Evening star., 1920-11-14
HIGH WAGES ENTICE
AWAY u. S. EMPLOYEES
Service Seriously Handi-
capped by Loss of Hundreds Who Are
Taking Commercial Positions.

from the national forests has been.
127 per cent
Twenty-Five Geoloxists Leave.
George Otis Smith. chief Of the
geological survey, in a speech before
the Academy OF Science the other night
emphasized the undermining OF the
specialized scientific force by made
quate salaries. He pointed to twenty
nine biologists who recently left the
government service. at an average SAL
ary Of s2.271. to get an average initial
salary under private employers of
H.So4. and eight OF them received
$4,000 or more. The director himself.
while receiving $500 a month, has been
directing the work of eight men who
are getting $500 to $1,000 a month. who
are engaged in special investigations
mot paid for under statutory limita-
.iohs) on the superpower problems.
The plights of the patent Office were
exposed at congressional hearing at
winch delegations of scores of the
principal Industrial leaders Of the coun-
try testified regarding the stagnatton
to manufacture caused by the depleted
force in the patent Office. Since Janu-
ary l, 1920, there have been seventy
seven designations from the technical
force of examiners. and not one really
qualified man has been found to take
their place. The new men come IN at
$500, and only use the job as a meal
ticket" until they get something bet
ter.
Treasury Losing Best Men.
The Treasury Department similarly
has been losing its best men. They
have been enticed away by commercial
double or triple the salary the law al
lows in the federal service Trained
men cannot be found to replace them,
and while new men are being trained
the federal service suffers in eff
cheney. The treasurer's Office has been
conspicuous sufferer, and the annual
report will show a dangerous condition
The internal revenue service could not
have performed its work had it been
subject to the statutory limits. but has
been able, under a lump sum, to nay
whatever was necessary to get good
men. Paul +. Myers. commissioner of
Internal revenue. says: What the
federal service most needs in the re-
| organization are experienced. high
| class men. such as corporations are
glad to pay $4,000. ss..
1t has been impressed upon the
House appropriations committee and
| on members Of Congress generally
that the government is paying the
ordinary run Of clerks and stenog-
raphers better in proportion than
those who in responsible positions
keep the work moving. In the navy
yards and arsenals wages balancing
the union scale are being paid with
the s240 government bonus added ON.
The chief clerk in a navy yard can
now receive more than the chief clerk
of the Navy Department Under the
Macy board some craftsmen are get
ting more than the chiefs Of some
of the most important bureaus
COmmissioner Gets 5000.
Clay Tallman. commissioner of the
general land Office, gets only $4,000 a
year. and at present he is handling
S200,O00,000 worth of oil lands under
the new leasing bill. In seven years
his office has sold more than $4,000
600 in public lands. He has l,500
people under him in charge Of sur
veying all the public lands, with hun
dreds Of offices throughout tho coun-
try. and handling all the investiga-
tions of land frauds
Col w. S. Greeley. the chief for
! ester. receives a similar salary, as
custodian of Isl national forests.
which embrace a net area OF more
than 156.000.000 acres of valuable
government timber land, having a
total stand of about 6O0.000,o 900 feet
of merchandisable timber of untold
Importance in cur future economic
life.
George r. Putnam, commissioner of
lighthouses, receives $4,000 from the
government. and he is responsible for
the safety of all the commerce that
enters American ports. and internal
commerce on the great lakes and
navigable streams besides custody of
many million dollars worth of prop
erty.