1 month. The mission of these
officers was to cooperate in the development of control survey methods
suitable for use in directing mobile artillery fire.
The heavy burden of work thrown on the Bureau by the defense
program completely overtaxed its facilities. This condition was met
to some extent by increases in appropriations for personnel and equip
ment and by the transfer of funds by the War and Navy Departments
to cover the costs of certain special projects. The demands upon the
Bureau, however, continued to increase at a faster rate than the gain
in its resources and this situation was aggravated by the difficulty in
obtaining qualified technical personnel. Consequently the need for the
immediate accomplishment of urgent defense projects made it neces
sary to forego during the year a considerable part of the routine work,
both in the field and office, which ordinarily is carried on from year to
year in order to provide for the adequate maintenance of the Bureau’s
products.

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY

121

COOPERATION W ITH AffitERICAN REPUBLICS

The Coast and Geodetic Survey participated in the program of the
State Department for cooperation with the American Republics,
through two scientific and technical projects, which consisted of gravity
surveys and the establishment of instruments and equipment for the
measurement of coastal tides. These projects introduced Coast and
Geodetic Survey methods and instruments into eight American
Republics.
A field party was engaged in the determination of a number of base
gravity stations in Peru. This work was completed in June and the
party then transferred to Bogota, Colombia, where observations were
m progress at the end of the year. Two other field parties accom
plished the installation of tide stations at Valparaiso, Chile; Matarani,
Peru; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Buenaventura, Colombia; La Guaira,
Venezuela; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; La Union, El Salvador; and
Salina Cruz, Mexico.
All of the countries mentioned contributed to the cost of this work
and, with respect to the tide stations, have made arrangements to oper
ate and maintain the stations and to forward the records to the Wash
ington office of the Bureau for analysis.
Reports of the officers engaged on these projects, concerning contacts
made and the cordial reception afforded them in all countries visited, as
well as expressions from officials and prominent scientists in these
countries, indicate that this cooperative scientific program is well
worth while.
Funds were also provided for the preparation of a new edition of
the Bureau’s Hydrographic Manual in order to acquaint hydrographers
in the American Republics with the modern methods and equipment
developed by the Coast and Geodetic Survey for this class of work.
CHART PRODUCTION

The essential nature of nautical and aeronautical charts in connec
tion with defense activities is indicated by the following table, giving
the number of charts issued annually, and the percentage increases, for
the last 4 years. The 1939 issue, compared with that for 1938, repre
sents the steady growth in the normal demand for charts which has
been experienced for a number of years. The 1940 issue shows the
effects of the early stages of the defense program, while the 1941 issue
reflects this program well under way. All indications are that the
demand for these charts will continue to parallel the rapid expansion
of our defense forces.
Charts

1938

Nautical____________________ ------------------------ 351,150
299,094
Aeronautical____________________ _____ ______ _
650, 244
Total_____________________________________
Annual increase:
Percent__________________ ____________________________

1939

1940

1941

350,062
366,353
716,415

407,186
463,917
871,103

621, 663
912,339
1, 534,002

66,171
10

154,688
22

662, 899
76

122

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The total number of individual nautical charts for the use of the
mariner published at the end of the year was 804 of which 163 were
printed in Manila. To produce the 568,063 copies printed in Wash
ington there were 661 printings as follows: 15 new charts, 100 new
editions, 478 new prints, and 68 reprints. Of the 15 new charts, 9 were
constructed at the request of the Navy.
The 7 new charts cataloged for sale are as follows:
572. Head of Chesapeake Bay.
938. Pillsbury Sound, Virgin Islands.
686. St. Johns Kiver.
1262. Apalachicola to Cape San Bias.
687. St. Johns River.
5007. Point Mugu to Ventura.
688. St. Johns River.
The principal data received during the year for the improvement
and correction of nautical charts consisted of 175 topographic surveys,
110 hydrographic surveys, 1,090 surveys from other organizations,
and 763 letters containing charting data. Dangers requiring hand
corrections and other navigational information were supplied to the
U. S. Coast Guard for announcement in its weekly Notice to Mariners.
Although a considerable portion of the charts were reprinted at least
twice during the year it was necessary, due to rapid changes in impor
tant navigational information, to apply 1,848,553 hand corrections to
revise the charts on the date of issue.
The aeronautical charts for the use of the aviator, consisting of
87 sectional, 17 regional, 6 direction-finding, and 2 planning charts,
as well as a series of 9 Alaskan charts, now practically cover the United
States and Alaska. Other large programs of charting for the Army
Air Corps and the Civil Aeronautics Administration involving the
construction of several hundred charts were started during the year.
These include a series of radio facility charts; a series of airport and
instrument approach charts for the principal airports of the United
States and Alaska; and a series of 5 sectional charts of the Philippine
Islands, the latter being compiled at Manila.
During the past year the fourth edition of Practical Air Navigation
and the Use of the Aeronautical Charts of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey was issued. Through a cooperative arrangement requested by
the Civil Aeronautics Administration, which has recognized its value
to the aviator, this book is now published as Civil Aeronautics Bulletin
No. 24. It is the required text in air navigation in the ground course
of the Civil Pilot Training Program. The sales of this book amounted
to approximate] j 100,000 copies during the past year.
Assistance rendered to other governmental agencies included special
reproduction work for the Office of Production Management, Bureau
of the Budget, Maritime Commission, Civil Aeronautics Administra
tion, Federal Power Commission, and the Federal Communications
Commission.
Cooperation with the Canadian Government was carried on to an
increasing extent through the exchange of map information of mutual
value for the construction of aeronautical charts.
At the suggestion of the Bureau of the Budget numerous confer
ences were held with representatives of other reproduction agencies
which have resulted in standardizing cost accounting systems and
the methods of making quarterly reports to the Bureau of the Budget.

123

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY
COASTAL SURVEYS

Results accomplished during the past year in hydrographic and
topographic surveys and coastal triangulation are summarized in the
following table :
Hydrography
Locality

Sound
ing Area
lines
M ile s

Topography

Sound Shore
ings
line

Area

S q u a re

3 912
1 106
2 31
772
3 665
144
3
78

85,109
23
70,956
43,921
42
58
95,130
30,954
463
540
140; 126
1,841
371
2,947 1,743
116, 568
4
11,797
25
8 296
67
13
15,428
2
53
114, 293
67
39,999
66
5
58
83,765
1
13, 670
5
32
13
133,932
165
72,630
116
70
20
150,846
232
20
157,726
1,447,358 4,196 2,654

m ile s

1,686
Nantucket Sound.................... - - - 7,062
Atlantic Coast, Block Island to
Chesapeake Bay------- ------- ------- 3; 997
81
1,395
11,412
294
14
San Francisco Bay-------------------389
14
Grays Harbor, Wash___________
386
Northern Puget Sound__________ 5,397
150
Southeastern Alaska____________ 1,654
Central Alaskan coast---------------- 7,196 1, 651
60
Cook Inlet. ____ _______________ 771
Alaskan Peninsula- ___________ 12, 255 9, 731
Aleutian Islands_______________ 9, 250 6,752
4 49
West Indies___________________ 2,684
Philippine Islands_____________ 11,621 1,833
Total____________________ 89,301 41,584

N um ber

M ile s

m ile s

Coastal triangulation
Length
Geo
Area graphic
of
positions
scheme
M ile s

S q u a re

N u m -

m ile s

ber

3
15

2
60

I
14

5
2

93
11
6
115
7
34
18
68
133
25
134
666

2,003
22
12
381
10
340
164
663
1,008
71
1,284
6,029

21
18
66
205
6
76
33
90
85
218
69
909

60,

1 Includes 17 square miles of wire drag.
2 Includes 11 square miles of wire drag.
3 Includes 43 square miles of wire drag.
Includes 4 square miles of wire drag.
4

To carry on this work the Coast and Geodetic Survey operates 10
survey ships and 10 smaller vessels. Two of the ships, engaged in
surveys of the Philippine Islands, are provided by the Insular Govern
ment which defrays their operating expenses.
On the Atlantic coast the survey ship Oceanographer continued off
shore surveys in the Gulf of Maine; engaged for a short time on surveys
off the South Carolina coast; accomplished hydrographic and topo
graphic surveys in the vicinity of Port of Spain, Trinidad; and began
surveys in Casco Bay, Maine, which will include extensive wire-drag
investigations. The Lydonia completed her part of the hydrographic
project on Nantucket Shoals; executed surveys in Cape Cod Bay, at
the entrance to Chesapeake Bay off the Virginia Capes, and in the
vicinity of the Island of Antigua in the Caribbean; and began wiredrag surveys off Block Island.
Wire-drag investigations in Boston Harbor were carried on during
the summer of 1940 under supervision of the commanding officer of the
ship Oceanographer. This survey was temporarily discontinued in
1941 to permit utilization of personnel and equipment on surveys of
particular importance to the national defense in other New Eng
land areas.

124

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The Gilbert continued work on tire survey of Nantucket Shoals and
began surveys in tire James River, Ya. The latter project was inter
rupted by her assignment to surveys at Kingston, Jamaica, upon com
pletion of which she joined the Lydonia in wire-drag surveys off Block
Island.
The launches Mitchell and Ogden carried on combined operations
in Chesapeake Bay, continued surveys in the Indian River, Fla., and
began wire-drag operations in Casco Bay in cooperation with the
Oceanographer.
During the summer and early fall of 1940 the launch Elsie III con
tinued operations as a mobile revision unit along the intracoastal water
ways of the Atlantic coast.
A shore party under direction of the officer in charge of the magnetic
observatory at San Juan, P. R., began extensive detailed topographic
surveys of the east end of the island.
In the Gulf of Mexico the ship Tlydrographer, with the tender Fans
operating as a subparty, continued on surveys of the central and eastern
parts of the Gulf. During the winter months the vessel was engaged
on surveys of Mayaguana Island in the Bahamas, and at Kingston,
J amaica.
On the Pacific coast all vessels were employed on a program of
winter surveys. The ship Guide operated north of Cape Mendocino,
Calif., and in Carquinez Straits, San Francisco Bay. The Pioneer
executed a scheme of triangulation in the Santa Barbara Islands,
Calif., and began a combined operations project in south San Fran
cisco Bay. The Discoverer continued revision surveys in Grays
Harbor, Wash.
The Explorer, Surveyor, E. Lester Jones, and Westdahl completed
winter assignments in the Juan do Fuca-San Juan Islands area in
Washington.
In southeastern Alaska the Westdahl continued surveys in Glacier
Bay during the summer of 1940. In the spring of 1941 this vessel
was assigned to surveys in the vicinity of Sitka because of the mili
tary and naval activities in that area.
The Surveyor continued work on the project of original surveys
of the Alaskan coast between Cape Fairweather and Cape St. Elias.
The E. Lester Jones, during 1941, was engaged on revision surveys
in the vicinity of Anchorage.
In southwestern Alaska the Explorer and the Pioneer continued
surveys in the Aleutian Islands westward from Yunaska Island.
The E. Lester Jones assisted on this work during 1940.
The Discoverer, assisted by the tender Wildcat, continued opera
tions along the south coast of the Alaska Peninsula in the vicinity of
Deer Island and Cold 'Bay. The Guide continued work on the
Bering Sea side of the Peninsula on the project extending north
eastward from Cape Saricheff.
In the Philippine Islands the Pathfinder and Fathomer continued
surveys in the Sulu Sea area and took up operations in the vicinity
of Manila Bay. The name of the Pathfinder was changed to
Research to make the former name available for the new ship being
constructed at Seattle, Wash.

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY

125

Planimetric maps compiled from air photographs taken with the
Bureau’s 9-lens camera were completed of the vicinity of Eastern
Bay, Choptank River, and adjacent tributaries of Chesapeake Bay,
and of the west coast of Florida from Apalachee Bay to Tarpon
Springs. The field and office operations necessary for the produc
tion of these maps were performed by parties at Baltimore, Md., and
Tampa, Fla.
An air photographic project was undertaken in collaboration with
the U. S. Coast Guard to obtain 9-lens photographs for mapping
certain areas in Alaska. At the end of the fiscal year this party
was located at Kodiak, Alaska. Photographs were obtained of the
shore line from Dry Bay to Tsivat River along the northeast coast of
the Gulf of Alaska.
A coast pilot revision party completed the collection of data for a
new edition of Section A, Atlantic Coast Pilot, covering the coastal
area from the Canadian boundary to Cape Cod. A similar party
made a field inspection of the Pacific coast for a new edition of the
California, Oregon, Washington Coast Pilot.
The 13 United States coast pilot volumes, which are kept current
by annual supplements, contain a wide variety of important infor
mation supplemental to that shown on the chart, such as detailed
description of the coast and information concerning the water
ways, as well as maritime data for the ports of the United Statesi
and possessions. New editions of Coast Pilots are published as often
as warranted by the changes which occur and the amount of new
information available. Six supplements to United States Coast Pilots
and one to the Hawaiian Coast Pilot were published during the
fiscal year. A new edition of the Coast Pilot, Section B, was pub
lished. Manuscript was prepared for a new edition of the Coast
Pilot, Section A, covering the Atlantic coast from the Canadian
boundary to Cape Cod.
Offices for the processing of field records continued in operation
at Norfolk, Ya.; Pensacola, Fla.; Oakland, Calif.; and Seattle,
Wash.
Twenty-eight cadet officers of the United States Maritime Com
mission were given instruction aboard Survey vessels, to familiarize
them with the many Bureau activities benefiting the merchant ma
rine officer. The larger ships had at various times from two to six
cadets assigned during the field season on the Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific,
and Alaskan coasts.
Contracts were let and construction was begun on two modern sur
vey ships: The Pathfinder, a 230-foot vessel powered by a 2,000horsepower steam turbine, with a cruising radius of 8,000 miles;
and the Patton, a sturdy 88-foot wooden tender.
Recording fathometers have been installed on many of the sur
veying launches. This type of equipment greatly expedites opera
tions in shoal water.
National Youth Administration facilities were utilized for the
overhaul and repair of several small boats.
GEODETIC WORK

The results of geodetic control surveys carried on during the year
are summarized in the following tables :

126

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
Locality

Length of
scheme

Area

F ir s t- o r d e r t r ia n g u la t io n

Placerville to Lake Tahoe, Calif___________________________
Trout Creek, Mich., to Elcho, Wis..........................................................
LeMars,
Iowa.........................................................
Pocahontas
Sioux
City,toto
Iowa,
to Brocksburg,
Kingman
Arcadia,
Kans_____Nebr............................................
_________ ______ ________
Bentonville
to Harrison,
Eagleville, Calif.,
to Salt Ark...........................................................
Lake City, Utah.......................................
Vicinity
of Baltimore,
Md....Wash....................................................
......................................................
Skykomish
toMont.,
CouleetoCity,
Great
Falls,
Spokane,
Wash............................................
Stillwater,
N.Owego,
J., to Herkimer,
N. Y................... ......................... ..........
Kingston
to
N.
Y----------------------------------------------------Paron,
Ark., totoArcadia,
La_________________
____________—
Lake
Charles
Minden,
La.......................................................
Cusseta
to
Forney,
Ala_______
_____________________
____
Vicinity of Camp McClellan, Ala________________ _________
Opelousas
to
Monroe
and
Winnfield
to
St.
Joseph,
La__________
Bagley
to Goodridge,
Minn_____________
____ ______
Fredericksburg
to Danville,
Va___________________
________
____
Imperial Valley, Calif, (reobservations for earthquake investigation).
Total............ .........................................................................

70
80
65
155
170
55
380
15
100
270
145
100
165
155
130
15
185
70
160
210
2,675

M ile s

1,160
960
650
1,860
1,700
715
13, 800
120
1, 600
4, 050
1, 450
1,000
1,650
1, 550
1, 690
100
1,850
840
1, 600
2,100
40,445

S q u a r e m ile s

S e c o n d -o rd e r tr ia n g u la tio n

Vicinity of Fort Hancock, N. J_________________ _______
Boston Harbor, Mass-------------------------------- -----------------Buzzards Bay, Mass., to Long Island Sound, N. Y__............
Willamette Valley, Portland, to Cottage Grove, Oreg............
Lucerne Valley to Santa Barbara to Maricopa, Calif__......... .
Cartersville to Warm Springs and Jonesboro to Frolona, Ga.
Roanoke to Rockford, Ala................... .......................................
McMinnville to Tillamook, Oreg................... ..........................
Oglethorpe University, Ga.__........... ........ ............................... .
Vicinity of Dahlgren, Va______ ______ ____________ ____
Crescent City to Cape Mendocino, Calif.................................
Cape Ann, Mass., to Portland, Maine__________________
Vicinity of Copper Center, Alaska______________________
Total................................ ............................. ...................

10
25
55
135
175
160
60
85
1
10
120
80
75
991

Baltimore, Md.
"Vaidez, Alaska.
Total—

F ir s t - o r d e r b a se lin e s

3.1
2.0
5.1

S e c o n d -o rd e r b a s e lin e

4.1

Humboldt Bay, Calif.

30
95
275
3, 700
3,855
1,830
600
1,540
5
60
1,800
800
1,400
15,990

F ir s t - o r d e r r e c o n n a is s a n c e

Wurtsboro to Port Jervis, N. Y _______ _____________ _______ _
Goldendale to Leavenworth, Wash._____ ________ ________ _____
Vicinity of Baltimore, M d.. __________________________________
Philipsburg, Pa., to Cumberland, Md., and Blain to Johnstown, Pa.
Bedford, Ind., to Elkton, Ky., and Louisville, Ky., to Winslow, Ind.
Olive Branch to Greenwood and Clarksdale to Water Valley, Miss._
Vicinity of Camp McClellan, Ala____________________________
Seattle to Bellingham, Wash__________________________________
Total....... ................................................................. .........................

20
135
15
165
215
145
15
80
790

100
2,565
120
2, 200
2,150
3,000
100
1,120
11,355

160
60
40
10
120
55
170
185
1
10
80
80
160
1,131

1,830
2, 625
800
80
1,800
275
3, 450
4, 800
5
60
800
800
2,240
19,565

S e c o n d -o rd e r r e c o n n a is s a n c e

Warm Springs to Cartersville and Jonesboro to Frolona, Ga.._
Willamette River, Oreg....................... 1........................... ..............
Vicinity of Tillamook, Oreg______________ ________ ______
Vicinity of Rogersville, Tenn................... ......................................
Crescent City to Cape Mendocino, Calif_______ ______ ____
Buzzards Bay, Mass., to Long Island Sound, N. Y ...................
Big Bend area, Tex_____________________________________
Kent, Tex., to Roswell, N. Mex____________ _____________
Oglethorpe University, Ga_______________ _________ ______
Vicinity of Dahlgren, Va________________________________
Richmond to Port Royal and Beaverdam to King William, Va.
Cape Ann, Mass., to Portland, Maine.......—_______________
Valdez to Rapids, Alaska___ ____________ _______________
Total................................... .....................................................

127

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY
State

Firstorder

L e v e lin g

M ile s

Nebraska.................................

