850 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 857 



ministrative in character, a wide and success- 

 ful experience in an executive capacity is very 

 essential. A broad field exists for scientific 

 work of a high grade and for original research 

 and investigation which offers rare opportuni- 

 ties for the making of a reputation and for a 

 career in the public service. It is customary 

 to publish the results of investigations in gov- 

 vernment publications with the name of the 

 scientist making the study or investigation. 

 Those persons who are qualified and who wish 

 to be considered for this position are invited 

 to submit for consideration a statement of 

 their qualifications, references to their pub- 

 lished works, and other pertinent material to 

 the United States Civil Service Commission, 

 at Washington, D. C. In general, the meth- 

 ods of procedure in filling this position will 

 be similar to those of an educational institu- 

 tion, whose boards of trustees or governing 

 officers desire to fill professional or technical 

 positions. The qualifications and fitness will 

 be determined by an impartial board of scien- 

 tists. As the selection for this position will 

 be made about the middle of June of this 

 year, it is suggested that persons interested 

 communicate with the United States Civil 

 Service Commission, at Washington, D. C, at 

 an early date. The entrance salary for this 

 position is $3,000 per annum. 



The Health Officers' Association of New 

 Jersey, adopted a constitution and closed its 

 charter membership on May 24, at a dinner 

 and meeting held at Newark. Thirty-three 

 health officers, inspectors and members of 

 local boards of health were present and the 

 association had as its guests two members of 

 the State Board of Health, Col. G. P. Olcott 

 and Dr. E. C. Newton, also Dr. A. C. Hunt, 

 chief of the division of medical inspec- 

 tion; Dr. E. B. Fitz-Eandolph, chief of 

 the food and drugs division; Mr. George 

 W. McGuire, chief of the dairy division, 

 and other representatives of the executive 

 staff of the State Board of Health. The 

 objects of the association are the advance- 

 ment of knowledge relating to the public 

 health, and the promotion of social inter- 

 course among health officials. Five regular 

 meetings in the year are provided for, to be 



distributed through the winter months. The 

 active membership includes as eligible em- 

 ployees of the state and local boards of 

 health (i. e., health officers and sanitary in- 

 spectors), licensed by the State Board of 

 Health, or of the equivalent grade. Mem- 

 bers of the state and local boards of health are 

 eligible to associate membership. The offi- 

 cers, elected at a previous meeting, are as fol- 

 lows : President, Chester H. Wells, health offi- 

 cer, Montclair, N. J. ; Vice-president, John 

 O'Brien, Jr., health officer, Plainfield, N. J.; 

 Secretary-Treasurer, J. Scott MaeNutt, health 

 officer. Orange, N. J. ; Chairman of the Exec- 

 utive Committee, Dr. Edward Guion, health 

 officer, Atlantic City, N. J. 



In 1880 gold was produced in Alaska to the 

 value of $20,000. In 1909 the amount mined 

 was valued at more than $20,000,000. In 1888 

 silver was first produced in Alaska, to the 

 value of $2,181 ; in 1909 the value was $76,934. 

 In 1902 copper was first produced, to the value 

 of $41,400; in 1909 its value reached $56,211. 

 These and other statistics of production are 

 shown by Alfred H. Brooks, of the United 

 States Geological Survey, in " Gold, Silver, 

 Copper, Lead and Zinc in the Western States 

 and Territories," published as a separate chap- 

 ter of the volume " Mineral Eesources of the 

 United States in 1909." The Alaska Yukon 

 placer district had in 1909 the most profitable 

 season since mining first began there, a quar- 

 ter of a century ago. According to the Geo- 

 logical Survey's returns the value of the gold 

 output was $11,580,000, as compared with 

 $10,323,000 in 1908. The production in 

 Seward Peninsula fell off, owing to the facts 

 that many of the richest placers have been 

 mined out and that no preparations have been 

 made for mining the extensive deposits of 

 low-grade gravels. With the construction of 

 large plants an increase may be looked for. 

 The great possibilities of the Alaskan gold- 

 bearing gravels can be recognized when a 

 comparison is made of the recovery from the 

 placer workings of the territory and those of 

 the United States. In 1909 the average re- 

 covery for Alaska was $3.66 a cubic yard, 

 while for the United States the recovery was 

 only 12 cents. 



