Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-06

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washington, Jan. 3.--The mach'p-
cry Of government In Washington
ID literally on tho verge Of . coll
lapse because the United States will
not pay the men who work for It
enough to tive on, much less
enough to compete In the brains
market with other governments,
with business and with universities.
The forest service since July /,
1912, has lost 700 men, which Is Z
fourth Of its permanent force. OF
these men $50 are trained technical
experts, who are hard to replaces,
and require several years to attain
their fullest usefulness in a job.
The bureau of standards 10 sad
to have lost 1.40O men in foar
years, and nearly all OF these TECH
meal men-ths brains of the In
stitution. @
The bureau Of markets in the de-
pactment of agriculture, which Is
doing invaluable work for the farhl-
ere. is losing its men as fast as 1t
trains them. business wants them
and gives them double the salaries
the government pays. This and
other government bureaus are nov
nothing but kindergartens for busi-
ness.
The income tax division Of the
internal revenue bureau is another
branch that cannot hold its really
valuable men. That is a fact fn-
which many Of us suffer. One big
concern reports that it has not yet
gotten its 1917 income tax account
Strengthened out The reason Is
that each man in the division who
has started ON the work, has resign
ed bis position to accept a better
one before he finished the job, and
his successor has had to start all
over again.
The forest products laboratory ct
Madison, Wis, which solved the
problem Of kiln-drying airplana
spruce, and which is doing work Of
the highest Industrial value, has q
force of 81 men. One-fourth Of
these have accepted positions at
greatly increased salaries. An
other fourth are considering SINH
Ia. offers. Unless 1t is enabled to
pay better salaries within six
months. the forest products labora-
toy will practically cease to work.
Recently the government Of Brit
ish India sent man to this labora-
tory to study the remarkable work
1t is doing. When he went back to
India he took two Of the labora-
torv's best men with him. One OF
them had been drawing a salary Of
$4,000 from the United States gov
eminent. The Indian government
gave him 81 200 and his transporta-
ton to Dehra Dun in the Himalaya
mountains. The other man got a
proportionate raise.
Another young man in the forest
reserve became an expert .in east
ern hardwoods. He bore the title
Of forest examiner. He was %
! years old. His salary was $1,000 a
year. The American Walnut Grow
ers' association offered him 1000
to become Its secretary. He be-
came.
| The government of South Africa
recently took another valuable
young man away from the forest
service at more than double the sal
airy he was getting from the United
States government. Not only are
other governments and business
cutting the American civil service,
but even the faculties Of American
universities, additionally under
paid, are taking technical men away
from the government.
One government hospital has a
positions on its staff of medical
men. Tyenty-one Of them are va
cant. Young medical students
drawing saalries OF $1,000 yea:
are performing major operations In
this hospital. This indicates that
perhaps the wounded soldiers who
complain that they are not being
we'll taken care Of, have some truth
on their side.
The bureau Of public roads has
about $600,000.000 to spend this
year. 1t used to be run by man
named Logan Waller Page. He
drew the magnificent salary Of
$4,000, but he was a rich man and
a good engineer. Salary was NJ
object to him. When he died and il
came to filling his position the sal
airy was raised to $4,000. Yet the
highway commissioners in many
states draw salaries of $4,000, and
they have not a 1.-THE Of responsible
ity that rests upon the head Of the
bureau of public roads.
| Another technical bureau of the
government is taking desperate
measures to hold its staff together
It is against the law for a man coz