Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-12-31
Boise Commercial
Club Activities u

During the last few years there has
been a great deal of talk concerning
! Idaho's mining interests, but very lit
| tie real progress has been made to
help this very important industry in
financial way. The state of Idaho
has failed even to appropriate suffi-
cient funds to help in this work, while
large number of our sister states
have seen the importance of this i'm
portant work and have been assisting
for years in financial way in this
| industry. Since 1907 the state of Col
orado has spent in survey work over
| $4,000, while our law makers in
! Idaho have been content to keep Idaho
in the background The following let
| ter written by r. ID. George, state geol-
ogist, University of Colorado, Boulder,
will show just what Colorado is doing
/ in helping to build up her state. II
| Idaho expects to develop she must do
as well or even better:
Boulder, Colo, Dec. %. 1916. Mr..
w. D. Fisher, Secretary Boise CONNER
cial Club. Boise, Idaho. Dear Sir:
| Replying to your letter of December
II, Colorado organized a state geologi-
cal survey in 1907, providing a small
appropriation for the prosecution OF
the work At the present time the sur
vey has continuing appropriation OF
| $4,000 a year, a sum altogether too
small for the amount of work to be
| done.
The geological survey of Colorado
| has its headquarters at the University
| of Colorado, and the head of the de-
partment of geology in the university
| is eX-officio state geologist
| The workers on the geological survey
are chosen mainly from the teachers of
geology in the state university, the
Colorado School of Mines and the agri-
cultural college, but the law provides
for the employment OF others wherever
the demand arises
"The purpose Of connecting the sur
vey with the educational institutions
of the state is as follows:
Il. To remove the survey as far as
possible from politics.
80. To secure state geologist and
other biologists for the work of the
survey on merit rather than a result
of political pull. 1t is natural to as
sumo that tho state institutions hav-
ing departments of geology will
choose good men for these depart
ments. (Many state biologists through
out the country have been appointed
without the slightest regard to their
knowledge Of geology, their executive
i ability, or any other qualities for their
position except party allegiance).
20. An efficient, effective geological
survey must haze laboratory facilities,
library facilities, reference collections
and access to many departments of
science other than geology. 1t can
have these only through connection
with the educational institutions of the
state. Some states have attempted to
establish these facilities in connection
with the survey, but | think without
exception such provisions have proved
TO be entirely inadequate.
a. The state has already provided
in these institutions the equipment
necessary for carrying on york such
as geological survey should under
take, and there seems to be no suffi-
eient reason for duplication of such
outfit.
%. Another reason was the desire
to use in very practical way the IA
eilities of the institutions of the state
and TO bring these institutions into
closer touch with the activities of the
state.
In regard to salaries: The state
geologist has a nominal salary of -720
year for the performance of the eS-
ecutive duties OF his office. For other
time spent in the work of the survey
he is allowed per diem not to exceed
| S10. The other workers on the survey
are paid entirely on the per diem basis.
In regard to the number of men
Employed: We have had as hEh as
20 in the field work. During the NJ
| mainder of the year the number would
| rarely exceed six or eight part time
| men engaged in the preparation of re-
ports on the work done during the
field season. The remuneration of
these other workers may range as
high as $40 a day and expenses, but
this amount has practically lever been
paid as the professors and instructors
in the various institutions realize that
the survey offers them very import
ant opportunity for the summer field
| experience, for the keeping abreas. of
the times in their teaching and for
research both -or themselves and for
their advanced students
i am sending you the outline of a
bill which will be introduced at the
coming session of the legislature with
the view to consolidating the original
law and various amendments concern
ing the geological survey.
The fact that 20 Of the So are To-
Gated at educational institutions and
several others are manned by tie geo
logical staff of the educational institu-
tons and hav, more or less direct con-
nection with them should be a suffi-
Gent argument in favor of such con-
nection, and 1 think there is no need
for hesitation in saying that the most
efficient surveys, considering the APP
preparation granted, are without doub.