52
311
513
7
72
69
306
30
249
196

Secondorder
284
77
388
251
415
226
17
3
86
190

M ile s

Cont.
New
York.
__________
21
Total___________
1
1

G r a v ity

437
3
26
892
299
12
5

M ile s

194
516
113
420
766
77
4,292

3,489

Lati Longi Azi
tude tude muth

A s tro n o m y —

Nevada______________

Alabama_________
Arkansas..............
Illinois______ ____
Indiana...................
Iowa____________
Kansas__________
Louisiana........ ........
Michigan.................
Minnesota----------Mississippi_______

L e v e lin g —

State

Lati Longi Azi
tude tude muth

A s tro n o m y

State

Cont.
Nevada. . . .............. .
New Mexico-----r-----North Dakota---------Oregon____ _____—
Pennsylvania..............
South Dakota..............
Virginia....................... .
West Virginia..............
Total...................

Secondorder

Firstorder

Determinations

D eterminations
State

State

1
1

—

Determinations

New

Repeat
Cont.
Missouri.......................—
North Dakota.............. .
Ohio__________________
South Dakota_________
Virginia_______________
Wisconsin.........................Peru, South America___
Colombia, South America
T otal....:............—

1
6

Repeat

G r a v ity —

To accomplish this work there were in operation throughout the
year 4 double-unit triangulation parties, 3 triple-unit leveling parties,
3 triangulation reconnaissance parties, and 1 gravity party. Varia
tion of latitude observatories at Ukiah, Calif., and Gaithersburg, Md.,
were continued in operation and an astronomical party was in the
field for about 1 month.
The triangulation and leveling parties operated in 36 States and in
Alaska. Their work was carried on largely in accordance with pri
orities established by the War Department to meet the need for
control of topographic mapping in strategic areas. Other than this
they accomplished a number of special surveys which, while con
tributing to the mapping program, were also of immediate value for
other purposes. The more important of these projects are mentioned
below.
Control was completed in the general area of New York Bay as
a means of correlating various United States Engineer data in those
regions. Similar projects have also been extended in the general
vicinity of Boston, Narragansett Bay, and Block Island.

128

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

First- and second-order triangulation was extended along the coast
from the vicinity of Cape Ann, Mass., to Portland, Maine, as a means
of coordinating the United States Engineer and other control surveys
in that region. This work was initiated in May and the greater part
of it had been completed at the end of the year.
First-order triangulation initiated during the previous year was
continued to completion along the Arkansas River from the vicinity
of Muskogee, Okla., to its confluence with the Mississippi River in
order to furnish the necessary control for flood-control maps in the
Arkansas River Basin.
First- and second-order triangulation was extended southward from
the Columbia River in the vicinity of Portland, Oreg., along the
Willamette Valley for a distance of 100 miles to Cottage Grove, Oreg.,
for the control of traverses, cadastral surveys, etc., in the flooclwater
area.
First- and second-order triangulation was extended over the Hum
boldt Bay, Calif., region and in Carolina County, Va., for the double
purpose of coordinating surveys of the Corps of Engineers and to
complete a gap in the fundamental triangulation in these areas.
About 750 miles of lines of first-order leveling in the vicinity of
Lake Mead were rerun during the winter season in cooperation with
the Bureau of Reclamation. This was for the purpose of investigat
ing certain problems concerning settlement in the area due to the
water load resulting from filling Lake Mead which began some 5
years ago. It is certain that this repeat leveling over lines originally
run in 1934, for studying the settlement problem, will furnish valu
able information of particular significance in regard to problems of
dam structure, water pressure, etc., and also with regard to geo
physical problems of importance in many fields.
Funds were provided by the War Department to cover the cost of
special projects executed for the United States Engineers and the
Bureau of Reclamation defrayed the cost of the Lake Mead project.
The Bureau’s appropriations provide a small sum each year for
triangulation and leveling in earthquake regions as a means of deter
mining horizontal and vertical ground movements. During the past
year surveys for this purpose were made in the Imperial Valley,
Calif., region in order to study the March 1940 earthquake. This
work was undertaken on the recommendations of various persons and
committees particularly interested in seismological problems. The
most active group is the Committee in Seismology of the Seismo
logical Society of America.
In the office, progress was made in the computation and adjustment
of the results of field surveys. Valuable assistance was rendered in
this work by two field offices in New York and Philadelphia, main
tained by the Work Projects Administration and sponsored
jointly by the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Army Corps of
Engineers. _These offices are also engaged in the computation of
military grid coordinates for a large number of triangulation and
traverse stations in the United States.
In the Washington office the development of a system of plane
coordinates for Puerto Rico, initiated during the previous year, was
completed. The size and shape of this island made it possible to
select a system of coordinates well adapted for both commercial and
military purposes.

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY

129

TIDE AND CURRENT WORK

The increased hydrographic operations of the Bureau, as well as
the expanded activities of the Navy and merchant marine and the
accelerated industrial development of coastal property, have mate
rially affected the Bureau’s tide and current work during the year.
Hydrographic operations have called for additional processing of tide
and current records. Special observations and predictions have been
required by the Navy and merchant marine, while tidal data and
information concerning tidal bench marks in increased volume have
had to be compiled to meet the needs of surveyors and contractors
engaged on harbor improvements and industrial developments. _
During the fiscal year, 46 primary and 47 secondary tide stations
were in operation: 47 on the Atlantic coast and 46 on the Pacific coast.
Of these stations, 58 were conducted in cooperation with other agencies
including the United States Engineers,_the Navy Department, Terri
tory of Hawaii, city of New York, city of Santa Monica, port of
Willapa Harbor, Los Angeles Harbor Department, Oxnard Harbor
District, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Chesapeake Bio
logical Laboratory, and the Oceanographic Laboratories of the Uni
versity of Washington. The data secured from these observations
are necessary for hydrographic surveys, for the reduction of the
results of short series of observations to mean values, for the accurate
determination of datum planes, and for the determination of secular
changes in relation of land to sea.
Shorter periods of observations at approximately 100 additional
stations were obtained in connection with hydrographic surveys and
other activities.
The tide survey of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers was com
pleted early in the fiscal year, and the tide survey of the Connecticut
River, in cooperation with the office of the district engineer at Provi
dence, R. I., was discontinued at the end of the calendar year. A
new project covering a tide survey of the Columbia River was started
during the year in cooperation with the United States Engineer Office
at Portland, Oreg. Nineteen stations have been established on this
project.
Observations of currents for a number of stations were obtained by
hydrographic parties, and long series of observations were secured
at several important lightship locations. Through the cooperation of
the United States Coast Guard, a 12-month series of hourly current
observations was completed at Overfalls lightship. Approximately
11 months of similar observations were secured at Portland lightship,
and a series of observations was started at Frying Pan Shoals
lightship.
Reciprocal agreements for exchange of tide data between the
United States and England, Canada, and India were continued in
effect. The exchanges with France, The Netherlands, and Germany,
however, were broken off because of the war, necessitating .the pre
diction of the tides for the ports in those countries.
In addition to the marked increase in the requirements of the
Navy and the merchant marine for tide and current publications,
special reprints of the tide and current tables were required to meet
the demand of the Naval Reserve for these tables for use in training
courses.

130

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
MAGNETIC WORK

Magnetic information was obtained continuously at five observa
tories located at Cheltenham, Md.; Tucson, Ariz.; Honolulu, T. H .;
Sitka, Alaska; and San Juan, P. B,. During the first half of the
fiscal year additional repeat observations needed for the isogonic
map of the United States and maps for Alaska showing all the
magnetic elements were completed, and at the end of the year the
maps were in preparation. The magnetic information made avail
able through field and observatory work is used to improve the mag
netic survey and to keep record of the changes in the earth’s
magnetism. These data are used by land surveyors, navigators of
sea and air, explorers for oil and mineral resources, radio and tele
graph communication companies, scientific investigators, and the
military services. The daily character of the magnetic conditions is
given by radio broadcasts and otherwise.
The new magnetic observatory at Sitka, Alaska, was completed
and put into operation.
The distribution of magnetic observations during the year is shown
in the following table:
Repeat stations
Region

New

Old
Declina
Complete tion
only

1
2

2
1

1
2
2
1
1

Ì
1
1

1
1
1
1
Ï
Ì

3
4
5
1
1
5
2
3
1
3
3
2
1
1
1

Other
stations Total
57
5
6
2
3
9
1
9
1
56
19
4
11
183

63
4
13
1
1
1
14
6
1
5
5
3
4
11
1
2
1
2
2
10
1
60
19
4
11
245

Among a number of projects carried on for the Army and Navy
were magnetic observations at airports, to provide for the testing of
airplane compasses, and an investigation, with the cooperation of
the Navy, to determine the extent to which local magnetic disturb
ances are felt in the air. It was found that such disturbance may
extend to a height of 3,000 feet.
The following activities were continued with the cooperation of the
department of terrestrial magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Wash

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY

131

ington: Operation of a cosmic ray meter at Cheltenham observatory;
maintenance at Cheltenham observatory of international magnetic
standards; atmospheric and earth electric currents at Tucson observ
atory (the Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. and Bell
Telephone Laboratories also cooperating) ; and daily and weekly
radio broadcasts of magnetic conditions, in which the Navy Depart
ment and Science Service have also aided.
The United States Antarctic Expedition, with aid from the Bureau
and the department of terrestrial magnetism, Carnegie Institution
of Washington, completed a series of observations in the vicinity of
a former observatory at Little America.
Cooperation has continued with the American Geophysical Union
and the National Research Council. International meetings to which
the Bureau has made important contributions have been practically
suspended during the emergency, though certain activities have con
tinued without interruption.
Office processing of field data was considerably expedited by work
accomplished by the computing offices at New York, Philadelphia,
and San Juan maintained by the Work Projects Administration
under the sponsorship of the Bureau. With the assistance of the
University of Puerto Rico, ionosphere observations were undertaken
at San Juan.
SEISMOLO GTCAL WORK

The seismological work of the Bureau is designed to map the areas
affected by all significant earthquakes in the United States and its
possessions, and to determine the destructive effects and nature of
the motions causing destruction. One of the main purposes is to
safeguard life and property by giving data to the engineer which
will enable him to determine where, and to what degree, earthquake
resistant designing of structures is needed. This valuable informa
tion was furnished to many organizations, scientists, and other
persons during the past year.
Seismographs were operated at Survey observatories in Tucson,
Ariz.; Honolulu, T. H.; Sitka, Alaska; San Juan, P. R.; and Ukiah,
Calif. Assistance was given for the maintenance of _seismographs
at seven colleges. A similar number of independent stations sent their
records or readings to the Bureau for study and interpretation.
Results from these stations are used to map seismic areas.
Sixty strong-motion seismographs were in operation at the close of
the year at 52 stations in California, Nevada, Utah, Montana, and
the Canal Zone. Thirty strong-motion records were obtained for
14 earthquakes. All of the strong-motion instruments were recali
brated during the year.
Vibration tests were made in eight buildings for the study of earth
quake effects on buildings. Ground vibration tests were made at
four locations for the study of probable action of certain soil
response to earthquakes.
.
Three tilt meters were operated on a cooperative basis with the
University of California. They were operated near earthquake
faults to observe any tilt effects preceding and following earth
quakes which might occur in the vicinity of the instruments.

132

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Questionnaire coverage was made for 20 earthquakes which ap
proached destructive character. In all, more than 2,500 reports
were received for some 275 earthquakes.
Arrangements were continued whereby Science Service paid for
the transmission of earthquake code messages from a number of for
eign stations as well as the United States for the immediate deter
mination of epicenters. The determinations of 35 epicenters were
made and sent to all cooperating stations.
The operation of seismographs in the region of Lake Mead was
carried on with funds transferred by the Bureau of Reclamation and
with the assistance of the National Park Service, earthquakes were
located in a routine manner. Preparations were made for similar
installations at Shasta Dam, Calif., and Grand Coulee Dam, Wash.
Close cooperation continued with the California Institute of Tech
nology, especially the seismological laboratory in the study of
seismological problems, also with its engineering department with
regard to structural problems.
Seismographs were operated cooperatively with the University of
South Carolina, University of Chicago, Nebraska Wesleyan Univer
sity, Montana State College, University of Utah, University of
Alaska, and University of Hawaii. There was some seismological
cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Uni
versity of Vermont, Panama Canal Zone, Bermuda Biological Sta
tion, Montana School of Mines, and Utah State Agricultural Col
lege. temporary arrangements were made for interpretation of
seismograms
of two Greenland stations at Ivigtut and Scoresby
ound.
INSTRUMENT WORK

The Bureaus Instrument Division continued to render noteworthy
service m the development, improvement, and maintenance of instru
mental equipment. Besides handling an exceptionally large volume
or work for the Bureau, this Division was able to extend assistance
along similar lines to a number of other governmental agencies.
Experiments are being conducted in the development^ new and
more powerful signal lamps for triangulation, making use of recent
technological developments in electric lamps and reflectors
Theodolites are being improved by better design of illumination
ot giaduated circles, by more positive methods of microscope adjust
ments and by a superior form of horizontal circle and its bearing
providing
construction.more rigid parts and less expensive and more accurate
Standard tide gages have been improved by removal of the heavy
cast clock housing, reducing the weight of the instrument by about
15 pounds and lowering its cost. Experiments have been conducted
to redesign the portable tide gage to provide more accurate record mo
an d cheaper manufacture.
b
A completely rebuilt magnetograph containing many improve
ments was installed m the new variation building at Tucson Ariz
observatory. A similar installation for San Juan, P . R ., observatory
was nearing completion at the end of the year. Insensitive vari
ometers were designed and installed to obtain the complete record
of the largest magnetic storm. Improvements were made to some of
the seismographs.

COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY

133

A transit magnetometer attachment, which makes it possible to
measure horizontal intensity in addition to declination, was per
fected.
A new governor for seismograph recorder motors was developed
which controls the speed to a far greater accuracy than has ever
before been attained in such recorders.
PERSONNEL AND EINANCES

The Bureau had a personnel of 1,752 on duty at the close of June
30, 1941—507 (20 commissioned and 487 civilian, including 18
civilians paid from emergency allotments) on duty in the Washing
ton office, and 1,245 (146 commissioned and 1,099 civilian) in the
field service. The field personnel included 59 civilian employees on
duty at the Manila field station and 132 members of the crews of
the ships Fathomer and Research paid by the Philippine Government
but under the jurisdiction of this Bureau.
Acquisitions by the library and archives included 110 hydrographic
and 175 topographic sheets, representing new Bureau surveys; 1,040
blueprints (mostly by Army engineers); 7,132 maps; 1,778 charts:
8,337 field, office, and observatory records; 327 negatives; 2,051
prints; 597 lantern slides; 1,565 books; and 3,197 periodicals.
Collections covering miscellaneous receipts, including nautical and
aeronautical charts and publications, totaled $144,864.88, as compared
with $133,246.64 during the preceding year.
The following funds, from the sources indicated, were available
to the Bureau during the fiscal year 1941:

Regular appropriation---------------------------------------------------------- $3, 481, 000. 00
Supplemental appropriation, Second Deficiency Act----------------- 1, 560, 000. 00
Total appropriations-------------------------------------------------- 5, 041, 000. 00
Transfers and reimbursements to credit of appropriation for:
Coastal surveys-----------------------------------------------------------24, 216. 54
Federal, boundary and State surveys------------------------------30, 287. 69
Repairs of vessels---------------------------------------------------------2, 112. 45
Pay, officers and men on vessels-----------------------------------15, 241. 37
Salaries, office__________________________________________
7, 506. 77
Office expenses_________________________________________
4, 558. 36
Aeronautical charts_____________________________________
64, 928. 19
Travel_________________________________________________
1, 561. 62
Total transfers and reimbursements____________________
150, 412. 99
Working funds received from:
Bureau of Reclamation (seismological work, Grand Coulee
Dam)_______________________________________________
15,000.00
War Department (special control surveys)________________
6, 500.00
Navy Department (topographic surveys, Puerto Rico)_____
6, 000.00
Navy Department (wire drag surveys)----------------------------9, 800.00
Navy Department (pay of expert in magnetic work)---------767. 00
War Department (special aeronautical charts)____________
20, 000.00
War Department (control surveys in Alaska)_____________
50, 000.00
Bureau of Reclamation (seismological work, Boulder D am )..
5, 000.00
State Department (cooperation with American republics):
Tide surveys_______________________________________
10, 000.00
Revision of Hydrographic Manual___________________
5, 000.00
Gravity surveys____________________________________
9, 000.00
Work Projects Administration (administrative expenses)-35,000.00
Total working funds__________________________________
172, 067. 00
4 2 7 4 3 3 — 4 2 -------- 12

134

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Allotments from:
$12, 000. 00
Civil Aeronautics Administration (aeronautical charts)_____
Work Projects Administration (special magnetic work)_____
7, 180. 00
299. 00
Work Projects Administration (administrative expenses)___
Department of Commerce (travel)________________________
23, 000.00
Department of Commerce (printing and binding)_________
56, 497.00
Department of Commerce (contingent expenses)___________
2, 850.00
Total allotments________________________________________
101, 826. 00
Total funds available____________________________________ 5, 465, 305. 99

WEATHER BUREAU
Half century of progress.—On June 30, 1941, the Weather Bureau
had been operating as a civil-service unit for exactly half a century
and as an agency of the Department of Commerce for a year. For
20 years previous to its establishment as a civilian bureau, the mete
orological service of the United States was conducted by the Signal
Corps of the Army, where its usefulness for civilian purposes was
so effectively demonstrated that on July 1,1891, Congress transferred
the functions, equipment, and personnel to the Department of Agri
culture, creating the Weather Bureau as a civilian organization.
Under the Army the main responsibility of the service was to “give
notice of the approach of storms on the northern lakes and seacoasts.”
Under the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce that respon
sibility has grown to the job of serving the meteorological needs of
the entire Nation.
These needs, related to collective and individual enterprises of
every sort, are served in two ways: (a) By the general output of
weather information and forecasts distributed continuously through
the radio, the press, published bulletins, and automatic telephone;
and (l)) by special services created for specialized national interests.
Examples of the latter: The Aviation weather service; the Fruitfrost warning service for the prediction of critical temperatures in
the orchard regions of California and Florida; the Fire-weather
warning service to aid in the prevention and spread of forest fires;
the River and flood service for predicting river stages and floods;
the Hurricane warning service for forecasting destructive tropical
storms in the South Atlantic and Gulf States and adjacent waters;
the Corn-and-wlieat-region and Cotton-region services for determin
ing the effects of weather on growing crops; the Winter-sports service
for informing the public of weather conditions and prospects for
skiing and other winter sports.
During the last decade, under the pressing demand created by avia
tion developments, the Weather Bureau has experienced the most
rapid stage of its growth, with these significant results: The number
of reporting stations has been approximately trebled; instrumental
improvements have increased the accuracy of observations and made
possible the measurement of conditions in the atmosphere above the
earth; and facilities for communication have been vastly improved.
The importance of these changes is that they represent collectively a
very great improvement in the prime operating facilities of the
national weather service.
The process of converting this improvement to the greatest public
advantage has necessarily entailed far-reaching organizational and
operating changes in the Weather Bureau. Better observations,
opening the way to improved forecasting, have made necessary the
135

