The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-13

in California, Thompson said, to per
petuate Roosevelt's ideals.
zation, according to the annual re
port Of the Secretary Of Agriculture
made public yesterday.
The offices and laboratories OF
the department are scattered in more
than forty buildings in various parts
of the city. the Secretary says. "This
results in waste of tremendous
amount Of time and money, for which
the Government must pay Eff
cheney is impaired by difficulty OF
personal contact between the Sec,
rotary and the officers of the de.
partment. as well as between bureau
chiefs and units Of their own re.
spective bureaus. Many units which
are closely related organically are 10
separated by the exigencies of
housing space that much confusion
exists and full efficient utilization
of the services of the workers is
impossible. The guarding of these
scattered buildings. by day and
night, necessarily entails a force of
watchmen much larger than would
be needed for a smaller number of
suitable buildings properly located
Fire Traps Peril Records.
"Of the buildings owned by the
Government and occupied by the dc.
partment, several are of the tenn
porary type, erected hurriedly during
the war, highly inflammable, and
otherwise unsuited to the work OF
the department. The same ia true
Of some of the rented buildings. In
several of these buildings the valuable
property and records of the Govern.
ny liz
risk fire. and there is even appre-
hension of loss Of life. .sC
THE prompt construction of a
large modern office building for the
use of the various scattered units OF
the department should be profitable
financial investment and would add
immensely to the efficiency with
which its work Is carried on.
The situation as to salaries grows
worse each year. Efficient leaders In
the different lines of the department 8
work are one by one leaving the serv.
ice to accept employment at higher
rates of compensation or under more
favorable circumstances. The salaries
In the Department Of Agriculture were
fully comparable with those in the
better grade of educational and re-
search institutions before the war
period. Since that time these institu.
tons, by the pressure of commercial
interests and higher wage standards
in other lines of effort. have advanced
their salary scale from time to time
until now many Of the endowed insti-
tutions, such as Columbia, Yale, Har-
ward. Stanford and Chicago. are pay.
ing professoyial salaries of from $500
to $4,000.
Argument for Higher Pay.
I'm the same way the State-sup-
ported institutions have raised their
salary standards until such institu-
tons as Wisconsin. Minnesota, Illinois,
Ohio and California are paying from
$4,000 up. When a single institution
like Chicago or Wisconsin has 1876
quite a little above $1,000, It Is not
to see why the department
has trouble In retaining It's bureau
chiefs with an average salary of $4,700
and it's project leaders with an average
salary of $500. The bureau chiefs
should rank in training and experience
and in PROFESSIONAL qualities with col
ege presidents. A number of the
former employees of the department
ire receiving salaries ranging from
80, 900 TO $4,000 in commercial po-
,itions.
Loyalty and opportunity for great
public service has held many a scien-
life worker in the department against
4 flattering offer from the outside. II,
however. any satisfactory degree OF
Ia to be secured, II will
be necessary to reach a salary stand.
lrd whereby these men will be enabled
% maintain a reasonable standard of
living for themselves and their families.
"If the department is to go for
ward in its work and meet the in
complex problems Of the
'uture 1t must have authority to
pay fair salaries.
The proposed program Of co-opera.
ion and correlation Of scientific work
II the department and the State sta
ions calls for an even higher type
" leadership on the part of the de-
,artment. In order to make such
projects feasible and properly to
,quip the organization for an effec-
i've attempt to attack the more fun
lamental problems which have up to
he present time resisted the efforts
4 isolated workers, such permanent
leadership must be secured