iderable range of useful information bearing on
the territory to be explored. In the United States the natural course to
be pursued is to hunt carefully through the reports of the U. S.
Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines, various state surveys,
universities, and private organizations (so far as these reports are
available), and through the technical journals and the reports of
technical societies, for something bearing on the district to be
explored. Even if no specific report or map is to be found, it is
usually possible to locate general maps or accounts which are likely to
be of use.

COOPERATION IN EXPLORATION

Competition in exploration often develops an atmosphere of suspicion and
furtiveness which is highly unfavorable to cooperative efforts.
Individuals and companies may handicap themselves greatly by a desire to
play a lone hand, and by failure to take advantage of an exchange of
information. This action may be based, particularly on the part of
strong mining companies, on the assumption that they know all that is
necessary about the problem, and that an outsider has nothing to
contribute. Financial and other conditions may require this attitude;
but in large part it is a result of temperament, as clearly indicated by
the difference in methods followed by different groups and in different
mining districts. From the scientific point of view this attitude can
hardly be justified, in view of the extremely narrow limits of human
knowledge as compared with the scientific field to be explored. The sum
total of knowledge from all sources is only a small fraction of that
necessary for the most effective results. The mutual exchange of
information and discussion is usually justified on the basis of
self-interest alone, to say nothing of the larger interest to the
mineral district, to the country, or to science.

National and state survey organizations exercise considerable effort to
secure records of drilling. In some cases they have the legal power to
command this information, particularly in relation to appraisals for
taxation and "blue sky" laws. In a larger number of cases drill records
are secured through voluntary cooperation with explorers. A considerable
number of records are nevertheless not filed with public agencies and
some of these are permanently lost. Even where the records are turned in
to a public organization, they are in most cases not directly available
to explorers.

Public registration o