136

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

training of scientists to interpret them. Better communication facil
ities have made possible a more rapid and efficient distribution of
weather information. Better forecasts and faster distribution have
produced a flood of demands for definite, quantitative predictions,
necessitating a wholesale revision in forecast terminology and dis
semination methods to fit specific requirements of marketing, travel,
reservoir regulation, livestock movement, advertising, and a host of
other public concerns. Efficient operation under the new conditions
has called for material reductions in the size of forecast districts and
the transfer of a large number of offices from the centers of cities to
airport quarters where the continuous flow of weather information
offers greatly improved local service. Finally, the need of largescale industrial, engineering, and utilities interests for a kind of
weather service exactly suited to their operations has created the new
profession of meteorological consultant, which the Weather Bureau
has encouraged by making basic observational data and professional
advice directly available to all legitimate practitioners, whether in
dividual or in the employ of organizations requiring such specialized
service.
PRESENT ORGANIZATION OE THE W EATHER BUREAU

Basic forecast operation.—Primarily, the daily weather forecasting
service consists of three steps: (1) The collection and charting of
reports from an extensive network of observing stations, (2) the
analysis of weather charts to identify the character and forecast the
actions of meteorological elements, and (3) the public issue of weather
predictions. The observations upon which these operations are based
comprise measurements or descriptions of every visible or measureable
meteorological condition prevailing at the time of observation. At
700 stations these are made simultaneously according to schedule at
6-liourly, 3-hourly, or hourly intervals and placed within the Civil
Aeronautics Administration Weather Bureau national teletype system
to be distributed to all stations upon these circuits, including the fore
casting centers throughout the continental United States. Charts are
prepared and local forecasting is done at practically all first-order
Weather Bureau stations; but only at specially designated forecast
centers are the general analyses made, and the State, district, aviation,
and other forecasts of more exacting demands prepared. Upon com
pletion, these forecasts are redistributed to all interested stations
(Civil Aeronautics Administration and Weather Bureau alike) either
by telegraph or teletype, and to the public by telegraph, telephone,
radio, printed bulletin, automatic telephone, and the press. Related to
the three basic steps are a number of other activities, briefly defined in
the functional description following:
Organization.—As now organized, the operating structure of the
Weather Bureau consists of three main branches—administrational,
technical, and scientific. The administrative functions, including
personnel, finance, procurement, printing, and general business man
agement are conducted under direct supervision of the Chief of
Bureau. The technical services, operating under an Assistant Chief
for Technical Services, administer the distribution and staffing of
field_ stations, the schedules of observation, the maintenance of com
munications, the forecasting services, the distribution of weather in

137

WEATHER BUREAU

formation to the public, the checking, compilation, and publication
of meteorological and climatological data of all sorts for the United
States and possessions, the meteorological safeguards for the civil
airways, the procedures for determining effects of weather on crops,
the development and installation of meteorological equipment and
instruments, the hydrologic and river services for the determination
of water supplies from snow storage and for the prediction of river
stages and floods, and the hydrometeorological service for determin
ing potential rainstorm intensities as required in the flood-control
work of the Departments of War and Agriculture. The scientific
services, under the direction of an Assistant Chief for Scientific
Services, administer professional training, scientific research, evalua
tion and development of meteorological theory, consultation on prob
lems relating to meteorological physics, investigations of the relation
of solar activity to the weather, (lie library, special statistical inter
pretations of meteorological and climatological data, and investiga
tions of methods for extending the time-period of weather forecasts.
At the beginning of fiscal year 1941 the directive functions of the
Bureau in Washington were completely rearranged from a specific
service to a functional pattern, and plans were completed by the year’s
close for a broad-scale decentralization of service supervision in order
to effect more flexible and efficient management throughout the Na
tion. This decentralization, to take effect early next year, will involve
the establishment of seven field regions paralleling those of the Civil
Aeronautics Administration and directed from regional offices with
liberal powers of control and coordination.
The organization of the field service as of June 30, 1941, is given
in the following table:
Stations
302

14 general forecasting centers.
16 airway forecasting centers.
14 airway general supervising centers.
75 river district centers.
9 hydrologic regional centers.
45 climatological section centers.
Marine service activities in 26 port offices.

i 53
i 211
181
i 110
225
i 304
i 1, 500
i 2,096
i 1, 733 River, rainfall (for river work), snowfall, winter sports, evaporation and

Employees
Paid

Unpaid

1,826

o o
o o

53
320
160
89
396
1, 253
610

215
1, 500
1,700
480
1,090
4,100

1 Part-time service only.

THE W EATHER BUREAU AND NATIONAL DEFENSE

In the early stages of the Government’s program for national de
fense, the Weather Bureau began laying plans for the use of its
facilities for defense purposes. The initial step, on the recommenda
tion of the Chief of the Weather Bureau, was the formation of the

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Defense Meteorological Committee, representing the Army, Navy,
Civil Aeronautics Administration, and the Weather Bureau. Actions
taken during this fiscal year with direct bearing upon the national
defense program include the assembly of a vast amount of climato
logical data for military and naval purposes, the establishment of
new; reporting stations in the continental United States and its pos
sessions, the conducting of instruction courses for meteorological per
sonnel of the Army and Navy and National Guard at several field
stations, the inauguration of specific forecasting programs to serve
camps, munitions plants, and transportation, the complete revamping
and extension of the weather services in Alaska and the Caribbean,
and the establishment of improved and increased weather reporting
from the Pacific and Alantic Oceans and the Canal Zone.
Because of the magnitude of the defense demands for meteoro
logical service, $646,820 was made available to the Bureau to meet
them—$146,820 by transfer from the Army, and $500,000 by direct
appropriation under the First Supplemental Civil Functions
Appropriation Act.
With these funds the number of regular observations at the 30
established radiosonde stations in the United States was doubled and
4 new stations of this type were established. At 25 synoptic obser
vation points in the continental United States, observations were
stepped up from a 6-hourly to a 3-hourly schedule. A new airportand-pilot-balloon station was opened at Raleigh, N. C., and pilotballoon observations were inaugurated at Hatteras, N. C. In Alaska,
a supervising forecast center was established at Fairbanks to work
with the Army Air Corps, 30 outlying stations were installed for
furnishing hourly surface weather reports through a 12-hour daily
schedule, and ten 6-hourly and sixteen 3-hourly reporting stations
were established for round-the-clock operation. Radiosonde observa
tions were inaugurated at Fairbanks and Juneau (twice daily) and
at Anchorage, Point Barrow, Bethel, Ketchikan, and Nome (once
daily); and ceiling-balloon observations were provided for at 63
Alaskan airway stations. Seven Civil Aeronautics Administration
weather reporting stations were opened on Hawaiian and Pacific Equa
torial Islands, and a forecasting center was opened at Honolulu. At
Johnston and Palmyra Islands arrangements were completed for the
initiation of pilot-balloon observations; radiosonde observations were
inaugurated at Midway Island and Swan Island (once daily) and at
San Juan, P. R. (twice daily); and a ship supervising station was
established at Honolulu to direct pilot balloon work on ships plying
between the continental United States and Hawaii.
Primarily for military purposes also a program of four complete
major weather broadcasts per day was inaugurated in cooperation
with the Naval radio stations NPG at San Francisco, NBA at Balboa,
and NPM at Honolulu. Besides carrying weather forecasts and
storm information, these broadcasts describe fully the weather pre
vailing between southern North America and northern South
America, and from the Bahamas to the mid-Pacific. In addition, the
Caribbean weather code was revised to embrace reporting of addi
tional meteorological data important to marine and aviation opera
tions; Caribbean weather observations, formerly limited to the
hurricane season, were placed on a year-round basis; and teletype

WEATHER BUREAU

139

connections were established between the Weather Bureau’s hurricane
circuit and Army camps in the southeast to give these camps the
benefit of weather information carried on that circuit.
Special forecasting services were established for Army construc
tion work in Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, and West Virginia; for
operation of a powder plant in Virginia; for trip flights to Bermuda;
for movement of military aircraft from the west to east-coast bases;
for movement of horses in the plains region; for flood protection in
Kansas; for Coast Guard ice-breaking activities in the Great Lakes
during the spring of 1941 to facilitate the movement of ores. Pri
marily for military purposes also, numerous increases were made in
the frequency and flow of airway and off-airway weather reports,
notably along the Detroit-Sault Sainte Marie airway, in the southern
Appalachians, in New Mexico, and in the Gulf region and Texas.
Requests from the Army and Navy for meteorological and cli
matological data and for their analysis and interpretation have been
extremely heavy. Typical instances: Climatological data for various
localities in the United States where these data have an important
bearing upon construction, airport locations, maneuvers, locations of
camps, care of animals, drill facilities, water supply, and transporta
tion; advance copies of charts to be included in the atlas of airway
and upper-wind records for the United States, to aid the Army in
planning for increased airport facilities; sunset tables for 35 loca
tions in Alaska; special wind-rose data for various localities; com
parative flying-weather data along the Atlantic seaboard and in the
southwestern United States; marine weather data for the eastern
North Atlantic Ocean and for waters adjacent to South America and
the Hawaiian Islands; complete climatological data for Alaska; fly
ing-weather data for the Atlantic between Northern Africa and
South America; climatological data of importance in the planning
of naval and air bases in the Caribbean; aerological records for the
southeastern United States to aid the Army in selecting the site for
a flying school; summaries of meteorological records for points in
Alaska to facilitate programs of aerophotography; basic meteoro
logical data for the preparation of Navy sailing directions in the
western hemisphere; and special studies of fog data for the North
Atlantic.
In cooperation with the Civil Aeronautics /Administration, the
Weather Bureau arranged for instruction courses for the training of
prospective meteorological officers of the Army and Navy, at the Uni
versity of California at Los Angeles, California Institute of Tech
nology, University of Chicago, New York University, and Massa
chusetts Institute of Technology. Successful candidates for these
courses numbered 68 college graduates having major prerequisite
qualifications in mathematics, physics, and engineering, and willing
to accept military commissions or other Government assignments
upon completion of the course. Because of the shortage of instruc
tors in meteorology it was possible to conduct these courses only after
the Weather Bureau granted six of its best trained meteorologists
leave of absence without pay to enable them to serve on the teaching
staffs of some of these universities. The Bureau maintained general
contact with the progress of students under this program, and_ col
laborated in arranging courses. These 68 graduates are in addition

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REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

to 10 regular Weather Bureau students and a large number of Air
Corps cadets and several naval officers,, all of whom were assigned to
the foregoing institutions. To meet the continued urgent demand
for qualified military and other governmental meteorologists, plans
were completed for a second course which began in July 1941, 3
months ahead of the usual academic year, and which will graduate a
large number of trainees in the spring of 1942.
In addition to these formal courses of training, a preliminary
course in military meteorology was given at the Rensselaer Poly
technic Institute at Troy, N. Y.; and the Weather Bureau authored
the Civil Aeronautics Administration instruction manual “Meteorol
ogy for Pilots,” distributed an instructive new form of weather map to
700 schools giving training under the Civilian Pilot Training Pro
gram, and made available to 50 officers of the United States Army
Engineers the Weather Bureau correspondence course in meteorology
used for in-service instruction of the Bureau’s subprofessional civilian
personnel.
Defense meteorological work benefits general service to public.—
The foregoing operating services established for national defense
purposes will in most instances produce improvements also in the
service to the civilian public. For example, the increase in synoptic
surface and radiosonde observations in the continental United States
will facilitate materially the formulation of all types of weather fore
casts. The expansion of service in Alaska will do the same thing
for that Territory with particular benefit to commercial aviation.
The increase in reports in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the
Caribbean region, in conjunction with the improved naval radio
schedules in San Francisco, Balboa, and Honolulu, will be of direct
assistance to commercial shipping within the Western Hemisphere;
and the Caribbean expansions especially will be of value in the Hur
ricane-warning Service. Conversely, the civilian-service improve
ments reported in the following pages will in most instances con
tribute more or less directly to defense operations. The develop
ment of meteorological instruments brings better observations for
military as well as civil use; the training of military meteorologists
produces practical scientists useful alike in the military and civil
fields; improvement in aviation weather service saves lives and safe
guards equipment in a bomber-delivery program as well as in com
mercial air transport. Better forecasts for shipping in the Great
Lakes facilitate both the movement of ora for defense purposes and
the regular shipping service.
SERVICE OPERATIONS, FISCAL YEAR 1941

Service distribution.—The problem of optimum distribution of
meteorological service in the United States is complicated by at least
two major circumstances: Complexity of the national activity and
the complexity of North American weather. In general every indi
vidual, every small business, every industry, every institution of any
kind has some use for weather service to fit a peculiar need, which
adds up to a service problem of practically immeasurable possi
bilities of usefulness. The recent increase in the number of forecast
centers and the decentralization of supervisory control mentioned
above are both designed specifically to deal better with this problem.

WEATHER BUREAU

141

A current in-service training program, instituted to increase both
the abilities and the responsibilities of individual station officials, is
another step in the same direction. To the same end, there was
organized during 1941 a field liaison unit with headquarters in Wash
ington whose prime objective is to keep at maximum performancestandard the field morale and understanding of service-wide operat
ing- principles and procedures. During 1941 also there was estab
lished and repeatedly emphasized a service policy placing upon
qualified field officials considerably increased responsibility for direct,
independent, and effective local service; at 15 cities having both air
port and downtown Weather Bureau offices all activities were con
solidated at the airports in order to provide 24-hour service for these
communities; timing of forecasts was advanced (as described under
Earlier Forecast Issue below) and the terminology used in all types
of current publications and broadcasts was revised and enlarged to
accomplish greater* clarity and wider applicability of weather
information.
These and other operating and administrative changes designed
to increase the flexibility of field operations have required the
strengthening of forecast personnel, the realignment of field adminis
tration and policy, the relaxation of restrictions on telephonic and
wire communications, frequent prolonged service without regard for
office hours and leave privileges; but their value has already been
abundantly proved in an increased public satisfaction with the service
and a redoubled demand for more of the same.
Distribution of reports.—During recent years the national distri
bution of weather observations for charting, forecasting, publication,
and other essential uses has been conducted in part through the use
of a Civil Aeronautics Administration teletype circuit known as
Schedule A. The late greatly increased demands by aviation, by the
national defense program, and by industrial interests and others for
more and better reports have absorbed the full capacity of Schedule
A to carry them. A new circuit, to be designated as Schedule C, will
go into full operation during September 1941 to carry surface and
upper-air reports, forecasts, bulletins, warnings, weather observa
tions radioed from planes in flight, and other essential weather data,
leaving Schedule A free for transmission of a much needed increase
in hourly spot weather information for military and civilian aircraft
operations.
Besides the new Schedule C there was established during fiscal
1941 an independent Weather Bureau telemeter circuit connecting
the district forecast centers at Jacksonville, Fla., Washington, D. C.,
LaGuardia Field, N. Y., and Boston, Mass. Like Schedule C, this
new telemeter circuit was a direct result of a communication neces
sity—namely, to make available at all offices on the circuit complete
Atlantic seaboard weather information. Arrangements were com
pleted also for direct transmission to all radio broadcasting stations,
numbering approximately 800, of special warnings of the approach
of critical or dangerous weather conditions. Under this system the
regular 6-hourly forecasts will be supplemented by special warnings,
to be issued at' any time of the day or night and telegraphed or
telephoned direct to the radio stations for general broadcast.

142

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

_Earlier forecast issue.—Weather Bureau maps, forecasts, and bulle
tins have for many years been based upon observations taken at 7:30
a. m. eastern standard time. In spite of the excellence of the system
under which these observations were distributed and charted, and the
speed with which the bulletins, maps, and forecasts were issued and
publicized, the final output could not be made available to the public
until some hours after the working day had begun. The result,
often vigorously expressed by various users of weather data and
particularly by the press, has been a continued legitimate insistence
that weather information be made available earlier in the working
day. To accomplish this, mapping and forecasting and dissemina
tion procedures were adjusted during 1941 to employ observations
taken at 1:30 a. m. (instead of at 7:30 a. m.). The results have
been eminently satisfactory.
Modernization of weather maps.—In line with the recent adoption
of the air mass system in forecasting, corresponding improvements
in the style of weather descriptions and the form of weather map
presentation have been adopted. Under the new methods the
weather is described or illustrated by identification of air mass types
so as to tell users of the data in plain terms what kind of weather
prevails currently in the regions of their interest, and what kind is
to be expected within the forecast period. These improvements have
likewise been favorably received, particularly by radio listeners and
recipients of the new type of weather map issued from Washington,
!). C. This latter, instituted as an instructional aid in the Civilian
Pilot Training Program of the Civil Aeronautics Administration,
proved so much more explicit and informative than the earlier style of
map that it was adopted as a model for general weather map construc
tion. _ To assure uniformity in these publications and in the analyses
they illustrate, experiments have been made and test equipment pur
chased looking to national distribution of weather maps by facsimile
transmission process.
Aviation weather service.-—The dependence of aviation upon fore
knowledge of weather conditions constitutes one of the most active
problems of the Weather Bureau. Some contributions to its solu
tion during 1941 are described in foregoing sections, for example, the
doubling of the number of radiosonde observations, the establishment
of new stations for pilot balloon and surface observations, increases
in communication facilities, the strengthening of field forecasting
staffs. In addition, arrangements have been completed for twicedaily specific predictions of air-mass frontal displacements; possi
bilities are now being investigated of improved upper-wind fore
casts and the issue of cross-section atmospheric analyses for pilots;
special studies of weather by predictable types are in progress;
closer and more effective liaison between airlines and Weather
Bureau meteorologists has been established; and, through cooperation
with airlines, Weather Bureau forecasters’ familiarization flights have
been inaugurated to give the forecaster first-hand knowledge of the
weather problems encountered by pilots in flight.
River and Flood Service.—One of the oldest of the special services
of the Weather Bureau, the River and Flood Service is now organ
ized under 75 field river centers for providing forecasts of river
stages and warnings of floods for the rivers of the United States,
for the determination of available water supply by measurement of

WEATHER BUREAU

143

snow in natural storage in the mountain regions of the West, and for
the determination of evaporation characteristics of the United btates.
Problems now under active consideration by this Service are (1) the
provision of flood warnings on the smaller tributaries not heretofore
included in the general flood forecasting work and (2) the formula
tion of exact river prediction schemes for all rivers whose overflow
might endanger life or property .
During fiscal year 1941, Oongi*6ss authorized, a small-tributary
warning service on the Elkhorn River and Omaha and Logan Creeks
of Nebraska. Its operation, which is expected to prove the feasi
bility of community cooperation for this type of community benefit,
involves direct reporting by river observers.
Because of the magnitude of the job and the current shortage of
hydrologists qualified to do it, the systematic formulation of river
schemes for the entire United States necessarily progressed slowly.
However, work was completed or well advanced during 1941 for the
following basins: Potomac, Upper Ohio, Kanawha, and Upper James
(of Virginia).
.
Other improvements in the river and flood service during fiscal year
1841:1 Reorganization of the station network and reporting system
in the Ohio basin to expedite the distribution of river stage and rain
fall information for uses of Weather Bureau flood forecasters, the
Army Engineer Corps, and river navigation interests; the complete
revamping1 of the river and flood work of the Willamette River basin
of Oregon ; the .establishment of new river district centers at Austin,
Tex., and Huntington, W. Va., to improve river forecasting for the
Colorado River of Texas and the Kanawha and Big Sandy Rivers of
the Ohio basin ; revision of methods for collecting flood-loss data by
statistical sampling procedures; engagement of the United States
Geological Survey in a cooperative plan to resurvey Weather Bureau
river gages wherever necessary throughout the United States. In
addition, under the hydrologic network program, financed by the
Departments of Agriculture and War, for assembling precipitation
data for the flood-control programs of those Departments, 625 addi
tional precipitation gages were installed during the year. Further,
the investigation of evaporational characteristics of various sections
of the country was advanced by an increase in the number of evapora
tion stations from 130 to 145, and by the development of instruments
for the practical application of modern theories of atmospheric turbu
lence to the measurement of evaporation from open-water surfaces.
Anticipating the difficulties likely to be experienced by Army camps
from floods, the River and Flood Service circularized the field offices
of the U. S. Engineer Corps to determine in each case the character
of flood information required for the protection of property and
activities in newly established Army camps. In two instances (Con
cordia and Topeka, Kans., districts) the responses indicated a need
for expanded river and rainfall reporting networks, which were
accordingly established.
Fire-Weather Warning Service.—The successful prevention and con
trol of forest fires in thé timbered areas of the United States depends
in large part upon foreknowledge of the weather. The effect of
1 Cooperative project; funds provided by transfer from War Department.

