606 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVII. No. 1225 



The following table, by tbe British Medical 

 Journal compiled from the statements pub- 

 lished for ten years, will be of interest. The 

 figures (not standardized) of the death-rates 

 do not disclose any very distinct movement; 

 the deaths of infants appear to indicate a 

 slight increase. The most disquieting set of 

 figures are those showing a further marked 

 decline in the birth-rate since 1914. 



ENGLAND AND WALES 



CIVIL ENGINEERS AND THE ARMY 



The War Department states that two thou- 

 sand engineers are needed immediately by the 

 IJnited States Army for commission as first 

 lieutenants and captains. The chief of engi- 

 neers has outlined a plan of campaign by 

 which it is hoped to obtain the men needed 

 without delay. A board of examiners will be 

 sent out from "Washington to visit about 33 

 principal cities. 



Engineers, civil, mechanical, mining and 

 electrical, will have an opportunity to go be- 

 fore the board and be examined. Those pas- 

 sing the examinations will be commissioned at 

 once and sent to an engineer officers' training 

 camp, either at Camp Lee, Petersburg, Va., or 

 Camp Humphreys, Va., near Washington. 

 They will be on officers' pay while training 

 and at the completion of their courses will be 

 assigned at once to duty with the engineer 

 troops. 



Engineering societies and institutes will be 

 provided with application blanks to be dis- 

 tributed among their members and friends in 

 the profession. Engineers who do not obtain 

 blanks in this way should address the Chief of 



Engineers, United States Army, Washington. 

 These forms, when properly filled out, should 

 be retm-ned to Washington. After they have 

 been scrutinized with a view to ascertaining the 

 fitness of the applicants, word will be sent out 

 telling the men when and where to appear for 

 mental and physical examinations. 



Following are the requirements that must 

 be met : 



Age Limits. — First lieutenants, 32 to 36 

 years; captains, 36 to 42 years. These limits 

 may be extended in special cases, but no man 

 of draft age will be considered. 



Citizenship. — All applicants must be citi- 

 zens of the United States. 



Qualifications. — ^Applicants must be actively 

 engaged in the practise of the engineering pro- 

 fession, and be in good physical condition. 

 No set rules have been adopted as to profes- 

 sional qualifications and experience. The ex- 

 amining board will determine each applicant's 

 case. Applicants must possess the requisite 

 qualities of leadership and temperament to fit 

 them for the command of troops. 



It is the hope of the chief of engineers to 

 have all men who pass the examinations 

 commissioned within ten days or two weeks. 

 Traveling expenses of Y cents a mile to the 

 training camp will be allowed to those who 

 receive commissions. 



WAR WORK OF MINING ENGINEERS 



Heads of practically every " war-work " di- 

 vision of the government will discuss vital 

 war problems with 200 of the country's lead- 

 ing mining engineers, representing the Ameri- 

 can Institute of Mining Engineers, at a dinner 

 in the Food Administration Cafeteria on the 

 evening of June 21. To learn new ways in 

 which the mining engineer can contribute his 

 services, already great, toward the winning of 

 the war is the aim of the gathering, which has 

 been planned in honor of the board of di- 

 rectors of the institute. There are some 700 of 

 the institute's membership of 6,700 devoting 

 their entire time to war service. 



Those who will discuss future work for the 

 institute in the war are practically all mem- 

 bers of the institute. They include Herbert 



