Evening star., 1905-07-31
GEOL LOGICAL SURVEY
Several Scientists of That
Bureau Involved.
MINING WORLD STOCK
OWNED BY THEM AS EDITORS
AND CONTRIBUTORS.
Used Their knowledge Acquired Un-
der Employment Of the Govern
ment to Magazines Advantage.

Another item has been added to the list
of alleged governmental wrong-doinss
which the Keep investigation committee
may be asked to inquire into. This time 1t
is the geological survey which Is involved.
the charge being that several employees of
the survey have taken stock in the Mining
World, published at Chicago, and edi-
tors and contributors have exploited scien-
tihc theories which have been developed
and nourished at the expense of the United
States government. 1t Is alleged as unfair
that scientists in the employ of the geo.
logical survey should be permitted to use
their knowledge of certain scientific facts
to the advantage of magazine in which
they are said to be financially interested,
and to the disadvantage of other magazines
which are not so fortunate as to have IN
their list of stockholders and directors the
names of government scientists.
A Charge Denied.
Another charge, which, however, has not
been substantiated. and which Is positively
denied by the acting head Of the geological
survey, Col. H. c. RiZer. is that Director
Walcott and several other officials of the
survey were displeased and annoyed by a
certain editorial published In the Engineer
ing and Mining Journal of New York, De-
cember g. 1904. The editorial, it Is said.
deplored the placing of the reclamation of
arid lands, according to the newly adopted
policy of the government, under the con-
troll of the geological survey predicting
that it would distract official attention
from the really valuable scientific work for
which the survey was organized
This editorial was said to be the incentive
for the purchases of stock by the govern
ment scientists in the rival magazine, but
Col Rizer declared today that he believed
steps had been taken to become Interested
in the Chicago publication prior to the pub
lication of the alleged offending editorial.
Furthermore, Col. Rlzer asserted that
neither Director Walcott nor any other off,
cial of the survey was ever 'vexed or an
noyed - by the editorial
Col. Rizer excused the purchase of stock
on the ground that 1t was a commercial
enterprise and that government scientists
as we'll as any other citizen of the United
States could place their money wherever
they might desire. AS to the use of their
government-acquired knowledge for the
furtherance of private enterprise, Col.
Rizer admitted that this evidently had been
was opposed by the director and that it
had been stopped whenever such practice
had been called to his attention.
Governmental Directors.
E. c. Eckle of the geological survey was
a director in the Mining World after its al
legged governmental reorganization oc-
CURED, and he also appeared as the editor
of the cement department. The other di-
rectors were David T. Day. Kirby Thomas
E. w. Packer. George s. Smith, Lyman. A.
Sisley and j. Winchester Holman. Four of
the seven directors are said to be officials
or employees of the geological survey Dr.
Day is the head of the division of mining
and mineral resources. He also was an
associate EDITOR. G. Willard Hayes, chief
OF the division on economic geology of the
survey. held position as associate editor:
Il. W. Parker. q i'd emDl0ya nd
thority on coal. who was to write on coal
In connection with w. ". Ruley of Phila-
deIpnia, another paid employee; Clifford
PInchot, chief of the forestry division of
the Department of Agriculture, to write on
forestry. and long list of other persons
associated with the survey either by virtue
of being state biologists or ner diem am
ployes.
Dissatisfaction seems to have cropped out
and several officials resigned from the staff
OF the paper, including Professor Hayes
ahc Mr. Eckle. DR.. Day Is off on sum-
mer trip investigating black sand deposit
near Portland. Ore, where the Lewis and
Clark exposition is being held CONSEQUENT
iy he could not be interviewed, but at the
geological survey 1t was said today that
he was the most. enthusiastic over the
Mining World venture, and that 1t was
afgely through his representation that the
other scientists became interested. Di-
rector Walcott is making some field notes
up in Montana. He will remain there a
month, and then will proceed to Utah.
where he will gather more field notes. Con-
sequently he. too. was unavailable. Mr..
Eckle is the only one having financial in
terest in the paper who is In the city at
present, but he declined to discuss the mat
ter. He resigned last May from the edi-
torial staff. He stated today that he con-
sidered the matter as official, and that any
information should be given out by the
head of the survey.
What an Investigation May Develop
Should an investigation be made of this
particular offense it may lead to a general
investigation of the charge that some en-
poyes and officials of the government in
other departments are in the habit of ac-
quiring certain information because of
their governmental employment and sell
ing that information to magazines or 9TH
er periodical publications in the form of
prepared articles The contention is that
this information. obtained at government
expense by men whose time is the prop
erty of the government, should be given
to the government exclusively,