144

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

weather upon these fires is not limited to the extinction or check, by
rain, of those already started. Lightning storms and periods of dry
weather have a critically important bearing on ignition; and the wind
direction and velocity, the stability of air masses, and variations in
relative humidity influence strongly the intensity and spread of going
tires. The Fire-Weather Warning Service of the Weather Bureau,
wdrose business it is to inform Federal and State protective agencies
of expected weather conditions in the forested areas, operates directly
from 8 field district offices. lie ports and predictions are based upon
the complete synoptic data gathered for the general weather service,
plus reports from approximately 1,600 fire-weather observers located
in the forest regions. In addition to the regular fire-weather fore
casts issued from the base stations, going-fire forecast service is con
ducted from field trucks equipped with 2-way radio and full charting
facilities. In these mobile units, fire-weather specialists are dis
patched to large forest fires where they collect weather information
continuously by radio for immediate interpretation and communica
tion to forest officials directing fire-control operations.
During fiscal year 1941 a new fire-weather subdistrict was estab
lished at Boise, Idaho, under the supervision of the Missoula, Mont.,
office; the subdistrict headquarters at, Pasadena was moved to Los
Angeles to gain the advantage of consolidated map and communica
tions facilities; the headquarters at San Francisco and Mount Shasta
added ultra-high frequency radio equipment loaned by the United
States Forest Service, with the effect of gaining several hours in
the collection of fire-weather station reports and the issuance of
forecasts; and, to effect a similar gain in the Northwest, improved
intermediate frequency radio equipment is now under construction
for the Portland and Seattle mobile units. A 2-year thunderstorm
research study with special application to fire-weather forecasting was
completed in cooperation with the United States Forest Service and
fhe Massachusetts Institute of Technology; fire-weather forecasts and
reports were inaugurated in Indiana for the protection of State wood
lands; and the regular Weather Bureau offices at Albuquerque and
Denver began the operation of an extended fire-weather warning
service by broadcasts from commercial radio stations, to aid protective
agencies in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.
Fruit-Front Warning Service.—This service is organized to provide
forecasts of critical temperatures in the greater orchard regions of
California and Florid a and other places where such interests are
large. During 1941 agricultural extensions necessitated the establish
ment of approximately 30 new fruit-frost stations, and the timeperiod of fruit-frost forecasts was extended wherever possible to give
growers and shippers from 2 to 3 days advance notice of the approach
of dangerous weather. In some regions, important special investiga
tions were made on the.relation of temperature and precipitation to
pest-control and spraying and harvesting operations.
Great Lakes Region Forecasts.—The moving of more than 70,000,000 tons of ore for defense purposes during the 1941 shipping
season in the Great Lakes necessitated opening the Lake traffic more
than 2 weeks in advance of the usual time. This in turn called for
an amplified weather service to provide information on winds, storms
and the presence and movement of ice. Accordingly, the Weather

WEATHER BUREAU

145

Bureau initiated special broadcasts of weather conditions 4 times
daily by radio-telephone to carry reports from strategic points on the
Lakes and from vessels en route between Lake points. These reports
are used at the forecast centers in Chicago and Cleveland in the
formulation of 6-hourly forecasts and warnings for Lakes shipping.
To facilitate the collection of observations, exchange of information
between forecast centers, and final distribution of forecasts and warn
ings, special teletype circuits were established connecting the Weather
Bureau forecasting centers with the broadcasting stations.
Winter Sports Service.—This service, providing current information
and forecasts for the widespread skiing areas of the western, northcentral, and northeastern United States, was extended to embrace a
number of western areas previously served by the Soil Conservation
Service of the Department of Agriculture and relinquished by them
this year to bring the entire activity under uniform national super
vision. Established 3 years ago to serve week-end skiers, sledders,
skaters, tobogganers, ice fishermen, and ice boaters, this service was
improved significantly during fiscal year 1941 by the addition of
specific forecasts for transportation and other organizations dealing
with equipment, traffic regulation, and supply, and an additional mid
week bulletin was inaugurated to serve New York and Boston and
other northeastern cities.
Five-day forecasts.—During August 1940, the practice of issuing
general weekly outlooks for the 10 forecasting districts of the United
States was displaced by a twice-weekly issue of an extended forecast
for 5-day periods. Under the new system, a description and pre
diction of significant basic elements, with indications of expected
change for the entire United States, is distributed from Washington
to 11 general forecast centers. Using this as a basis, each center then
constructs and issues the 5-day forecast for its_ own district. In
points of specific terminology and definite applicability, these ex
tended forecasts represent a distinct improvement over the earlier
weekly outlooks.
The Climate and Crop Weather Division.—The_ basic activity of
this Division is to determine climatic characteristics of the United
States and its possessions, to publish significant climatic data in inter
pretable form for public use, to make such studies of the climates of
the world as may be necessary in the interests of the American public,
to supervise the collection and publication of reports of the effects
of weather upon American agriculture, and in general to conduct the
extensive climatico-statistical work of the Weather Bureau. Under
the Division’s supervision there were completed and placed in process
of publication during 1941 two outstanding climatological publica
tions: (1) Tabulations of normal values of upper air temperatures
and humidities, based upon all available aerological observations made
by kites, airplanes, and radiosondes; and (2) a complete atlas of air
way weather for the United States, based upon airport weather
records through the year 1938. This atlas contains tabular and
graphical presentations of the percentage-frequencies of such elements
as fog, thunderstorms, ceiling heights, visibility, and surface and
upper winds. The most complete and extensive publication of its
kind ever issued by a meteorological service, this atlas has required
the continuous employment of an average of 200 persons for more than
2 years under a special WPA project conducted in New Orleans, La.

146

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

In addition, special compilations of climatic data for all classes of
Weather Bureau stations over a uniform period of 40 years ending
with 1938 were completed for inclusion in the 1941 Yearbook of the
Department of Agriculture, to be published under the title “Climate
and Man.” This work, also accomplished by a special WPA project
and constituting the most extensive and complete climatic survey ever
undertaken in this country, includes climatic charts and complete
tabular summaries relating to temperature, frost, precipitation, and
other meteorological data recorded at some 5,000 stations distributed
throughout the United States.
As indicated in the foregoing section on national defense, many
special summaries were made of upper air and airway weather records
upon special requests by military investigators and others engaged
in national defense activities. New text material and tables were
prepared for the United States Hydrographic Office covering coastal
localities and adjacent sea areas for publication in “Sailing Direc
tions” and “Navy Air Pilots.” Material was completed and fur
nished for seven pilots: Mexico, British Columbia, the central Medi
terranean, the Bay of Bengal, the Bay of Biscay, the eastern North
Atlantic, and southern South America; and tables and charts cover
ing the surface climatology of eastern South America were also
completed for the “Navy Air Pilot.” Other activities by the Climate
and Crop Weather Division: Inauguration of a project to establish
normal values of temperature and precipitation at new airport loca
tions ; publication by division personnel of important studies, includ
ing “The Intensity and Duration of Exceedingly Heavy Rainfall in
the United States,” “The Relation of Gusts of Wind to the Velocities
Recorded,” “Pressure Variations and Trends in Relation to Variance
of Weather,” “Precipitation—Its Trends and Tendencies.”
Scientific Services.—The activities of this office relate primarily to
meteorological research and scientific training. During 1941, it fos
tered the development of extended forecasting as a service activity.
In the same field, this office is now conducting research upon the
general problem of ocean forecasts, and in addition is developing
statistical methods for the verification of all weather predictions, and
investigating the meteorological significance of atmospheric ozone
and solar radiation intensity-variations and the relation of weather
types to the practical questions of forest-fire incidence, intensity of
light in large cities, and flying weather in the Caribbean and Atlantic
and Pacific regions.
Training.—Stimulated by a constant demand for refinements and
extensions, and implemented by the recent manyfold increase, in
observations, the science of meteorology has advanced rapidly during
the last few years, not only in the spread of its applications but in
the development of its theories and the revision of its techniques. To
convert these improvements as effectively as possible to the public
benefit, the Weather Bureau has had to stress and encourage advanced
professional training to a greater extent than ever before in its his
tory. In-service training was conducted during fiscal year 1941 as
follows: Three regional technical conferences were held (two in Wash
ington and one in Oakland, Calif.), each attended by approximately
20 Weather Bureau officials through a 12-week period of intensive
study of new air-mass concepts and weather-map analysis techniques;

WEATHER BUREAU

147

a correspondence course composed of 10 lessons and 9 discussions upon
basic principles of applied meteorology was completed by approxi
mately 900 subprofessional employees; and, under authority of the
Civil Aeronautics Act, 10 professional employees were sent to uni
versities for advanced courses in meteorology and the same number
attended similar courses on leave without pay. In addition, pre
requisites to advancement in the subprofessional and professional
grades were revised so as to encourage the acquisition of additional
scientific background by all employees and to assure proper quali
fications in active scientific personnel.
The Hydrometeorological Section.—Financed by funds transferred
from the flood-control appropriations of the Departments of War and
Agriculture, this section is organized to produce the answers to all
meteorological questions bearing upon the flood-control works pro
grams of those Departments. Basically, the objective of this work
is to determine the maximum potential precipitation characteristics
for any drainage basin upon which flood-control work is contem
plated. These determinations require a highly expert coordination
of statistics, history, topographical influences, and meteorological
theory. A representative accomplishment in this field for 1941 is the
report on maximum possible precipitation of the Ohio River tribu
tary basins above Pittsburgh, lately completed for the Army Engi
neers. Reports and studies of this type are of value not only in
dealing with the immediate flood-control problem but also in provid
ing indices of lasting meteorological, hydrologic, and engineering
importance. In the 1941 Ohio Basin report, for example, a general
theory of basic physical controls as related to maximum possible
precipitation was formulated and applied for the first time, and
definite evaluations of restrictive geometric properties were developed.
Thus the study has disclosed two primary points never before formu
lated and capable of general application. Other activities of the
hydrometeorological section during fiscal year 1941: Good progress
in the meterological classification and analysis of storm rainfall data
of several hundred flood-producing storms; development of a method
for applying weather map analysis to the study of mass rainfall
curves; formulation of a practical method of application of modern
theories of atmospheric turbulence to the study of maximum rates
of snow-melt; extensive research on several major storms of the
nineteenth century; completion of several studies of characteristics '
and frequency of flood-producing storms over various sections of the
United States.
Instruments.—Studies, experiments, tests, and shop work on 34
instrumental and equipment problems pertaining to meteorological
observations and their improvement were conducted in the Weather
Bureau’s Instrument Division in Washington and through collabora
tion with the Bureau of Standards and the laboratories of several
instrument manufacturers. Orders were placed for 250 Weather
Bureau type indicators to give continuous visible record of windspeed in Weather Bureau and Civil Aeronautics Administration air
port offices; 200 chronometric radiosondes were purchased for experi
mental comparison with the modulated audiofrequency type now in
use. A wind-sun-rain recorder was designed to obviate future pur
chases of the more expensive triple-register now in use. This new

148

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

instrument, whose parts are commercially available, will be con
strncted to record additional elements also, such as light intensity,
instantaneous beginning of rainfall, and any other that may be sus
ceptible of this type of registering.
Additional Instrument Division problems and projects under
active conduct during the year: Horizontal visibility measurement,
remote observations of wet-and-dry-bulb temperatures, development
of continuous dew-point recorders, improved paint for instrument
shelters, wind-speed-and-direction indicators, precision aneroid ba
rometers, pressure-change indicators, a ceiling height alarm, an
improved marine theodolite, and photometric recorders of solar radi
ation. Further, 60 new specifications were prepared to protect the
quality and precision of instruments and apparatus for use in
Weather Bureau operations.
CONTRIBUTIONS BY OTHER AGENCIES

Because of the great variety of uses made of the weather service,
its operations necessarily touch upon the activities of many other
Government agencies aiid frequently require their cooperation and
assistance. The Weather Bureau desires particularly to make ac
knowledgment to the following agencies for cooperation of this sort,
during the fiscal year 1941: The Civil Aeronautics Administration
for collaboration on many problems dealing with aviation; the Coast
Guard and Navy for their indispensable assistance in gathering
observations from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Carribbean Sea; the Geological Survey for its assistance in field operations
of the river and flood work; the Soil Conservation, National Park,
and Forest Services for their cooperation in the winter sports work;
the Bureau of Standards for invaluable aid in the development and
testing of instruments; the Department of Justice for promptness in
extending the stays of foreign meteorologists invited by the Weather
Bureau to serve as training instructors in the national defense offi
cers’ training courses; the Indian Service for invaluable cooperation
in the extension of the Alaskan weather service; and the Army
Engineers for continued assistance in support of the field hydrologic
program.
&
APPROPRIATIONS

Appropriations available for the conduct of the regular work of
the Bureau during the fiscal year amounted to $6,880,900. This sum
consists of the following:

------- -------------------------------------------------------- $6,318,870
Animal Act,_ 1941
becond Deficiency Act, Department of Commerce, 1940 (for establishing a district forecast center at Boston, M ass.)______________
50 000
First Supplemental Civil Functions Appropriation Act, 1941 (for
national defense meteorological services)________________________ 500 000
Transfers pursuant to Reorganization Plan IV:
To “Weather and Crop Relationship, Department of Agriculture” —4, 000
From “Rent of Buildings, Department of Agriculture” (Trans
ferred to Department of Commerce and made available direct
to the Weather Bureau)______________________________________
jg 030
Total regular appropriations available______________________ G, sgO, 900

WEATHER BUREAU

149

In addition there were also transferred or allotted to the Weather
Bureau the following funds:

Title of fund or allotment
Amount
“Printing and Binding, Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau”__$60, 000
“Working Fund, Commerce, Weather Bureau, Advance from Air Corps
Army, 1940^1” (for radiosonde stations and a report on long-range
forecasting)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 146,820
“Civilian Pilot Training, Office of Administrator of Civil Aeronautics,
1941” (for publication of a special weather map for pilot training)
4,620
“Cooperation with the American Republics (Transfer to Commerce,
Civil Aeronautics Administration)” (for promoting and coordinating
the aviation weather services in Central and South America)______ 2,500
“Working Fund, Commerce, Weather Bureau, Advance from Flood
Control, General” (hydrologic studies)_____________________________ 90,000
“Working Fund, Commerce, Weather Bureau, Advance from Flood
Control, General” hydrologic station network and reports from
189,075
Willamette B asin)__________________________________
“Working Fund, Commerce, Weather Bureau, Advance from Mainte
nance and Improvement of Existing River and Harbor Works”
(Ohio River reporting network)___________________________________ 3,200
“Working Fund, Commerce, Weather Bureau, Advance from Flood
Control General (Agriculture)” (for hydrologic station network
and hydrometeorological studies)--------------------------------------------------------178,141
“Flood Control General (Transfer to Commerce) (Weather Bureau)”
(unexpended balance of funds allotted to the Weather Bureau dur
ing the iiseal year 1940 for hydrologic station network and hydrome
teorological studies_________________________________________________ 43,700
“Emergency Relief, Commerce, Weather Bureau, Federal Non-Con
struction Projects (Transfer from Work Projects Administra
tion )” (for compilation and summarization of climatological data)_ 48,873
“Emergency Relief, Commerce, Weather Bureau, Administrative Ex
penses (Transfer from Work Projects Administration)” (for
administration of above project)__________________________________ 2,036

427433— 42------------13

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION
INTRODUCTION

The most vital and dramatic role in its colorful history was under
taken by American civil aviation as its part in the Nation’s defense
effort.
As their contribution in the emergency, domestic air carriers con
tinued to establish all-time records in traffic operations during the
fiscal 1941.
Territorial and foreign activities of American flag air lines ex
panded to more distant horizons, while domestic routes experienced
expansion over widespread areas from coast to coast.
Inspired by the need for light planes to train fliers for the emergency,
civil aircraft production experienced a rapid increase.
From every angle civil aviation showed increases, in some cases of
more than 100 percent. The number of pilots doubled, the number
of aircraft increased almost 60 percent, and there were sensational
increases in the number of revenue passengers carried and mail
and express poundage.
There follows a summary of increases between June 30, 1940, and
June 30,1941:
Percent of
increase

Pilots certified----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- 100. 6
Aircraft certified---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------58. 7
Regularly scheduled air-carrier operations within the continental United
States and H aw aii:
Revenue passengers transported------------------------------------------------------ 44. 39
Pound-miles1 of mail carried------------------------------------------------------------ 19.45
Pound miles of express carried----------------------------------------------------------38. 92
Regularly scheduled air-carried operations outside of the continental .United
States and H aw aii:
Passengers transported------- ------------------------------------------------------------- 28.12
Pounds of mail carried------------------------------------------------------------------- 61. 00
Pounds of express carried__________________________________________ 10. 79
1 A pound-mile is the unit which measures the carriage of 1 pound over a distance of
1 mile.
REORGANIZATION

Presidential Reorganization Plans Nos. I l l and IV became effec
tive June 30,1940, the last day of the fiscal year 1940.
The five-member Civil Aeronautics Board was continued as an
independent rule-making and adjudicating agency of the Govern
ment, with powers, in general, over economic and safety matters.
The remainder of the former Civil Aeronautics Authority, created
by the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, w-as transferred to the Depart
ment of Commerce and became the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
151

152

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The functional division between the Board and the Administration
is definite, but the respective duties are so related that the closest
cooperation is necessary.
AIRW AYS

The Civil Aeronautics Administration is responsible for the estab
lishment, operation, and maintenance of the airways as well as for
installation of the most efficient air navigation facilities available.
This 31,000-mile network of aerial highways, complete with beacon
lights, lighted airports, intermediate landing fields, raclio ranges,
communications stations and markers, teletypewriter and interphone
communications circuits, and traffic-control stations, covers the
United States from coast to coast and border to border. It connects
all of the major and most of the minor population centers by sub
stantially straight-line routes and more recently has been extended
to a system of airwaj^s in Alaska.
Marked improvements have been developed in all branches of the
Airways Service. Automatic equipment has been developed, instru
ments and devices improved, the mechanical performance of air
navigation facilities accelerated, and routines for maintenance of
aids have been simplified. Substantial reductions in unit operating
costs were brought about by revising specifications on certain
equipment.
Total lighted airway mileage at the end of fiscal 1941 had in
creased to 30,913 miles in the United States. Air navigation facilities
in operation were as follows :
Fiscal year
1941
Airways beacon lights-------------- 2, 276
Lighted intermediate landing
309
Full-power radio range, communication and broadcast sta114
tioric?
Medium-power radio range and
139
Low-power radio range and com39
munication stations.....................

