The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-12-31
PRIVATE WORK
IS PROHIBITED
Members Of United States Geological
Survey Prohibited From any Per-
sonai Interest In Mineral
Properties, Warning
Against I'm
posters

ner In which the United States Geo
logical Survey guards the data 1t oh
tains and also withholds information
from private persons until reports
embodying such material can be pub
lished and offered free of cost to
rich and poor alike
The law under which the United
States Geological Survey was organ
lied in 1879 expressly provides that
the Director and members of the
Survey shall have no personal or
private interest in the lands or min.
eral wealth of the region under sur.
vey and shall execute no surveys or
examinations for private parties or
corporations. This was wise proyi.
sion; for on the one hand 1t insured
that whatever advantages were to
come from geologic ws-k paid for
by the people as a whole should be
equally and simultaneously available
to all, and on the other hand, 1t re-
moved from the geologist what would
otherwise have been strong and fire.
quent temptation to make his official
work subordinate or contributory to
his PERSONA and material interests.
Can Not Own Mining Stock
So strictly is the regulation now
interpreted that the Government geo
logists are prohibited from acquiring
stock in any mining company operat-
ing in the United States. The result
has been that the public in general
has confidence in the impartiality
and integrity Of the Federal geolog-
lists, and property owners willingly
impart information to them which
would be withheld from men who
might use it Tor their own advantage.
Even after resignation from the Sur
vey a geologist Is in honor bound
by a written promise not to act as
an expert in mining litigation in any
district that he may have investigat-
ed while on the Survey, until three
years shall have elapsed since his
resignation or until ten years shall
have passed since he made an Off
cial report on the district. 1t is sup
posed that after these periods OF
limitation the local information gain
ed in his official capacity will have
ceased to be of special advantage in
current litigation.
The confidence reposed by the pub
lie in the Federal biologists has oc-
casionally been abused by impostors
who have claimed to belong to the
Geological Survey. Biologists who
resign from the Survey of course
are free to seek employment wherev-
er they choose but from the date of
their designations they can no long
er be employed by the Survey nor
can they represent 1t in any capacity
unless reinstated or appointed from
a civil service register. The only
apparent exception to this regulation
Is that reports on certain subjects
or certain fields may be purchased
from biologists who have never been
connected with the organization or
who, though formerly employed by
it, have resigned to enter private
work. In all such cases, however, the
finished report is purchased and the
geologist while gatHe4us the mater
ials for the report is acting in pure
ly private capacity and does not in
any sense represent the Government.
Should Beware Of lmpostors
Because persons sometimes mis-
represent themselves Is. l--r.yy,,-
OF the Geological Survey for the pur.
pose OF securing inside informa-
tion,' the public is advised to regard
all representations with caution and
to insist that the person soliciting
...r.uUtiCn shall establish his
Identity and connection with the Sur
yey before complying with his re-
quest. This can easily be done, for
each geologist or engineer connected
with the organization is furnished
with a card certifying to his position
on the Survey, signed by the Secre-
tary of the Interior and countersign-
ed by the Director. Anyone who
seeks information on the basis of be-
ing an employee of the Survey, but
who can not produce such a card of
Identification, should be reported at
once to the Director OF the United
States Geological Survey, Washing
ton, d. G.