The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-08-30

PreSlue0I ERNEST II. l4lHuley Ol lllt
University of Idaho is in receipt of tn,
following letter which makes clear ant
emphatic the need of keeping young
engineers in school and at work.
Want Wide Publicity.
Dear Sir: There is an imminent
matter of vital Importance to the Am
erican nation concerning which very
little, If anything. has been said in the
newspapers-hence the presentation OF
this letter, and with it an urgent re-
Guest for its publication in your col
umns and, subsequently, for a wide
circulation through copying by the
public press of the entire country.
refer to the depletion of the classes
in technical schools, first by wide
spread volunteering for the army and
navy, and, second, by consumption.
This subject received much attention
at the Washington meeting on the 9Th
and 7th inst. of the Society for the
Promotion of Engineering Education,
an organization of twenty five years
standing and composed of most of the
leading American instructors in all
lines of applied science, and also a
few prominent practicing engineers.
The meeting was addressed by such
distinguished men as the secretary of
war, the chief of engineers of the U. 5.
army and the director of the bureau
90 ,<o do nd
by the society on those two days were
devoted almost exclusively to questions
of public welfare, principally connect
ed with the war, it's subsequent con-
ditions, and it's anticipated problems.
AS / attended all of the sessions
from start to finish and took the deep
est interest in the entire proceedings,
l feel justified in making the following
statements, and in claiming that they
express the opinions of a number of
the, most profound thinkers of Amer
lea:
Situation Defined.
First The larger part of the civil
lied world will have to be reconstruct
ed after the war, not excluding our
own great railroad system, which I'M
doubtedly will have deteriorated on
quate upkeep.
Second. Such reconstruction is al
most exclusively the work of engin-
GERS.
MI: n
have been killed off by thousands dur
ing the past three years; and their
slaughter will not cease until the war
ends. Moreover 1t is more than prob
able that many American engineers
who serve in Europe will never re-
turn to our shores, and that large
number of those who come back will
be more or less incapacitated from &C.
tive professional work.
Fourth. The technical schools of all
the other warning countries than ours
have practically been out of commits
sion for three years, thus cutting down
there, almost to zero. the supply OF
new men for the engineering profess
sion.
Fifth. The call to arms in this
country by both volunteering and con-
scription it is feared will soon have
reduced to about one-half the attend
ance at the technical schools of the
United States, while instead of being
halved it ought properly to be doubled
of he r.
alyzation of many lines of engineering
work, due to the cessation OF large
constructions and to the absolute lack
of capital for important new projects
of a peaceful character, the demand
for young graduates of technical
schools by the manufacturers of war
supplies is 80 great that there is al
ready a marked dearth of such assist
ance, which dearth will be more and
more accentuated as the war pro-
crosses, and as the call for ships, guns,
ammunition, aeroplanes, automobiles,
and other war paraphernalia increases.
American Engineers.
Seventh. Until the United States
entered, the war, it was almost certain
that most of he reconstruction work of
the world would be done by American
engineers, and in any case they are
sure to get a fair share of it.; but 1t
seems a shame that this country
should miss such golden opportun-
ity as that which lies before it for Sc
curing the lions share.
Eighth. The capacity of the old, ex-
perienced, and we'll established Amer
lean engineers for doing work is prac-
tically unlimited, provided that there
be no shortage of young, properly edu-
Gated assistants; because most technl-
cal men of mature years have develop
ed highly the faculty of management.
On that account the average total
amount of work engineered by such
men in this country could readily be
increased five fold, or, possibly even
ten fold without causing undue over
stress either physical or mental; AMI
consequently, the great mass of work
of world reconstruction could eman-
ate from the United States and be
handled abroad by American engineers
Ninth. 1t is beyond question that
for the next 10 years or more, engin'
oarin. 10 avarywhare going to be the