Fiscal year
1941

1940

2,205 Nondirectional radio marker
beacons______ ___ ________
38
42
295 Ultra-high-frequency fan markers. 118
45
Teletype communications circuits
mileage (primarily for weather
105 communications) ___________ 29, 422 27,068
Teletype and interphone com136 munications circuits mileage
(primarily for traffic control). 16, 725 13,640
33

EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT OF' AIRWAYS AND AIRWAY AIDS

The expansion and improvement of the Federal Airways System
progressed steadily throughout the year. Construction work was
substantially completed at the end of the year on air navigation
facilities along the following new routes :

Cheyenne-Huron
Dayton-Toledo
'
Detroit-Sault Ste. Marie
Los Angeles-San Francisco Coastal
Korfolk-Washlngton

Pueblo-W ichita
Tallahassee-Atlanta
Wilkes-Barre-Syracuse
Kansas City-Des Moines

These routes total 2,428 miles and include 22 revolving beacon
lights, 13 lighted intermediate landing fields, 8 radio range and com
munication stations, Y weather-reporting and communication stations,
and 4,108 miles of teletypewriter communications circuits.

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

153

Construction was begun on 26 additional radio range and communi
cation facilities. Sixteen of these are in operation and the others
are being commissioned as fast as radio equipment can be delivered
by manufacturers.
The program included establishing 43 ultra-high-frequency fantype markers. Construction was approximately 80-percent com
pleted. The remaining construction and installation work is rapidly
being finished.
Eight ultra-high-frequency radio ranges, for which surveys had
been completed, equipment assembled, and construction contracts
awarded, prior to the beginning of the fiscal year, were established
and were in operation for several months on a service test basis.
From the information gained in the operation of these stations,
plans and specifications are being prepared for 57 additional ranges.
Advantages anticipated from the use of ultra-high-frequency equip
ment include freedom from atmospheric interference, freedom from
“fading” and “skip,” reduction in power required for satisfactory
results, reduction in weight required for aircraft radio installations,
reduction in number of frequency bands necessary, and reduction in
cost of equipment.
A contract was awarded for the construction of six radio landing
systems and their installation at municipal airports in New York
(LaGuardia Field), Chicago, Los Angeles, Fort Worth, Kansas City,
and Cleveland.
Delivery of radio equipment was delayed and installation of the
landing systems could not be made during fiscal 1941. However,
work on similar installations at Washington, D. C., and Oakland,
Calif., is progressing. Funds were appropriated for the installation
of these radio landing systems at eight additional airports during thè
fiscal year 1942 and preliminary surveys were under way in the fiscal
year 1941.
The Federal Airways organization was assigned six projects m
continental United States under the program for developing landing
areas for national defense. By the end of the year construction was
under way for five of the six projects, including new airports at Rock
Springs, Wyo., Gardner, Kans., and Del Rio, Tex., and complete
lighting systems at Youngstown, Ohio, and Grand Forks, N. Dak.
Surveys and construction were continued in the Pacific area. Com
munication stations at two locations are nearing completion. Engi
neering surveys were completed and construction material assembled
for communication stations and radio range stations at several other
island locations. Construction on these projects was delayed owing
to transportation difficulties.
Work on three high-powered stations for defense purposes was
under way by the end of the year.
The program for the establishment of air navigation facilities in
the Territory of Alaska was extended considerably. All major
Alaskan airport projects included in the Army and Navy program for
the development of landing areas for national defense were
undertaken.
At the close of the fiscal year 9 radio range and communication
stations, 13 point-to-point communication stations, and 3 landing
fields were in operation, and a number of other facilities were nearing

154

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

completion. Contracts were awarded and construction work under
way on defense airports at 6 locations in Alaska.
Field forces were increased, and a large number of field surveys
were being carried on during the present working season to obtain
data and information required in the preparation of plans and speci
fications for other facilities included in the 1942 fiscal year program.
D E V E L O PM E N T O F C O M M U N IC A T IO N S

There were in operation 13,292 miles of teletype and 3,433 miles
of interphone circuits for utilization in the airway traffic control
service at the end of the fiscal year.
There were 29,422 miles of teletype circuits in operation for mete
orological and other information to airmen.
Funds were obtained for an additional national teletype network
of 24,269 miles for synoptic meteorological reports and forecasts for
aeronautical and general public use. Service on these lines was
planned to begin in September 1941.
The trams-Atlantic radio control station WSY, New York, now
communicates with aircraft over the Atlantic and carries on direct
radio communication with other stations involved in intercontinental
operations by air.
AIRWAYS TRAFFIC CONTROL

Two new airway traffic-control centers were established at Seattle,
Wash., and Cincinnati, Ohio, bringing the total centers to 14. Serv
ice handled increased 64 percent over the preceding year. Plans
were made to establish 9 new airway traffic-control centers, giving
airway traffic-control coverage over the entire civil airway system of
the United States. Installation will commence during the first part
of fiscal 1942.
Approximately 4,315 miles were added to United States civil air
ways. This involved complete redesignation of the civil airways,
airway traffic-control areas, control zones of intersection and radio
fixes. As a result, at the end of the year 14 airway traffic-control
centers were controlling traffic over approximately '20,000 miles of
the complete United States civil airways system. In addition, 5,667
miles of civil airways were designated in Alaska.
Improvements in equipment included the installation of an auto
matic system for the posting of flight data in the Washington Airway
Traffic Control Center at Washington National Airport. Develop
ment was completed and contract awarded for a new type of perma
nent recording equipment for use in airway traffic-control centers.
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT

Final arrangements were concluded with the Coast and Geodetic
Survey for the production of airways navigation charts, instrument
approach charts, and instrument landing charts which had been
developed for instrument flight. Development work on fluorescent
charts was advanced to the point where they can be satisfactorily
produced. Work was started on the development of a new chart as
a direction-finding aid for seaplanes.

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

155

Various research programs were initiated and some concluded
toward more satisfactory lighting of airports. Methods of'lighting
approach lanes were investigated and specifications formulated for
an approach lighting system to supplement the ultra-high-frequency
localizer as a means of safely lowering minimum operating altitudes.
A service test installation of seadrome lighting equipment was com
pleted at San Francisco and the test results reported.
Comparative tests conducted at the Administration’s Experimental
Station at Indianapolis resulted in revision of specification equipment
for contact lights and in new and more effective contact light manu
facturing. A low-cost boundary light circuit also was developed.
A system of airport traffic-control lighting, a control tower, and a
smoke-generating wind indicator, all incorporating novel design fea
tures, were developed and installed at Washington National Airport.
Four major paving-material producers cooperated with the Admin
istration in a study of acceptability tests for soil stabilization. Re
sults of this study are covered in a report which is now being
processed. A manual on improved airport drainage was prepared.
There were a number of important development activities in the
field of aircraft components, power-plant components, and instru
ments and appliances. The program to develop instrumentation for
the study of vibration and flutter progressed. Deliveries were ob
tained on a substantial part of the projected equipment and contracts
were negotiated involving construction of mechanical and electrical
harmonic analyzers, a new type of vibration pick-up unit, and for the
coordination of all the equipment into a self-contained and mobile
vibration testing laboratory.
The fiscal year saw completion of that phase of the engine-nacelle
fire-test program involving the present air-carrier type of installation
and the initiation of a similar program involving the newer, more
tightly cowled type.
Contracts were let for further development of an automatic instru
ment log device to make photographic records from the instrument
panel by day or night without disturbing the pilot’s vision, and to
develop photographic flight path recording and analyzing equipment.
Work was started toward developing an automatic-recording accel
erometer to be used by the Administration to determine landing
shocks. Work also was started on a standard testing procedure and
apparatus for determining the airworthiness characteristics of
aircraft fuel systems.
The development of ultra-high-frequency radio aids to air naviga
tion continued during the year.
A portable radio range was completed for further investigating
site requirements and it was determined that ultra-high-frequency
radio ranges could be installed in all types of terrain throughout
the United States with satisfactory operation assured. Further
progress took place in the devolopment of a two-course visual ultrahigh-frequency radio range with aural sector and station identifi
cation. Development continued on the frequency-modulated and
omni-directional types of ranges. Specifications were prepared and
a contract awarded for an experimental automatic monitor system
for low-frequency airport radio ranges.

156

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Three amplitude-modulated ultra-high-frequency airport trafficcontrol transmitters were installed and tested at LaGuardia, Floyd
Bennett, and Philadelphia Airports. As a result, it was possible to
formulate rules governing the installation of ultra-high-frequency
airport traffic-control facilities and to prepare a plan for frequency
assignments. A contract was awarded for three frequency-modu
lated airport traffic-control transmitters to be given comparative
tests with the amplitude-modulated equipment at the same location.
The development of a radio obstruction marker, to provide warning signals to pilots flying at low altitude when approaching high
obstructions, was in progress. A contract was awarded to develop
a fan-marker monitor.
_A contract also was awarded to develop an aircraft vertical separa
tion indicator to provide pilots in flight, and air traffic-control per
sonnel on the ground, with indications of the relative separation of
aircraft and their height above ground.
SAFETY REGULATIONS

Air safety is another major responsibility of the Civil Aeronautics
Administration, and the steadily improving safety records attained
by United States civil aviation have been made possible partly by
the Administration’s painstaking enforcement of the standards, rules
and regulations.
This work has been supplemented by a system of examination,
inspection and certification of airmen, aircraft, and appliances, and
the maintenance of high standard air navigation facilities. Civil
Aeronautics manuals, interpreting the Civil Air Regulations, cir
culated to pilots and the industries, also contributed their share to
the safety program.
AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS

Federal law requires that all commercial aircraft must hold an
airworthiness certificate issued by the Administration. Airworthi
ness tests include thorough engineering study of aircraft design,
extensive stress analyses, and static tests of vital portions of the
structure. Minimum standards of construction are drafted by the
Administration and laid down by the Civil Aeronautics Board.
Under section 603 of the Civil Aeronautics Act production certifi
cates are issued to aircraft manufacturers. The Administration’s
work in this field also includes the development of improved stand
ards. Aircraft structural failures and defects are studied and
findings released in Engineering Section reports. Several of these
were prepared during fiscal 1941. The Administration works closely
with the National Bureau of Standards, the National Advisory Com
mittee for Aeronautics, the Army, and the Navy in making these
studies.
During the year considerable progress was made toward bringing
airworthiness standards of the Army, the Navy, and the Administra
tion into general agreement wherever possible. Constructive results
are typified by a number of Army and Navy contracts for military
aircraft which were written to meet the airworthiness standards
specified in Civil Air Regulations. Particular enthusiasm over this
trend has been expressed by the industries.

157

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

The work was coordinated by the Army-Navy-Civil Committee on
Aircraft Requirements. Technical reports of this work are pre
pared and distributed. It has been agreed that the Administration
should take over the preparation and publication of ANC reports.
The Administration also issued type certificates for engines, pro
pellers, appliances, and other component parts of aircraft. Certifi
cates are granted following examination of drawings, stress analyses,
and test reports. A summary of Administration approvals during
fiscal 1941 follows:
Special
Aircraft Engines Propellers Appli
ances approvals
, ....
New modelsadded to old type approvalsNew production certificates issued.........

20
33
276

5
27
61
1

24
67
84

6
47
45
- 11

Total
55
174
482
19
1,745

EXAMINATION AND INSPECTION

The term “airman” as defined in the Act includes aircraft crew
members, ground crew workers, dispatchers, control tower operators,
and similar personnel as well as pilots. All these are certificated by
the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics.
Certificates issued during fiscal year 1941 with comparison with the previous year
and percentage of increase

Aircraft conveyances recorded............................................. ........ ..........

1941

1940

225,751
192,938
44, 716
16,831
31,945
512,181

152, 640
83, 712
37,926
9, 581
19,061
302,920

Percent of
increase
47
145
18
76
68
69.6
--------- -

AIR CARRIER INSPECTION

Air Carrier Inspection also expanded both as to personnel and
projected work at the beginning of and throughout the year. Inspec
tors flew a total of 1,546,752 miles and conducted a total of 926
investigations of accidents, violations, and complaints.
District offices were set up in the regions both within and outside
of the continental limits of the United States, thereby increasing the
efficiency and reducing the operating costs of the work. During the
year 56" new domestic airline routes or portions of such routes were
inspected and 2,364 air carrier airman examinations or original
ratings were made. A number of airports were temporarily closed to
eliminate the danger caused by heavy traffic congestion and inade
quate airport traffic control. Improvement in pilot training programs
by air carriers was encouraged. At the end of the year, there were
seven foreign operating certificates in effect as contrasted to one at
the beginning. Seven sets of specifications covering these operations
were prepared and issued.

158

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Investigations were made to improve the standards of aircraft
maintenance and overhaul.
The inspection staff maintains a close liaison with other Govern
ment agencies and furnishes them with data and information
regarding aircraft and component parts.
A special Air Carrier Inspection Unit was organized to conduct
exhaustive inspections of entire air-carrier systems. Many unsatis
factory conditions were disclosed, and appropriate corrective action
was initiated with excellent cooperation on the part of the air carriers’
organizations.
During the year a Douglas DC-3, fitted as a flying laboratory, was
acquired for the use of the inspection personnel. It was used in
many tests for the development and improvement of Civil Air Regu
lations, as well as special tests requested by congressional investigating
committees. By the end of the year, most of the inspectors had been
given familiarization and refresher training with this plane.
One of the outstanding installations in the plane is a dual auto
matic radio direction finder developed by the Administration. This
consists of two entirely independent automatic direction finders
whose functional operation is correlated by the employment of an
azimuth indicator. The indicator has two azimuth needles, each of
which is associated with one direction finder. By tuning one direc
tion finder to a station of departure and one direction finder to a
station of destination, it is possible to fly a direct course between two
stations merely by keeping the needles on a straight line.
RADIO

Radio inspection was continued, and development was recommended
for improved radio devices, such as the automatic direction finder,
higher-powered multifrequency transmitters, and modern multi
channel communication receivers.
Two manuals were issued. Civil Aeronautics Manual 16, “Air
craft Radio Equipment Airworthiness,” interprets the Civil Air
Regulations in regard to the type certification of aircraft radio
equipment. This manual also sets forth acceptable practices, pro
cedures, standards, etc., for the guidance of design engineers and air
carrier technical personnel in meeting the requirements of the perti
nent Parts of the Civil Air Regulations. In cooperation with the
Radio Technical Committee for Aeronautics, a manual of standard
tests was drafted.
During fiscal 1941, 63 original typ.e certificates were issued to new
units of aircraft radio equipment, and 81 modifications of exisiting
aircraft radio equipment certificates, were authorized.
INSPECTION OF AIRMEN AND NONSCHEDULED AIRCRAFT

Inspectors made examinations and tests of aircraft, aircraft engines
propellers, and their appliances for continued airworthiness. They
examined all applicants and application data submitted to show con
formity with required standards for aircraft; airmen of all grades
mechanics, parachute riggers, flight and ground instructors, airtralfic control-tower operators, aircraft dispatchers; and air agencies

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

159

which latter included flight and ground schools, mechanic schools, and
aircraft repair stations. They also supervised the conduct of air
meets and other public aeronautical demonstrations, and conducted
investigations of accidents, complaints, and violations of the Civil
Air Regulations.
In performing these activities, the inspectors in fiscal 1941
conducted, supervised, or examined approximately 73,000 pilot exam
inations and tests, resulting in the issuance of approximately 60,000
new pilot certificates; 19,000 additional flight tests of pilots for
ratings as to competency as flight instructors, instrument pilots, and
to determine qualifications for piloting aircraft of various type,
weight, and engine classifications; 32,000 applications of pilots for
endorsement (renewal) of their certificates; 7,000 applicants for
ground instructor certificates, resulting in the issuance of approxi
mately 6,000 such certificates, and approximately 1,700 applications
for endorsement of such certificates; 8,500 examinations and tests for
mechanic certificates, resulting in the issuance of slightly more than
7,000 new mechanic certificates, and examined applications for ap
proximately 3,000 mechanic certificate endorsements; 114 examina
tions for air-traffic control-tower operators, resulting in the issuance
of 98 air-traffic control-tower operator certificates, and also examined
applications for the endorsement of 159 such certificates.
Inspectors made approximately 35,000 examinations of nonscheduled aircraft for continued airworthiness. These included the in
spection and issuance of airworthiness certificates for commercial,
restricted and experimental activities, as well as the endorsement of
such certificates.
They made approximately 3,500 inspections of flying and ground
schools, resulting in the issuance of 1,394 flying and ground school
air-agency certificates. Air-agency certificates were also issued to
43 mechanic schools.
Inspections on applications for 158 aircraft repair stations were
made, and 149 new repair station air-agency certificates were issued.
Investigations and reports were made, during the year, of approxi
mately 4,800 accidents involving nonscheduled aircraft.^ Inspectors
investigated 1,813 cases of alleged violations of the Civil Air Regu
lations, in addition to 2,400 complaints. They issued 675 certificates
of waiver of Air Traffic Rules. Each of these certificates of waiver
required to some extent personal supervision and investigation by an
inspector. A total of 266 air-meet permits were issued.
To assist inspectors in handling the increased number of pilot
certificate applications, certain qualified flight instructors associated
with the aviation industry were appointed during the year to act
as flight examiners and authorized to give flight tests to applicants
for private pilot certificates under the direct supervision of field
inspectors. At the close of the year 624 flight examiner designations
weve in effect.
Steps were taken during the closing months of the fiscal year to
designate qualified mechanics to act in the capacity of aircraft
inspection representatives and assist the field forces in the inspection
of aircraft for continued airworthiness. At the end of the year,
53 such designations had been made.

