892 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 858 



effect on October 3, to succeed Col. Samuel E. 

 Tillman, who has been the head of the depart- 

 ment of chemistry, mineralogy and geology 

 since December 21, 1880, and retires for age 

 on October 2. 



The following changes take place in the 

 department of philosophy in the University 

 of Michigan: Professor Alfred H. Lloyd has 

 leave of absence for the year 1911-12. During 

 his absence Charles Milton Perry, Ph.D. 

 (Mich.), joins the staff as instructor in philos- 

 ophy. Dr. John F. Shepard, instructor in 

 psychology, has been advanced to an assistant 

 professorship. An additional instructorship 

 in psychology has been created. It will be 

 filled by Henry Poster Adams, Ph.D. (Chi- 

 cago). Harry "Wolven Crane, A.B. (Mich.), 

 at present assistant in psychology, has been 

 elected to the George S. Morris memorial 

 fellowship for the year 1911-12. 



The following appointments have been 

 made at McGill University: Dr. N. H. Al- 

 cock, to the chair of physiology; Associate 

 Professor Ernest Brown, to be professor of 

 applied mechanics and hydraulics; H. Barton, 

 to be professor of animal husbandry at Mac- 

 donald College. The following promotions 

 have been made in ther faculty of applied 

 science: Mr. Batho, assistant professor of 

 mechanics; Mr. Graham, assistant professor 

 of mineralogy; G. M. G. Johnston, assistant 

 professor of chemistry; H. M. Lamb, assistant 

 professor of civil engineering; S. W. Werner, 

 lecturer in assaying. 



DISCUSSION AND COSSESFONDENCE 



ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY 



There is one way in which the efficiency of 

 industrial concerns and of educational insti- 

 tutions can be compared effectively, viz., in the 

 administration of the finances. 



In the following paragraphs, a number of 

 representative educational institutions are 

 compared to the railways of the United States 

 as to the ratio of compensation of labor to 

 operating expenses. 



According to " Eailway Statistics of the 

 U. S. of America for the year ending June 



30, 1909,'" the ratio of compensation of labor 

 to operating expenses is 62.06 per cent., which, 

 if we except one year, is the highest ratio in 

 eleven years past. 



Moreover, we might state that the usual rule 

 for industries in general is that about 65 per 

 cent, of operating expenses goes to labor. 



In the case of the railway statistics quoted 

 above the salaries of administrative officers, 

 " clerks " and " all other employees " are in- 

 cluded, as shown on page 36, and as expressly 

 stated to the writer of this article by the com- 

 piler of the statistics. 



Thus in the following statistics on educa- 

 tional institutions, salaries of administrative 

 officers and all other employees, are included 

 along with the " productive " laborers, in this 

 case, the teachers. 



And, moreover, we must remember here 

 that while a railway administrative officer is 

 only an administrator and in no wise " pro- 

 ductive," the administrative officer of the uni- 

 versity or college is often, and indeed, in col- 

 leges prevalently, also a teacher and thus is 

 " productive." 



Moreover, the highest salaried officers in 

 educational institutions are in all cases " pro- 

 ductive' ' whether they do actual class-room 

 teaching or not. Presidents and deans in all 

 colleges and universities are productive, in 

 that they lecture a good deal, and hold num- 

 berless consultations with students which are 

 as valuable, or more so, to the latter as are the 

 consultations with the professors. 



But the institution which pays the most to 

 " productive " labor is the most efficient. 



The following schools were selected simply 

 because they are typical of certain kinds of 

 schools and not because they show high effi- 

 ciency in the matter under discussion. In- 

 deed they are not higher than the average, as 

 far as I know. Other institutions which were 

 investigated, and which might be quoted, show 

 practically the same ratio as those here 

 quoted. 



A number of schools showing a low ratio of 



' Slason Thompson, Bureau of Eailway News 

 and Statistics, Chicago, 1910. 



