G.— ENGINEERING 145 



proper allowance could be made. This, however, would not suit the 

 salesman, and so we have a new form of an old rhyme : — 



' Little drops of water in a bag of coke 

 Fill the gas-works coffers. Good then ; let it soak ! ' 



The engineer, moreover, knows that this is not the end of the mischief. 

 He is aware that part of the heat of the coke must be used in evaporating 

 the water bought at 30.V. per ton. 



(iii) I lately had an electric kettle installed. I insisted that it should 

 have a three-pin plug and be properly earthed. The contractor carried 

 out my instructions, but told me that he was constantly putting in such 

 apparatus yet never took this precaution unless the householder insisted. 

 This is an instance where the Institution is quite definite in its rules, but is 

 without the power to enforce them. I need not remind members of this 

 Association of the unfortunate deaths due to such neglect. 



It may be objected that this contrast is unfair, since the responsibility of 

 the engineer is far less than that of the doctor. But is it so ? Three- 

 quarters of a doctor's daily work consists in visiting and prescribing for 

 routine cases, where nothing more than ' pidv rhei et sac alb ' or their 

 equivalents are needed. When serious matters arise, the modern practi- 

 tioner often sends his patient to the specialist. The responsibility of the 

 engineer even in so simple a thing as house-wiring is far greater ; and when 

 such matters as the design of high-speed machinery, the brakes and steering 

 gear of a motor-car, or the stability of a structure are considered, there is 

 no comparison at all. Where the doctor's neglect kills one man, the 

 engineer's mistake may kill 100. But the doctor can bury his accident 

 behind a death-certificate which he himself issues, while the engineer 

 must submit to a public legal inquiry. The loss of prestige attaching to 

 faulty design or workmanship after such an inquiry, constantly urges the 

 engineer towards greater and greater care, and this in the last resort is the 

 safeguard upon which the nation relies. Such a liability will serve as 

 the best antidote to an abuse of privilege, but it can only be justified as the 

 concomitant of recognised status. The engineer now has the liability 

 without the status. The doctor or barrister has fairly acquired the status ; 

 but the organisation to which he belongs tends, as I think unwisely, to 

 shield him from the healthy breeze of liability. 



Remuneration of the Engineer. 



As regards remuneration, the contrast between the engineer and the 

 members of other professions is equally striking. A medical man just 

 qualified is admitted to His Majesty's forces at a salary of £387 per 

 annum for a period of five years, and if he then leaves the service he 

 receives a gratuity of £1,000. Thus at the age of say 26, he is regarded 

 as being worth nearly £600 per annum. If the same man accepts work 

 as a 'locum,' he will demand as a minimum £10. 10s. per week, with 

 free accommodation and the use of a motor-car. It is not difficult for a 

 youngster who is not too scrupulous to reach an income of £1,000 