160

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

For the training of new personnel, a school has been in session
since October 1940. During that time approximately 180 field em
ployees have attended the school for a 60-day training period before
being assigned to duty in their respective regions.
FLIGHT TESTS

Before an aircraft can be used for instruction in the acrobatic
maneuvers required in the Secondary Course of the Civilian Pilot
Training Program, it first must be fully tested to determine whether
it can be operated safely under the conditions to which it will be sub
jected. Conduct of these tests is one of the duties of flight test
inspectors. Tests of this type were made on 43 basic model airplanes
and of this number 13 were found to be unsafe or unsuitable for the
type of flying involved.
The Administration also conducted two special sets of flight tests
in response to recommendations from aircraft manufacturers for
further revision of Amendment No. 56 of the Civil Air Regulations,
which provides for the certification of airplanes in a “transport”
category.
One of these tests was conducted under supervision of the Admin
istration by the staff of the National Advisory Committee for Aero
nautics at Langley Field, Va., to establish the landing distance for the
Douglas DC-3 airplane. The second set of tests was run at Santa
Monica, Calif., on a DC-3 to determine the take-off, stability, and
stall characteristics of the airplane and to check the landing distance
results obtained at Langley Field.
During the year a new series of technical reports (Flight Engi
neering Reports) was established to present the results of tests or
investigations undertaken to implement or develop revisions of the
Civil Air Regulations. One report covered the tests on landing
distance and another was a survey of all airports into which the
DC-3 was then authorized to operate. A third, in preparation at
the end of the fiscal year, will cover a study of climbing performance
undertaken to establish acceptable methods to reduce observed data
to standard conditions, and a fourth was in process covering the
DC-3 tests above mentioned.
Another project nearly complete at the end of the year was a hand
book containing detailed instructions for inspecting and flight-testing
airplanes presented for type certification.
The Army was assisted in making a number of flight tests and
inspections. In addition, a large number of airplanes intended for
use by the British and Canadian Governments as well as our own
military services were inspected by factory inspection personnel.
AVIATION MEDICINE

Setting standards to be applied by field medical examiners in con
ducting physical examinations of applicants for pilot certificates of
vafious grades is an important part of the work of the Civil Aero
nautics Administration. There are some 850 medical examiners
designated to conduct field examinations, who made 190,541 physical
examinations during the 1941 fiscal year.

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

161

One of the problems in this work has been the standardizing and
simplification of the examination procedure. New procedure devel
oped during the year resulted in a saving of more than $50,000 for
the Civilian Pilot Training Program alone.
CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM

The Civilian Pilot Training Program was begun experimentally in
the winter of 1939 to stimulate private flying and create a reservoir
of pilots for national defense needs and commercial requirements.
Under the impetus of the Civilian Pilot Training Act of 1939, the
Program has been expanded sharply.
Since the beginning of the Civilian Pilot Training Program, 75,000
courses of various grades have been given. During 1941, 46',500
trainees entered the Elementary training course, 5,200 the Secondary.
Approximately 2,300 pilots were trained as instructors and 1,800 as
advanced instructors. Seven hundred and nine colleges and 211 non
college units participated in the Program, and 760 operators gave
flight instruction, involving the use of 3,500 airplanes.
ARMY AND NAVY VOLUNTEERS

The Program is an important source of pilot material for the
military air; arms. A survey made June 1, 1941, showed 7,403
Civilian Pilot trainees in the air services of the armed forces and
1,262 instructors in various phases of the national defense program.
Thirty-one percent of the number of air cadets in the June 1941 class,
which the Army secured from the United States population at large,
came from the Civilian Pilot Training Program. The June report
revealed that 39 percent of the men entering the Naval Air Reserve
came from the Civilian Pilot Training Program.
An indication of the importance attached to the Civilian Pilot
Training Program by the armed services was an announcement by
the Navy in the spring of 1941 that graduates of the Secondary
Course would not be required to undergo the usual Navy elimination
training. Successful candidates among these graduates are required
to undergo a course of indoctrination for approximately a month,
then are transferred to Naval Flight Training Centers where they
are appointed aviation cadets at a stage approximating the end of the
33-hour solo period of Squadron 1.
SAFETY

The safety record established in the Civilian Pilot Training Pro
gram continues to be outstanding. During fiscal 1941, approximately
1,900,000 hours were flown—the equivalent of 160,000,000 miles. Only
19 trainees were hospitalized and only 21 fatalities occurred. This is
the equivalent of 7,750,000 miles per fatality, or 4,000,000 miles per
death, or injury requiring hospitalization.
Because of this excellent safety record, the insurance cost per
student trainee was reduced again during the fiscal year to the point
where he can secure insurance coverage of $3,000 for accidental
death, and $1,000 for hospitalization and medical reimbursement for
injuries sustained as a student pilot, all for $7.20.

162

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
COURSES OFFERED

During the fiscal year 1941, the advanced training offered was
extended by the addition of the Cross-Country and Instructor courses.
These courses will make possible during 1942 the training of approxi
mately 3,500 instructors to supply the needs of the Army, the Navy,
and civil aviation.
The program of instruction during 1941 included four controlled
courses, as follows:
Elementary.—The Elementary Course consists of 72 hours of
ground instruction in the subjects of the Civil Air Regulations,
Meteorology and Navigation, and 35 to 45 hours of flight instruction
in light airplanes of 50 to 75 horsepower. Upon successful comple
tion, the trainee receives a private pilot certificate and is eligible to be
enrolled in the Secondary Course, the first in the series which
comprises the advanced training.
Secondary.—The Secondary Course includes 108 hours of advanced
ground instruction in Navigation, as well as thorough basic work in
Aerodynamics, Aircraft and Powerplants, and 40 to 50 hours of flight
instruction in heavier aircraft of 120 to 225 horsepower.
Gross-Country.—Graduates of the Secondary Course are eligible to
take the new Cross-Country course. Here a close correlation is ef
fected between the 108 hours of ground instruction, including Applied
Meteorology, Applied Aerial Navigation, and 45 to 50 hours of flight
training; together with a minimum of 32 hours as pilot observer
on cross-country flights in modern cabin airplanes of not less than
240 horsepower.
Instructor.—This course, the last of the series comprising advanced
training, consists of a ground school course of 72 classroom hours,
one half of which is devoted to the subject of Theory, Technique, and
Psychology of Flight Instruction, and a flight course of 40 to 50
hours in both primary and secondary trainers. Completion of the
oral, written, and flight examinations prescribed by the Civil Aero
nautics Board at the conclusion of this course will entitle the trainee
to a commercial pilot certificate and an instructor rating.
RESEARCH ON SELECTION AND TRAINING OF PILOTS

Under a grant from the Civil Aeronautics Administration, a pro
gram of research on methods of selecting and training pilots has
been carried out by representatives of the National Research Council
in 21 universities. Some of the tests, were conducted at naval avia
tion bases and the substantial results which were achieved are being
utilized by the services to advance their pilot training programs.
Progress may be summed up very briefly as follows :
A mathematically weighted combination of 10 biographical items
bave been found to yield significantly high prediction of cadets’ later
success. Performance during the early hours of flight training and
in the ground-school course has been shown to add to the efficiency
of such predictions.
The validity of three psychomotor tests in predicting success or
failure of pilots has been demonstrated, while others believed to test
attributes necessary in pilots were eliminated.

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

163

Standard physiological tests are being analyzed and revalued.
Checks have shown the uniform value in selection of standard in
telligence tests, which will increase in importance as the requirement
of 2 years of college training is relaxed.
Tests for visual perception are being improved.
Continued studies indicated that preflight performance on the Link
Trainer must be considered as a contributor to the prediction of later
success, and a factor in speeding up the initial stages of primary
training.
A series of standard flights for testing competence has been
developed.
Instruments have been developed for graphically recording opera
tion of the controls and their results in terms of ship attitude.
Rating scales for factors of skill and judgment have been developed.
Conversations between student and instructor have been trans
mitted by short wave to the ground, recorded, and played back, as a
method of demonstrating good instructional procedure and detecting
faulty approach.
A motion analysis of good piloting technique has been made with
films now available for instruction purposes. Another device has
been developed for simultaneous filming of the pilot’s eye movements
and of the instrument panel.
Research is being started at the request of the Air Corps on optimum
length and distribution of practice periods.
Field tests are being arranged on the effect of marking landing
strips.
Percentage of “airtime” actually spent on the ground is being
studied both as a means of rating airports and selecting pilots.
Instruments have been developed for recording muscle tension
during flight, and the observations obtained are being studied to de
termine the relationship between tension and proficiency.
Heart and lung action, sweating, and other physiological responses
during actual flight are being studied as indicators of emotional
stability.
Promising results are being obtained in selection of persons not
susceptible to air sickness, and in therapy for susceptibles.
Effect of noise and vibration levels on performance is being studied.
AIRPORTS

Major development in the airport picture in 1941 was the appro
priation by Congress in October 1940 of $40,000,000 “for the construc
tion, improvement, and repair of not to exceed 250 public airports
* * * determined by the Administrator (of Civil Aeronautics),
with the approval of a Board composed of the Secretary of War,
Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of Commerce, to be necessary
for national defense.” This was the first appropriation for airport
construction made by Congress directly to the civil aviation agency
of the Federal Government.
Immediately upon passage of this appropriation, selection of the
airports was begun. However, because these funds did not provide
for the complete program, allocations were made for developments
at only 193 locations in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii,

164

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

and other possessions. At the close of the fiscal year, the unallocated
balance of the funds available for construction was only $40,443.
Seventy of the 193 airports will be completed with existing alloca
tions, and the remainder will be completed with additional allotments
from the 1942 appropriation.
So important did Congress consider this airport construction pro
gram that appropriations for the fiscal year 1942 contained an au
thorization for $94,977,650 for airport construction or improvement
projects.
To expedite this construction, cooperative agreements have been
worked out with the War and Navy Departments and the Work
Projects Administration whereby the construction details for many
projects were undertaken by these agencies.
c e r t if ic a t e s o f a ir n a v ig a t io n f a c i l i t y n e c e s s it y

During the 1941 fiscal year the services of the field and departmental
airport engineers continued to be available to individuals, cities, and
other governmental agencies in planning the construction and improve
ment of airports, aiding in the selection of airport sites, designing the
airport layout, including runways, lighting systems, buildings, and
the general preparation of projects for airport improvement. De
tailed investigations were made on all projects involving the expendi
ture of Federal funds on civil airports, and Certificates of Air Navi
gation Facility Necessity were prepared for the action of the Admin
istrator and the Board under section 303 of the Civil Aeronautics Act
of 1938. During the year, 497 of these certificates involving $103,329,609 of Federal funds and $21,996,052 of sponsors’ funds were
issued.
OTHER ACTIVITIES

. At the request of the War Department, duplicate copies of all ver
tical photographs of civil airports containing facility information
and detailed airport facility cards which had been compiled during the
past 2 years were supplied.
There wTere prepared for general distribution complete standard
specifications for the performance and installation of airport lighting
equipment. Standard specifications for the various types of runway
paving also were prepared for use in connection with the Civil Aero
nautics Administration’s airport construction program and for gen
eral distribution. Various items of the material on airport develop
ment which already had been prepared for distribution, such as typi
cal plans, specifications, bulletins, etc., were revised and brought up
to date,
The joint Civil Aeronautics Administration-National Youth Ad
ministration seaplane-base program was continued during the year
and, with the same cooperation, projects in many localities were devel
oped for the construction and installation of airport markers. Airport
and seaplane-base plans for Alaska, Hawaii, and the South Pacific
Islands were prepared. Surveys were made of the water areas of
inland and coastal seaplane routes.
The protection of airport approaches against obstruction, preferably
by zoning, was given active consideration throughout the States. In

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

165

this connection, legislative surveys and legal research were effected,
and information and reports were prepared and distributed. A cur
rent and detailed record of facilities available at each of the civil
airports in the United States was maintained.
WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT

On June 16, 1941, the Washington National Airport, located on the
west bank of the Potomac River 3% miles from the downtown Wash
ington area, was officially opened for full scheduled operations. Dur
ing the 2 weeks following, 12,789 passengers arrived at the airport,
via the three airlines serving Washington, and 12,590 passengers
departed.
The new airport, described as the world’s most modern, was dedi
cated on September 28, 1940, when President Roosevelt laid the cor
nerstone of the terminal building. It was designed to serve as a model
for all metropolitan air-traffic terminals. While not the largest in the
world, it is designed to provide for airline traffic of the future. The
safety and other aeronautic factors in its design are well in excess of
the usual requirements. Planes can glide in or take off at an angle
as flat as 40-to-l in eight directions to and from its four runways,
at least two of which are long enough and broad enough to be equipped
with instrument landing systems, and all of which can take care of
any probable development in transport planes. At a later date, if
needed, these runways can be paralleled at a reasonable additional
cost.
Some 750 acres in area, the airport is constructed so that the landing
field is above the highest flood point ever reached by the Potomac.
It is laid out with a view to clearance from any natural obstruction
in the vicinity. Equipment installed includes turntables for position
ing planes, flush-type underground service pits, weather reporting
apparatus, hangars, and ultra-modern fire-fighting facilities.
COMPLIANCE

The great increase in the activities of the Administration has re
sulted in a corresponding increased demand for legal services. Prog
ress has been made in simplifying enforcement procedures and a muchneeded study for general revision of the Civil Air Regulations has been
commenced.
Since the beginning of the fiscal year 1941, in addition to the legal
work connected with recommendations to the Civil Aeronautics Board
concerning the Civil Air Regulations and with the enforcement there
of, the legal staff of the Administration has been called upon to render
legal adviceto all offices of the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
CIVIL AIR REGULATIONS

During the 1941 fiscal year, six new general Parts of the Civil Air
Regulations were drafted by the Administration and adopted by the
Civil Aeronautics Board. Of a total of 60 amendments to the Civil
Air Regulations issued by the Board, 55 were prepared by the Admin
istration. These amendments affected 1,008 different sections of the
Civil Air Regulations.
427433— 42------ 14

166

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

During the fiscal year, 1,049 individual interpretations of the Civil
Air Regulations were made and there were reviews or revisions of
239 items. In carrying out activities not directly concerned with the
Civil Air Regulations, several special safety regulations were drafted
for presentation to the Board.
ENFORCEMENT

Under Reorganization Plans III and IV, the Administrator acts
as the chief enforcement officer and as such conducts investigations of
alleged violations, and effects or recommends appropriate remedial
’ action.
During the year approximately 1,080 violations reports were filed,
containing about 1,900 alleged violations. This represented an in
crease of about 20 percent over the number of violations reported
during the previous fiscal year.
In the 1941 fiscal year, 918 cases were disposed of. In 319 cases
the violators were reprimanded. In 233 cases civil penalty action was
initiated. Of these, 175 were compromised by the Administrator and
33 were referred to the Attorney General for collection. Civil pen
alties totaling $10,725 were collected.
There were submitted to the Board 139 cases involving suspension
or revocation. Of these, 107 were submitted on waivers of hearing,
and in 32 cases hearings were held, requiring the appearance of Ad
ministration attorneys. With one exception, all hearings were held
outside Washington.
Of the 240 cases filed for record, 88 involved pilots who were re
ported deceased and the others were filed either for lack of evidence
or for lack of jurisdiction.
GENERAL LEGAL SERVICES

A considerable part of the services rendered by the legal staff of
the Administration pertained to the solution of legal problems relating
to the development of landing areas, the operation of the Washington
National Airport, and the training of civilian pilots.
_More than 200 contracts concerning projects for the development of
airports were reviewed; more than 16 complex, detailed, contracts
were drafted by attorneys who were required also to appear in behalf
of the Administrator in two proceedings before the Interstate Com
merce Commission in connection with the operation of the Washington
National Airport; and numerous opinions were rendered concerning
the activities involved in the Civilian Pilot Training Program.
FIELD OFFICES

The field offices (regional and district) have become increasingly
effective in the accomplishment of the regulatory and service functions
of the Administration.
During the 1941 fiscal year to the regional organization of the Civil
Aeronautics Administration was added a new region, the Eighth,
covering the Territory of Alaska, with headquarters at Anchorage.
This action was necessary to coordinate and expedite the increased
aeronautical activity in Alaska, which theretofore had been directed

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

167

partly by the Seventh Regional Office in Seattle, Wash., and partly
by the Bureau of Federal Airways in Washington, D. C.
The field organization was augmented further by a flight test and
inspection section in the First (New York), Third (Chicago), Fifth
(Kansas City), Sixth (Santa Monica), and Seventh (Seattle; Regions.
An airworthiness section also was established in the First Region,
corresponding to such units already set up in the Fifth and Sixth. A
standardization center was established at Houston, Tex., where all
flight and inspecting personnel henceforth will be required to take a
periodic refresher course looking toward standardization of inspection
and instruction methods and examinations for all types of pilot certifi
cates, and where new employees will be fully instructed before assign
ment to their regular posts of duty.
The expansion in the field organization, which now constitutes ap
proximately 80 percent of the Administration’s personnel, was necessi
tated by the very substantial additional volume of work imposed upon
it during the past year. This was caused by the vastly increased
activity in aircraft manufacturing, airport construction, air-carrier
operations, pilot training and other phases of aeronautical develop
ment, both civil and military. However, the enlargement of the field
facilities and the development of morp effective functional coordina
tion within the regional organizations, as well as between the regions
and the Washington staff offices, enabled the handling of the increased
volume without serious delays.
STATISTICAL MATERIAL

The following statistical material indicates the status of various
activities of the Civil Aeronautics Administration:

Total intermediate fields_________________________
Lighted fields_______________________ _______
Supplied with commercial current.................... .
With local electric generators_________________
Lighted with acetylene gas____________________
Airports—lighting maintained by C. A. A __________
Day fields____________ _________________________
Seaplane landing areas..__________________________
Approach light lanes_____________________________
Fields per thousand airway-miles__________________
Total beacon lights (includes beacons at fields)______
Rotating beacons________________________________
Supplied with commercial electric current.............
With local electric current_______ _____________
Flashing beacons________________________________
Supplied with commercial electric current_______
Writh wind electric generators__________________
Acetylene gas___________________ _____
With local electric generators__________ ______
Beacons per thousand airway-miles___________ _____
Airways mechanicians___________________________
Beacons per mechanician_____________ _____ _
Caretakers. ___________________________________
Cost—operation and maintenance—fields and lighting.
Cost per airway-mile—fields and lighting.....................
F ie ld s a n d lig h tin g

1937

22. 621
22, 246
304
71
1,813
80
$5, 189, 600
$229

22,399
21,782
441
176
1,846
82
$5,708,459
$255

291
284
212
67
5
7

280
275
205
66
4
5

1938

1939

1940

Estimated
1942

1941

22,994
24,249
28.745
30,913
33.069
22,834
24,249
28, 745
30,913
33.069
160
2,151
2, 552
3,228
3,525
3,826
94
105
112
114
116
$8,851,997 $11, 500, 654
$14, 623,068 2 $16,469, 110 2$18,135,724
$385
$474
$509
$533
$548
270
268
207
60
1
2

273
265
214
50
1
7
1

296
279
233
45
1
16
1

12.9
1,916
1,678
1,162
516
238
102
13
123
83
108
18
510
$1,370,179
$61

12.5
1,916
1, 676
1,160
516
240
105
13
122
86
103
19
4 227
$1,343,982
$60

11.7
1, 939
1,772
1,292
480
167
64
12
91
84
110
18
259
$1, 684, 795
$73

11.3
2,016
1,803
1,354
449
213
109
12
91
1
83
103
20
233
$1, 574, 367
$65

10.7
2,205
1,986
1,531
455
219
115
8
93
3
79
120
18
264
$1, 773,144
$62

56
16
32
41
11
56

59
14
33
57
15
55

64
13
33
67
25
53

78
1
15
5 117
6 28
48

81
1
24
136
33
42
72

310
280
235
44
1
29
1

336
300
255
44
1
35

10.0
2,276
2,066
1, 647
419
210
121
8
70
11
74
124
18
267
$1, 788, 585
$58

27
10.2
2,329
2,106
1,609
497
223
117
8
95
3
70
123
19
285
$1, 940, 638
$59

R a d io a n d c o m m u n ic a t io n s

Combined broadcast and radio range stations (full power)..............
Broadcasting stations (full power)_______________ ___________________
Radio range stations (full power)___________________ _______________
Medium-powered radio range stations (with voice communication)________!
Low-powered radio range stations (with voice communication)____ _______
Low-powered nondirectional marker stations (with voice communication)...
Ultra-high-frequency radio range stations____________ _____________

85
1
3 28
139
39
38
81

91
1
29
142
45
38
70

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Total mileage Federal Airways System...
Lighted routes operating (miles)____
Lighted routes not operating (miles)..
Day routes (miles)___________________
Total airways personnel_______________
Personnel per thousand airway-miles.
Total expenditures1___________________
Expenditures per airway-mile______

1936

168

Status of Federal Airways System as of June 30: 1936 through 194-1

Ultra-high-frequency fan markers_________ ____________________ _______
Cost of operation and maintenance—radio and communication (excluding

$2,145,713
$95
210
13,151
$374,488
876
$0,015

64
$2,735,773
$122
219
13,780
$394,862
1,175
$0 . 0 1 2

23
$3,414, 710
$148
298
21, 790
3. 783
$890,246
i; 425
$o: 017

17
$3,907,217
$161
232
23,658
10,676
$1,000,099
1,641
$0.019

118

1
71

1
1

15
$5,319,430
$185
368
27,068
11,880
$1,250,793
2 ,0 0 1
$0.016

15
$7,154,340
$232
414
29,422
13,292
$1,379.038
2,290
$0 '. 008

174
2
2
21

14
$8,031,802
$243
3 492
' 3 54,472
3 19,360
$2, 616,409
2, 519

Includes establishment, operation, and maintenance.
Includes national defense program and Navy Department funds transferred to the Administration.
Includes facilities constructed with national defense and Navy Department funds.
Decrease due to addition of automatic equipment.
Includes 15 stations without voice.
Includes 3 stations without voice.
Experimental operation.
In addition, there are 14 markers established by the State of Pennsylvania which were taken over and maintained by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in fiscal year 1940.

