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June, 1910 come so prominent that, while hereditary nobility linger on the scene, their titles have become almost meaningless. This is particularly noticeable when one of the English dukes served in the quarter- master's department during the Boer, war in a subordinate capacity, and still more so in the war between Russia and Japan, when only one Russian general was a member of the nobility. "I think you will see the point to -which I am trying to lead up; namely, that in this 'age of the engineer' he should not rest content simply with do- ing the work which makes for our com- fort and happiness, at the command of other men who are lawyers or simply business men, but that the engineer him- self should take a vital and -directing part in the administration of affairs. I know the objection that at once appears to almost every mind; namely, that an engineer's professional work is so en- grossing and exacting that it is impos- sible for him to become a politician in the sense that a politician is a man who gives all his time to pulling wires and filling offices. This is doubtless true, but engineers, like other men, can find time to attend to business matters which affect them personally. In other words; where it is a matter of self-interest, the en- gineer, like other men, can find time for this extra work. Serious Duty as Citizens. "Now, we Americans are very fond of claiming that we have the greatest country, and the freest and best govern- ment in the world. That government, however, for its efficiency and integrity, depends upon us as citizens, and it ought to be a matter of the greatest pride to every American to feel that he is doing his part, so far as lies in him, to make the country and its government better and happier every year. "I have reminded you of the enorm- ously important part which the engineer plays in the life of today, and it seems to me that for this very reason it is encumbent upon him, more than upon most other men, to take a vital interest _in the work of government, and to lend his trained ability and judgment to its perfection. "I do not mean, of course, that the engineer should do routine professional work for the government without com- pensation, but I do mean that in the discussion of public improvements and the administration of government depart- ments, the engineer should take an act- lve public stand so as to influence and guide the non-expert part of the popula- tion in right ways of thinking. Enormous Sums Squandered. " * . . It is notorious that, in the past, en- Crmous amounts of money have been TAE MarRINE REVIEW squandered on great public works be- cause they were undertaken in a way which every engineer knew must be in- efficient and uneconomical. Occasionally, some engineer raises' his voice, but too often only to be jeered at as a crank, instead of receiving thanks. If all of us, as engineers, had a keen sense of our duty in this respect, and would properly utilize our experience and abil- ity through the daily press, the maga- zines and the reviews; by public discus- sion, and in the daily intercourse of life, as well as by impressing the truth upon our representatives in municipal and national affairs, I believe he would accomplish an immense amount of good. "It will be understood, I am_ sure, that I refer almost entirely to the rela- tions of the engineer to society in gen- eral, and not to other professional men. For many years, engineers have been most generous in making public to their technical brethren the results of their experience and our own proceedings are full of instances. It would be impossi- ble to name more than a few, but per- haps the most notable case was that of Past President Taylor, when he _ pub- lished the results of his life work of research on the art of cutting metals. Management of Labor. "One of the problems of foremost importance at the present time is that of the management of labor so as to secure efficient work and satisfied men. It is probable that, as far as_ skilled labor is concerned, the direction of more than ninety per cent is in the hands of engineers. Most emphatically is this a case where engineers owe a great duty to society. It is, therefore, an especial pleasure to recognize that some of our own members have played a foremost part in the best work that has been done in devising plans for compensating labor that will stimulate the men to their best efforts, and reward them adequately. The names of Halsey, Taylor, Gantt and Emerson will at once occur to you. "It would be inappropriate in this brief address to attempt any discussion in detail of the labor problem, but I feel that I shall voice the sentiment of every one present when I say that the effort of every patriotic American should be exerted to maintain absolute freedom of contract in labor matters as in all others. Just as we are opposed to mon- opoly by capital, so we are to the same thing by labor. No reasonable man ob- jects to labor organizations, as such. "They have undoubtedly been the cause of much benefit to the men. The danger with them, as with political organiza- tions, is the formation of a 'machine,' which utilizes the organization solely for the selfish interests of the members of the machine. There can be no doubt 247 whatever that many strikes are made against the real wishes of a majority of the men, who are overborne by' the machine and its adherents; and it is also true that the net result of nearly all strikes is an actual loss to the men. "The problem is an exceedingly diffi- cult one, and it requires the greatest wisdom, patience and tact for its com- plete solution; if, indeed, taking human nature as it is, we can ever hope for its removal from the list of worries of the manager of great enterprises. Questions Require Engineering Knowledge. "Many of the questions which are prominently before the public at the present time are peculiarly such as re- quire engineering knowledge for their proper understanding and regulation. The word 'trust': has come to have such a sinister méaning that it is only neces- sary to fasten that word upon an enter- -- prise to render it criminal in the pop- ular estimation. We have recently heard a great deal about the so-called "Water Power Trust,' the charge being that all the available power sites were being grabbed so as to subject our citizens at some future time to the payment of tribute for electric power derived from them. JI am not concerned, at the pres- ent moment, to discuss the question of monopoly, which we all deprecate, but to point that engineers know that these water powers cannot be made available except by the expenditure of large sums of money. "Indeed, it would be easy to point out the fortunes that have been lost in the attempted exploitation of the supposedly lucrative natural gifts. The general pub- lic is utterly misled by statements that these power sites are obtained for noth- ing; their idea being that the develop- ment is a matter of small expense. Here, the engineer can do a work of real benefit by disseminating correct informa- tion. "Again, in the consideration of public service corporations, the engineer knows the cost of installation and operation, and so can discuss intelligently whether rates are fair or exorbitant; whether capital represents real investment or water. These are problems of the great- est importance, for their proper solution, the electorate needs training, which can be given by no one else so well as by the engineer. Navy Organization. "About a year ago, at our Washington meeting, I did what I could along this line in the way of pointing out the mis- takes which have been made in connec- tion with navy yard organization, and this illustrates very clearly what I am advocating for all engineers. Here was a great department of the government