Evening star., 1921-08-21
COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY. A
g, = 100 PER CENT EFFICIENT BUREAU

by the survey is of vast importance
and last. but not least. becauAa we
have at the head of our bureau a man
who is absolutely squa re-: a man who
is not only our chief. but man: VIII"
is our true friend. If any of Us. have
a suggestion to make we do ret have
to bother with red tape. but 20
directly to him and state our case.
I want to mention the case of q char
woman. who some time ago, through
she was prevented from seeing the
director on a certain matter. .
1.-The director heard Of it and sent for
her. She arrived at his office, accord
ing to her statement. In rather an
excited condition. but was soon put
at ease by the colonel. In q very
few minutes all misunderstanding
had been cleared away. and she went
back to her work, happy in the
knowledge that the lowliest employees
rights were as carefully safeguarded
as the chief Of any division. It Is
This trait Of fair play that makes all
Sundays and holidays. - y
80
teTHE director never asks a man to
= do anything that he would not do
himself. He never asks a man in the
field to take chance that he would
not take. When there was trouble
regarding increase in rents several Of
us.who suffered at the hands Of land
lords who wanted to get all Of our
meager salaries. laid our cases be-
fore the colonel. don't know how
he did 1t. but he helped all Of Us. Why.
he. knows every efmploye of the survey
by name, and when any one Is sick
more than a day or two he makes 1t
his business to find out IL there Is
anything he can do for him. don't
know what kind of story you are
gcings to write about the survey, but
YOU can say with all truthfulness
that one OF the reasons that a great
many OF us have stayed on is because
Col. Jones has ever been a true friend
to US
There are no rubber stamps used
i'll answering letters sent to the
survey. Col. Jones proceeding on the
theory that II a letter is worth an
swering at, all it's worth Eenu-
Inc: not facsimile. signature. 1t is
a standing rule Of the coast and geo
detic survey that all letters received
must either be answered within
twenty-four hours, or. II the reply re-
quires more time. mus be acknowi-
edged. SO that the writer of the let
ter ter either gets his snswer within a
letter has been received and that the
data requested are being prepared and
tain time. u
The assistant director Is Robert, L.
Far1s. who was born at Carnthers:
Vile. Mo-. In 1858. He was educated
in the public schools and at the Uni
versity Of Missouri. graduating In
1890 with the degree OF civil engi.
neer. The first year after gradna ton
he served as assistant engineer on
q ta ~
Sioux. City to st. Louis, Since May,
1891. he has been with the United
States coast and geodetic survey as
he1d engineer and served in branches
of the field work on the Atlantic and
gulf coasts. in the West ladies', in
He. was in charge of the division Of
terrestrial magnetism OF the Wash
ington office for eight years. and he
has been assistant director. since
March. 1915 Mr.. Earis has been q mem
Der of the Mississippi river commission
since August. 1918. He is also a men,
Der of the board of surveys and maps.
There are other men OF great scien-
tffic attainments in the survey. men
whose names will ever be remembered
BY grateful public when Il realizes
the character OF the work they have
been doing for their country.
The recent wreck Of the steamer
Alaska. with its dreadful toll Of lives.
Is a warning that every safeguard
should be taken to protect ttfnose who
travel by sea. II we are to secure
knowledge that will aid in making
safe journey by water. we must. give
support to the branch Of the govern
ment that knows how to locate and
record these danger spots. i"
We have hundreds and hundreds Of
millions of dollars invested in ships:
we are trying to build up real mer-
chant marine. and yet We expect a
bureau that lis loyalty serving the
country to get along on less than one
half the money that 10 necessary to
carry on this constructive and humane
work. Us