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

8 20

170

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Status of airports and landing fields by States, June SO, 1941

Alabama___ ___ 2 1
Arizona _ ______ 1 2
Arkansas_______ 13
66
Colorado............... 25
8
Connecticut____
Delaware_______ 2
1
Dist. of Columbia
80
Georgia. ---------- 32
Idaho. ________ 25
Illinois_________ 14
Indiana ____ __ 14
Iowa__________ 18
Kansas_________ 25
Kentucky______ 1 0
Louisiana ... ... 15
Maine.- .......... 15
3
9
Massachusetts__
Michigan__ ... 85
Minnesota______ 19
Mississippi... -.- 23
Missouri_______ 11
Montana___ ...
43
Nebraska_______ 29
Nevada ______
7
New Hampshire.. 8
6
New Jersey_____
New Mexico____ 11
New York______ 24
North Carolina.-- 1 2
North Dakota.
20
Ohio__________ 27
Oklahoma______ 23
Oregon____ ____ 19
Pennsylvania___ 34
Rhode Island... - 1
South Carolina.__ 13
South Dakota___ 16
Tennessee.........
10
Texas ................ 66
Utah__________ 14
Vermont_______
9
Virginia________ 15
Washington____ 30
West Virginia___ 9
Wisconsin______ 23
Wyoming______ 20
Total_____ 1,035

5 4
4
. 34
19 1 0
2
1
44
8
3
24
77 17 4 7 7 4 182
7 3
1
1
37
9 1
18
6
1
9
1
1
1
4
16 7 5 5
113
5 11
1
49
5 7
8
1
46
46 6 1 2
1
70
24 6
2
46
14 3
35
10
4
2
41
5 3
1
19
6
4
1
26
1
16
14
1
3
28 1 1 2
1
42
21
1
1
3 3 5 119
7 2
-.1
29
3 7
33
15 1 1 1
2
15
13 2 38
75
10
5
2
46
6
8
1
22
4
12
20
3 1
30
15 13
39
57 6 1 4 i 1 94
18 2
1
1
34
1
9
30
65 11
3
3 109
20
7
1
51
4 6
1
30
65 5 1 1
1
107
3
4
9 4 1 1
1
29
6 1
23
3 8
21
69 31 1 14
181
2 10
26
2
1
12
24 8 4 1
6
7 2 4 4
53
11
2
1
23
20
3
1
47
1 10
1 32
795 282 27 74 41 23 2,277

Lighted fields
Bases
Anchorages
Army
Navy
Coast Guard
Marine
Total
Partially
lighted

Total

Seaplane bases and anchorages

J
j

Intermediate
Navy
Army
I Miscellaneous
| Government
1
Private
1

Commercial

State

Municipal

Airports and landing fields

14
15
7
52 4
9
7 2
1
3
20
12

23
15
9
15
4
13
5
5
17
9
14
19
21
13
10
3
7
17
23
11
10

4
13
16
1

10
1

6
2

1
2

—

3 20
3 36
1
28
2 5

1
1

3
10
1

28
18
14 2
28 2
10

*■

—
—

5
1

38
6

1
1

2
1

9
1

10
3
1

—
—

18
10
2 1~
4 2 1
3
15
17
15
0
690 59 266 3 21 11 1 361 20

171

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

Certificated aircraft and 'pilots by States as of June 30: 1938 through 19411234
Certificated pilots

Certificated aircraft
State

June
30,
1941

June Percent June June
in30, 30,
30,
1940 crease 1939 • 1938

Alabama____________
Arkansas____________
California____ _____
Colorado____________
Connecticut_________
Delaware___________
District of Columbia...
Florida_____________
Georgia_____________
Idaho__ __________
Illinois______________
Indiana_____________
Iowa__________ ___
Kansas_____ . ___
Kentucky___________
Louisiana____ . ___
Maine_____ _______
Maryland___________
Massachusetts_______
Michigan.. _ _______
Minnesota__________
Mississippi. _______
Missouri______ _____
Montana.._ . _______
Nebraska______ _____
Nevada_____________
New Hampshire_____
New Jersey__________
New Mexico_________
New York ...
North Carolina______
North Dakota_______
Ohio____
Oklahoma__ _____
Oregon______________
Pennsylvania________
Rhode Island________
South Carolina.............
South Dakota__
Tennessee___________
Texas____
Utah_______________
Vermont____________
Virginia_____ ______
Washington. _ ______
West Virginia________
Wisconsin___
Wyoming.. ... _____
Alaska... .

152
130
171
2,174
220
244
123
258
499
326
103
1, 221
622
468
469
157
252
174
308
503
895
512
143
602
155
192
66
80
625
120
1,610
432
121
1,174
443
268
2,163
164
202
103
285
1,237
99
69
372
374
196
427
80
170
1
0
40
0
1
23
7
22, 025

no 38.1
85
70
935
80
63
85 52.9
588
67
46
96 78.1
924
1, 383 57.2 1, 234 1,156 9, 965
145 51.7 106
83 1, 260
159 53.5 150 153
721
75 64.0
55
46
211
93
166 55.4 130
667
333 49.8 27? 219 1,859
176 85.2 145 128 1, 325
72 43.1
59
51
727
822 48.5 724 635 3,838
448 38.8 374 280 1,971
311 50.5 202 180 1,882
232 102.2 188 153 2, 019
65
95 65.3
73
158 59.5 106 105 1, 508
239
• 122 42.6 101
83
451
165 86.7 133 114
899
347 45.0 292 246 1, 955
608 47.2 481 428 3,160
321 59.5 218 188 1,764
83
116 23.3 111
431 39.7 269 244 2, 663
680
57
92 68.5
61
719
144 33.3 126 110 1,111
42 57.1
30
26
238
37
51 56.8
45
344
402 55.5 343 276 1,962
71 69.0
35
30
1,153 39.6 950 938 5, 529
765
279 54.8 218 150 1,207
44
80 51.3
57
591
736 59.5 632 541 3, 577
279 58.7 224 203 2, 095
169 58.5 124 116 1,293
972 122. 5 785 677 4,109
82
55
116 41.4
321
115 75.6
85
63
861
69
64
78 32.1
578
174 63.7 139 118 1,482
721 71.5 553 470 5, 493
39
37
55 80.0
763
33
42 64.3
36
287
220 69.1 147 127 1,222
242 54.5 207 197 2,121
86
129 51.9 103
946
311 37.3 238 180 1,322
42
52 53.8
41
358
92
122 39.3
95
199
1
1
1
85
0
1
0
41
24
30 33.3
26
247
1
0
0
7
0
1
1
22
15
18 27.7
0
41
4
4 75.0
16
130
13,878 58.7 11,160 9, 732 382,277

Hawaiian Islands_____
Mexico i.
Philippine Islands >___
Puerto Rico_________
Foreign, misc.1. ..........
Total_________

June
30,
1941

June Percent June June
in30, 30,
30,
1940 crease 1939 1938
349
234
237
5,826
530
465
113
374
989
643
248
2, 319
1,168
792
663
273
492
223
502
1,264
1, 712
787
209
1, 140
241
402
83
161
1,236
140
3, 371
706
192
1, 905
706
611
2,389
134
318
215
599
2,226
230
109
680
1,035
430
614
133
152
36
37
203
9
18
26
107
441,006

167.9
151.3
289.9
71.0
137.7
55.1
86.7
78.3
87.9
106. 1
193. 1
65.5
68.8
137. 6
204. 5
86.1
151.8
102.2
79.1
54.7
84.6
124.1
217.2
135.1
198. 3
176.4
186.7
113.7
58.7
277.9
71.0
70.9
207.8
87.8
196. 7
111.6
71.9
139.6
170.8
168.8
147. 4
146.8
231. 7
163.3
79.7
104.9
120. 0
115. 3
169.2
30.9
136.1
10.8
21.7
-22.2
22.2
57.7
21.5
100.6

196
167
112
4, 722
290
368
71
326
668
352
155
1,521
703
471
357
140
281
156
325
872
959
432
118
610
124
238
40
103
815
58
2, 221
356
79
1, 226
335
319
1,484
87
156
116
385
1,141
135
88
460
636
217
403
79
107
26
38
152
4
17
15
112
26,144

137
110
93
3,896
179
297
47
299
538
213
87
1,074
479
268
246
98
218
108
213
691
813
306
97
453
103
134
30
68
738
61
1,889
167
58
1,026
267
220
1,093
60
81
86
241
881
110
56
347
457
142
273
87
85
24
46
127
4
25
0
132
20,076

1 Figures for these countries are for aircraft and pilots registered by the United States.
2 Civil aircraft in the Philippine Islands are now registered with the local Government.
3 Includes 2,733 women pilots divided as follows: 154 commercial, 17 limited commercial, and 2,562 private.
4 Includes 1,336 women pilots divided as follows: 88 commercial, 27 limited commercial, 793 private, and
428 solo.

172

REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE

Certificated pilots classified by grade
Limited
Commer commer
cial
cial

Airline
July 1, 1941__________ ____
July 1, 1940________________
July 1, 1939________________
July 1, 1938._______________

1,510
1,242
1,161
1,149

-12, 583
7,326
6, 679
6,556

1421
876
930
981

Private
67, 763
22,153
11, 647
9, 352

Solo

to9,409

5, 727
2 2, 038

Total
82,277
41, 006
26,144
20, 076

1 Civil Air Regulations Part 20, Pilot Certificates (effective May 1, 1940, as amended), provided for the
discontinuance of solo pilot certificates on May 1, 1941, and of limited-commercial pilot certificates on May
1, 1942, which accounts for the drop in number of these two classes of certificates.
2Includes 478 amateur pilots.

Status of the Civilian Pilot-Training Program—number of trainees, fiscal year 1941
Summer 1940

Fall 1940

Spring 1941

Fiscal year totals

Re Grand
Ele Second Ele Second Ele Second Ele Second fresher
men ary men ary men ary men ary and totals
tary
tary
tary
tary
instruc
tor
17,211
Completed............. 14,994
In training, ............. 206
Discontinued ___ 2,011

1,170 14, 786 2,860 14,729
1,021 12,411 2,080 11,070
9
412
373 2,343
140 1,763
407 1,316

4,195 46,726
3,444 38,475
308 2,961
443 5,290

8,225 10,392
6,545 7,064
690
941
990 2, 387

65,343
52,084
4. 592
8,667

Progress of Civil Aeronautics in the United States
[All statistics are as of Dec. 31 of each yearl

1932

1931

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

Jan .-June
1941

S c h e d u le d a i r - c a r r ie r o p e r a t io n s

490
100
590

126
21,348
43, V35
45,704

456
108
564

408
96
504

417
101
518

356
103
459

272
108
380

282
104
38S

253
92
345

265
74
339

358
82
440

365
95
460

6.58
109

7.59
116

8.85
127

10.34
142

10.67
149

12.53
153

13.63
153

14. 63
153

16. 52
155

17. 27
157

136
46,821
45,436
47,358

112
46,120
44,665
47,321

98
50, 652
46, 003
49, 353

109
60,377
51,428
52,387

110
61,458
51,740
61,458

108
63, 656
57,480
63, 656

139
70,652
63,292
71,199

170
79, 562
74,338
80,109

211
94, 079
90.369
94, 079

31, 084
32,572
63,656

35.492
35,707
71,199

36, 581
43, 528
80,109

41,054
53,025
94, 079

42
1, 573,131
5
13,214,301
0.08
4
16, 517,877
5
3
40
11,915,079

33
2, 111,177
5
13,933,765
0. 07
3
23, 222,942
4
3
25
22,308,771

33
2,502,167
2
41,285,762
0.02
1
82,571,523
1
1
9
83,309, 677

Passenger mileage___ .
Total mileage:
28,874
28,267
27,812
30,451
28,550
28,084
32,658
32,184
19' 949
19,980
19,875
22,717
International and territorial
61, 532
47,687
60,451
48, 530
50,801
50,400
Total.. .. .. ... ________
Accidents:
Domestic:1
65
58
108
100
71
117
Number of accidents _ . . .
981,189
954,834
422,281
487, 716
576,837
Miles flown per accident ... . 365,431
8
8
16
9
8
13
Fatal accidents___ . . .
Miles flown per fatal accident 3,288,878 2,850,397 5,419,061 5,119,424 6,922, 544 7,972,153
Fatal accidents per 1,000,000
0.14
0.13
0.18
0. 20
0.30
0.35
miles flown____
8
8
8
11
14
8
Pilot fatalities___ . . ___
Miles flown per pilot fatality. _ 3,886,856 3, 257,597 6,096. 444 5,119, 424 6,922, 544 7,972,153
6
1
2
4
3
Copilot fatalities-.. _________
2
Crew fatalities (other than
2
3
2
0
0
0
pilot and copilot) _____ ___
44
8
17
15
19
Passenger fatalities__ .. __
25
Passenger miles flown per passenger fatality .. ................ 4, 257,695 6,686,253 21,686, 515 ¡ 11,050,508 20,927,034 9,903,188
%

See fo o tn o te s a t end o f tab le.

21
42
2, 590,487 2, 919,279
2
3
36, 266,812 30,652,430
0.03
0.03
2
3
36, 266,812 30,652,430
1
3
1
4
6
35
32,784,141 108, 379,172

C IV IL A E R O N A U T IC S A D M IN IS T R A T IO N

Airplanes:
In service and reserve:
Domestic1-. ..............................
International and territoriall. _
Total _______ ___________
Average number of passen
ger seats per plane (domestic)1___________________
Average speed (domestic).
Airways (domestic, international, and
territorial):1

^3
CO

174

Progress of Civil Aeronautics in the United States—Continued
[All statistics are as of Dec. 31 of each year]

1931
Cont.
Accidents—Continued.
Domestic—Continued.
Ground crew and third party
Passenger fatalities per 100,000,000 passenger miles flown.
Fatalities per 1,000,000 miles
International and territorial:

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

Jan.-June
1941

1940

S c h e d u le d a ir - c a r r ie r o p e r a t io n s —

0
14. 98
36
0.79

0
4.61
9. 05
28
29
0. 57
0.71
1
2
543,443
795. 076 6,103,481 4, 054, 689
1
1
0
2
4,890,990 5. 585, 533
4,054,689
0
1
0
2
5, 585,533
4, 054, 689
0
0
0
0.20
0. 18
0. 25
0
2
0
1
0
4
14,680,402 3, 524, 590
9, 698, 057
6.81
28.37
10.31
0
9
0.20
1.62
1.11

Passenger-miles flown per passenger fatality____________
Passenger fatalities per 100,000,000 passenger-miles flown.
Fatalities per 1,000,000 miles
miles flown____ _______
Domestic, international, and territorial:
Number of accidents.................
126
115
101
73
Miles flown per accident ......... 378, 146
441,973
543,347
672,120
Fatal accidents____________
14
17
9
10
Miles flown per fatal accident.. 3,403, 315 3,010, 111 6,097, 557 4,906,477
Fatal accidents per 1,000,000
miles flown_______________
0.29
0. 33
0.16
0.20
Pilot fatalities____ ________
11
15
10
Miles flown per pilot fatality... 4,331, 492 3, 411, 459 6,859, 752 4, 906, 477
Copilot fatalities.-. ___ ____
2
1
3
3
Crew fatalities (other than pilot
and copilot)___ ___________
0
2
4
0

0
0
4. 78
10. 10
29
61
0. 52
0.96
4
5
2,121,836 1,486,900
0
2
3, 717, 250
0
1
7, 434, 500
0
1
0.27
0
22,539, 293
4. 44
0
6
0.81
62
l, 030,124
8
7,983.162
0.13
8
7, 983, 462

70
1,017,310
7,121,173

9
7,912,414

0
8. 39

0
0
4. 48
1.20
35
0.50
0.15
11
6
775,310 1,400,757
3
1
. 2,842,804 8, 404, 540
3
1
2.842,804 8. 404, 540
3
1
0.35
0. 12

0.79
8
1,078,591
1
8, 628,730
1
8,628, 730
1
0. 12
1
11
5. 295, 953 8,587, 236 8, 503,115
18.88
11.65
11.76
14
26
14
1.62
3.05
1.66

0
3.05
45
0.41
11
974, 257
0
0
0

0
1.02
10
0.16
3
2, 366,821
0
0
0

0
0

53
24
1,494, 005 1, 777,210 2, 332,720 2, 255, 042
2,850, 222
6
3
3
12, 450,040 9, 774, 655 30, 325, 354 39, 839, 087 34, 202, 6612
U. 1U
5
2
3
14, 940,047 13,032,873 45, 488,032 39, 827, 570 34, 202, 6612
1
4
16
3
4
1

R EPO R T OF T H E SECRETA RY OF COM M ERCE

Fatal accidents... .............. .
Miles flown per fatal accident..
JrHOC liilullLies_____ ________
Miles flown per pilot fatality....
Fatal accidents per 1,000,000
miles flown__________
Crew fatalities (other than pilot

0
23. 49
38
0.89

515,

46
10,452, 583
9. 57
0
67
0. 94

6
32
19
35
51
122,115,609
10,487, 425 19, 307,185 43,937,802 36,127, 618
0.82
2.28
2. 77
9. 54
5.18
0
0
0
0
0
45
10
26
66
61
0. 15
0. 29
0. 38
0.88
0.78
7,127, 369 7, 335, 967 9, 514, 229 12, 506,176
1,114,008 2 1, 269,980 2 1, 397,956 2 1 , 6 8 2 , 0 0 2
8, 241, 377 8, 605, 947 10,912, 255 14,188,178
2,156,070 2, 173, 706 2, 705, 614 3,469,485

7, 795, 584
2956, 642
8,752, 226
2,154, 797

37,153, 821 41, 424, 384 45, 310,192 55, 937,135 74, 534, 929
921,186 1,287, 807
873, 572
844, 570
829,870

43, 272,426
708, 440

6, 958, 777
2 873, 244
7,832, 021
1,860, 809

17, 706,159
' 328', 295
18,034,454
5, 741,436

426, 261

484, 712

6, 698, 230

7,422,860

214, 239
194, 568
204, 658
44, 027, 794 46,896, 584 54, 659, 684
63, 777, 226 66,071, 507 69, 668, 827
2 7, 434, 500
2 8, 628, 730 2 8, 528,412
71, 211, 726 74, 700, 237 78,197,239
21
7
5 25

17
7
s 21

18
8
5 23

675,422
8, 584,891 10,033,480
249, 249
61,111, 831
82, 571, 523
2 8,404,540
90, 976,063

326, 550
73,072, 280
108, 800,436
2 10, 716,827
119, 517, 263

61, 304, 859
2 7 ,100,463
68,405,322

17
8
5 22

16
8
5 22

16
7
5 20

C IV IL A E R O N A U T IC S A D M IN IS T R A T IO N

Passenger fatalities__________
26
25
8
21
15
Passenger-miles flown per pas
senger fatality ........... . . . ....... 4,658,568 5,927, 453 24,972,004 10, 792,898 24,158,061
Passenger fatalities per100,000,000
16.87
4.00
9.26
4.14
passenger-miles flown..........
21.46
Ground-crew and third-party
0
0
11
fatalities..- ______________
0
0
39
45
28
38
29
Total fatalities______________
Fatalities per 1,000,000 miles
flown.
....................... .
0. 82
0.88
0. 51
0. 77
0.45
Express and freight carried:
788,059 1,033, 970 1, 510, 215 2,133,191 3, 822, 397
Pounds (domestic) __ _ _
Pounds (international and terri412,184
638, 836
979, 504 1, 349, 272 1, 742, 740
torial)1____ _ _ ____________
1,
200,
243
1,672,806
2,489,
719 3,482,463 5, 565,137
Total________ _________ ____
1,089,802
Fuel (consumed) (domestic, international, and territorial):1
Gasoline________ _ _ _ gallons 19,157, 382 23,686, 948 26, 326, 796 25,136, 274 33,260, 609
924,411
702,021
838, 756
879, 775
642,980
Oil--------- ------- -----------do...
Mail:
Carried by contractors:
9,097, 411 7,393, 257 7, 362,180 7,411,004 13, 268, 730
' 252; 244
Pounds (international).
. ' 545^ 800 ' 466 ' 173' 828 ' 206j606
9,643, 211 7,908,723 7, 536,008 7, 617, 610 13, 520,974
* 2,461,411 4,132, 708
Miles flown (revenue):
Daily average (domestic, interna134, 424
130, 538
139, 814
150,351
174, 980
Mail (domestic, international, and
33,113, 720 36,053,067 41, 671, 490 27, 340, 293 39, 977,189
Domestic routes 1.............................. 42, 755,417 45, 606, 354 48, 771, 553 40, 955, 396 55, 380, 353
International routes ..................... 4,890, 990 5, 565, 533 6,106,461 8,109, 377 8,487,345
Total_______ ______________ 47, 646,407 51,171, 887 54,878,014 49,064, 773 63,867, 698
Operators (number of):
22
Domestic 1
... .
35
29
21
. 23
4
7
International and territorial 1_.
7
6
7
s 41 1
s 31
5 28
Total____________ _____ _____
s 25
527
See footnotes at end of table.

Q<
—J

Progress of Civil Aeronautics in the United States—Continued
[All statistics are as of Dec. 31 of each year]

1931

1932

Cont.
Passenger-miles flown (1 passenger carried 1 mile):
Domestic,1 revenue________
.
Domestic,1 revenue and nonreve106,442, 375 127,038, 798
International and territorial,1 rev14, 680,402 21,147, 539
Total__________________
121,122, 777 148,186,337
Passengers carried:
Domestic,1revenue________ ___ _
Domestic,1 revenue and nonreve469,981
474, 279
International and territorial,1 rev61, 681
73, 281
531,662
547, 560
Passenger seat-miles flown (domestic)
300,037, 897
Passenger load factor:
Domestic,1revenue (percent). . . _
Domestic,1 revenue and nonreve42. 34
Passenger fare (average per mile) (do$0.067
$0.
061
Pay rate of:
Mechanics, average per month
(domestic ..............................
$165
$144
Pilots, average per month (domestic) 1..... ..................................
$430
$413
Copilots, average per month (domestic) 1....... ....................... _
Personnel employed (domestic, international, and territorial): 1
2,061
2,076
570
}
694 1f
147
Stewards and stewardesses____
Other hangar and field personnel. _
1,555
1,512
Operation and office personnel___
1,357
1,305
5,667
5,610

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

Jan .-June
1941

S c h e d v le d a i r - c a r r ie r o p e r a t io n s —

663, 261
911,148
1,176,858
493,141
461, 743
746, 946 1, 020, 931 1,102, 707 1, 343,427 1,876,051
83,471
110, 522
127,170 2 108,834 2 139,955 2 144, 686 2 168, 970
576,612
572, 265
874,116 1,129, 765 1, 242, 662 1,488,113 2,045,021
370, 126,435 362, 546, 746 572, 546, 530 680, 708, 230 828,188,184 949,421, 755 1,2)7,869,577
48.80
57.04
49.18
50.18
46. 87
51.82
54.83
64.01
57.55
$0.061
$0. 059
$0.057
$0.057
$0.056
$0.057
$0.051
$137
$428
$202

$133
$524
$201

$149
$541
$206

2, 327
547
210
1,839
1, 372
6,296 1

2, 208
507
252
1,851
1, 659
6,477 1

2, 618
656
339
212
1,518
3,008
8,351 1

587,197,446
650, 275, 032
282,418, 621
732, 693, 653

2, 727,820 1, 569, 608
2,959,480 1, 715, 529
2 225, 798
2146,895
3,185, 278 1,862,424
1,797,329,431 1,058,706,678
63.84
$0. 0506

61. 41
$0.0503

$678
$237
2,874
694
547
390
1, 767
3, 723
9,995

3,280
755
602
420
2,356
4,179
11,592 1

3,415
820
605
451
2, 635
5; 383

4, 006
836
872
639
3,015
555
15,923

5,409
1,046
1,232
1,040
4, 249
9,080
22,056 1

5, 867
1,157
1,280
817
23. 890
9 .

REPO R T OF T H E SECRETA RY OF COM M ERCE

) 1.

279,375,902
1,041,173,558
173, 492,119 187, 858, 629
557, 719, 268 749, 787,096 1,147,444,948
26, 283, 915 38, 792, 228 48,465,412 2 45,078,586 2 58, 255,487 2 60,110,655 2 85,031,146 2117,719,111
199, 776,034
834,818, 242 1,265,164,059

i
Trips:
Percentage completed of those
started (domestic) 1 _________
Percentage started of those sched
uled (domestic) 1 _____________
Percentage completed of those
scheduled (domestic) 1....... ..........
Passenger, average length (miles)
(domestic) h .____ ____________

96. 02
94. 85
91. 07
388

95. 23
94.76
90. 23
379

10,446
12,274
7,752
8,849
10, 718
16,903
9, 760
8,780
8, 613
10,090
1, 917
1,882
2,175
3.446
1,517
1,698
2,205.
1.951
1,603
1, 504
54, 959
53,832
81, 778
44,431
68, 735
76, 610
40, 071
50, 267
55,871
42,786
194
185
172
208
182
186
164
159
253
208
752,088
916, 846 1, 269, 231
586, 921
557,818
372,898
375,859
391,334
406, 463
516, 803
152
141
183
154
148
134
■ 130
161
209
167
16
7
18
18
19
15
15
22
16
19
112
139
124
100
119
115
156
133
129
151
4
2
3
4
4
6
1
6
1
5
2
1
3
3
2
4
4
5
7
3
314
272
283
275
330
400
321
325
262
310
717, 849
678, 923
917,440 1,104, 771 1,442,623
462,486
510, 825
632, 505
451,402
468,136
784,205
921,396 1,124,862 1, 279, 627 2,129,032
552,115
847, 556
604, 763
587,810
500, 677
11,658,009 10, 293, 599 8,861,104 9, 630, 869 11,104, 259 10,451,496 10, 618,240 10, 201,053 16, 394,335 22,400,000
310,851
460,189
411,744
334,420
316, 502
287,875
660,000
535,689
368, 681
348, 985
94, 343,115 78,178, 700 71,222,845 75, 602,152 84,755, 630 93, 320, 375 103,196, 355 129, 359,095 177,868,157 264,000,000

21, 568

93. 61
92. 27
86. 37
226

95. 56
87.75
83.85
268

95. 55
89.25
85. 28
352

93. 88
92.25
86. 61
407

91.49
95.88
87. 73
420

95.60
94. 22
90. 08
427

95.41
93.82
89.51
432

95. 37
94.88
90.48
415

95.30
97.16
92.59
400

P r iv a t e f l y i n g o p e r a tio n s ( a l l d o m e s tic )

1,430,052
437,465
1,867,517

879, 225
376, 584
1,255,809

906,970
339,164
1,246,134

1, 044, 079
353,209
1, 397, 288

1,014, 957
272,418
1,287, 375

1, 215,405
250, 653
1, 466,058

1,295,904
284, 508
1, 580,412

1, 238,133
337,018
1, 575,151

1,161, 292
432,794
1, 594,086

1,175,000
425,000
1, 600,000

673
636
385
19
300

621
549
337
15
476

652
563
246
19
550

570
702
250
9
580

494
739
282
9
630

451
738
284
12
622

414
764
278
5
602

433
791
265
2
628

456
643
266
0
665

496
788
289
0
507

795
1,035
282
0
0

80
2,093

119
2,117

158
2,188 1

186
2,297

214
2, 368 [

235
2,342

236
2,299

255
2, 374

250
2,280

251
2,331

165
2,277

A i r p o r t s a n d la n d in g fie ld s

Airports:
Commercial___________________
Municipal____________________
Intermediate—C. A. A.—lighted...
Intermediate—C. A. A.—unlighted.
Auxiliary—marked___ _____ ...
Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Na
tional Guard, Reserve, Private,
and miscellaneous airports_____
Total airports in operation_____
See footnotes at end of table.

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

Airplanes in operation (certificated
and uncertificated)_______________
Accidents:
Number of accidents ___________
Miles flown per accident_______
Number of fatal accidents..............
Miles flown per fatal accident____
Pilot fatalities_______
Copilot or student fatalities______
Passenger fatalities ____________
Aircraft crew fatalities (other than
pilot, copilot, or student) -.. .
Ground crew and third-party fa
talities. .....................................
Total fatalities- _____ ______ _
Miles flown per pilot fatality_____
Miles flown per passenger fatality..
Fuel (consumed):
Gasoline ___________gallons __
Oil_____________________ do___
Miles flown__ ___________________
Passengers carried:
For hire ___________ _________
Not for hire__________ _____ ___
Total______ ______ __________

Progress of Civil Aeronautics in the United States—Continued

■ <1

[All statistics are as of Dec. 31 of each year]

1931

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

Jan .-June
1941

1940

A i r p o r t s a n d l a n d in g fie ld s —

F e d e r a l a ir w a y s s y s te m a n d
n a v ig a t io n

a id s to

680
9
36

701
10
39

626
11
42

664
11
42

698
12
43

705
12
43

720
21
34

719
37
23

735
39
21

776
37
21

690
38
18

56
47
46

61
68
74

68
94
77

71
112
84

74
137
57

80
146
57

83
167
55

91
225
48

92
244
48

111
281
42

113
291
48

234

205

206

203

213

271

314

298

376

414

13,186

13, 500

12, 064

11, 631

13,260

13,120

20, 588

23, 771

26,803

28, 052

29,422

218

216

194

185

191

182

198

182

185

146

162

1,460
376
188
385
17, 512
1,988

1,623
365
228
337
19, 500
0

1, 510
286
269
246
18,655
2,638

1,324
196
310
250
19,081
3,048

1,657
211
330
282
22,012
338

1, 677
241
410
284
22,245
0

1,717
252
466
278
22, 319
945

1,753
214
530
271
23, 723
1, 849

1, 875
214
650
274
27,074
2,192

2,045
216
720
289
30,480
496

2, 066
'210
840
280
30,913
1,945

3,127
1,181

2,994
1,282

2, 388
585

1,983
446

1,701
387

1,805
370

1,684
320

1,159
176

943
177

577
104

438
101

a ir

Communication:
Radio broadcast stations________
Radio range beacon stations...........
Radio marker beacons- - . 1 _______
Weather-reporting airway and air
port stations:
Weather Bureau and C. A. A.
operated, long-line, teletype
writer-equipped__________
Traffic-control stations, teletype
writer-equipped___ __________
Miles of weather-reporting tele
typewriter service____________
Miles of traffic-control teletype
writer service________________
Weather Bureau—first-o rd er
stations (does not include airport
stations)____________ ________
Airway lighting:
Beacons:
Revolving____ ____________
Flashing__________________
Beacons—privately owned and cer
tified_______________________
Intermediate landing fields, lighted
Mileage lighted _______________
Miles under construction at close
of year__________________ ____
C e r t if ic a t e s

Uncertificated aircraft (active):
Airplanes_______________
Gliders....................................

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Con.
Airports:—Continued
Lighted, total.................... ............
Of entry, regular............................
Of entry, temporary___________

1932

Certificated (active):
Airplanes................... .......................
Gliders.____ _________________
Instructors, ground_____________
Mechanics__________ __________
Pilots, airplane______ __________
Pilots, glider__________________
Riggers, parachute_____________
Student pilot certificates (issued
yearly):
Airplane______ ________________
Glider...............................................

7,330
79
86
8, 373
18,594
209
305

6, 896
56
63
8,226
13,960
149
335

6, 339
40
59
8,156
13, 949
109
358

7, 371
48
55
8, 432
14,805
145
381

7,424
31
48
8,738
15,952
138
393

9,152
41
55
9,314
17,681
161
362

10,000
45
92
9,884
22,983
172
397

12,829
44
446
10, 286
31,264
170
425

17,351
39
1,948
11,177
63,113
138
444

22,025
51
3, 655
12,737
82,277
144
477

16, 061
506

11,325
262

12,752
142

11,994
225

14,572
330

17,675
209

21, 770
125

15,556
98

29,839
263

419

102

140
280
406
$1,812,827 $4', 358,967 $5,391,493
318
2,901
2,356
$1, 474, 785 $1,517,682 $1,430, 787
$1,521,828 $1, 756,421 $2,247, 834
$313,463
$87, 522
$4,809,440 $7, 946,533 $9,157,636

490
$8,258, 484
1,007
$4,383,101
$4,808,130
$98,466
$17,548,181

334
$6, 638, 515
568
$2, 459, 317
$5,069,810
$163,201
$14, 330,843

P r o d u c t io n a n d e x p o rts

Exports:
Airplanes________________ _____
Airplanes, value__________ ____
Engines_______________________
Engines, value_________________
Parts and accessories, aircraft and
engine, value............. ..................
Parachutes and parts, value_____
Total.
Production:
Airplanes_____________________
Airplanes and parts, value_______
Engines_______________________
Engines and parts, value................
Equipment (miscellaneous), value.
Total value, all aircraft engines,
parts, and equipment_______
Number of aircraft manufacturers
producing.......................... ..........

515
621
875
1,219
3,162
$11,386,896 $21,027, 361 $37, 977, 324 $66, 386, 736 $175,048,574
945
1, 047
1, 307
1,880
$5, 397,469 $5, 944,004 $7,899,144 $14, 120,035 $49,873;4,986
823
$6, 060,483 $12,157, 337 $21,930, 343 $35, 798,922 $86, 761, 060
$298,358
$£67, 771 $400, 939 $775,389 $1,068, 779
$23,143, 206 $39, 396,473 $68,207, 750 $117,081,082 $311,752,236

2,800
1,396
1, 324
1,615
1,691
3,010
3,773
$33, 348,451 $19, 519, 284 $23, 231, 000 $25, 399, 078 $27, 064, 339 $47,531,565
$67, 289, 541
3,864
1,959
1, 830
2, 545
2,866
4,295
6,214
7$13,833,171 $13, 744, .385 7 $8,751,122 $15,825,127 7 $12, 610,285 $26, 383, 055 7$28, 576, 971
$1, 358,093 $1, 497, 516 $1, 375,000 $2, 667, 720 $2,831, 580 $4,234, 273 $8,228,109

6 2,698

6 4,934

6 9,910

« 3,775

$48, 539, 715 $34, 861,185 $33,357,122 $43, 891.925 $42,506,204 $78,148,893 $104,094, 621
66

1 Domestic air carriers are American companies operating within the continental United
States. International and territorial carriers are American companies operating in
United States Territories and in other countries.
2 Does not include the operations of the following affiliated companies of Pan American
Airways System: Cia Mexicana de Aviación, S. A., Cia Nacional Cubana de Aviación,
and Panair do Brasil, which prior to the year 1936 were included with foreign and terri
torial statistics.
3 The mail pound-miles flown by Inter-Island Airways, Ltd., are included with the
domestic mail pound-miles as this company holds a domestic air-mail contract. All

other operations statistics for this carrier are included with the figures for international
and territorial operations.
4 Includes 224,236 ten-miles of mail carried by the War Department from Feb. 20 to
Mar. 16, 1934.
5 In several cases the same carrier operated both domestic and foreign services.
6 Does not include aircraft produced for the U. S. military services, but does include
those exported for both military and civil use.
7 Value of engine parts for these years not available.

CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION

7, 553
89
138
9,016
17, 739
267
224

180

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
Appropriations for Fiscal Years 1939, 19Ifi, and 1941
1939

Civilian Pilot Training_______ ____________ ____________

Total----------------------------------------- --------------------1 Includes appropriations consolidated as follows:
Civil Aeronautics Authority Fund,
1939 (supplemental appropriation). $1,186.195
Salaries, Bureau of Air Commerce.. _ 650,000
Maintenance of Air Navigation
Facilities................. ......................... 6,758, 680 \

1940

$4, 575,000
5,675,000

$7,000,000
4,000,000

325,000

250.000
72.900
14,144,065

i 10,437,675
21, 012,675

25,466,965

1941
$1,078,200
11,896,550
557. 000
2,484,453
5,265,280
2,091,000
36,814,504
255,650
40,000.000
2,700.000
175,000
72,900

103,390,537

Aircraft in Commerce____________ $1, 249,800
Safety and Planning...................... .
258,000
Purchase and Maintenance of Air
craft................................................... 335,000

f*r»pired by flight Information S«cton

427433— (Face p. 180) No. 1

427433— (Face p. 180) No. 2

Full text of Annual Report of the Secretary of Commerce : Twenty-Ninth Annual Report of the Secretary of Commerce, 1941

FRASER