April 23, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



363 



which, soon or late, must cease ; for, while 

 many buy, few read, and they the close readers 

 who make quick work of the loose author. If 

 it is a necessary stage of our evolution, it may be 

 hoped that the relay is not far removed. 



GOVERNMENT SURVEYS. 



The proper co-ordination and management of 

 the different government surveys, in order to 

 secure in the most economical manner the results 

 for which they were created, has been and yet 

 is the subject of considerable discussion, and of 

 diverse views among those interested. The con- 

 solidation of the geological surveys has prevented 

 much of the clashing that formerly inevitably 

 resulted, and at different times the national 

 academy has been called upon to propose plans 

 for the relations that should exist between the 

 different bureaus. The chief ones proposed, as the 

 readers of Science are aware, are, 1°, that the 

 secretary of the Smithsonian institution should be 

 placed in control : 2°, that there should be a cabi- 

 net officer, a secretary of science and industry, 

 w"ho should be charged with all the different 

 bureaus. Prof. W. P. Trowbridge, in the issue of 

 the New York Star for April 13, urges the estab- 

 lishment of a permanent commission, which should 

 be competent to understand the different works, 

 and have sufficient time to examine them yearly 

 in detail. As he further says, there can be no 

 question but that, in the appropriation of money 

 by congress for any purpose whatsoever, the 

 objects and aims to be accomplished by such 

 appropriation should be definitely and fully 

 known ; and funds for any public works of a 

 continuous character should never be dependent 

 upon personal urging by the heads of bureaus, 

 and all this should be within the province of a 

 central co-ordinating authority. 



He believes that a properly organized perma- 

 nent non-political commission, such as that known 

 as the Regents of the Smithsonian institution or 

 the Lighthouse board, and in which should be 

 represented the executive heads of the bureaus, 

 the legislative branch of the government, and the 

 scientific men of the country, would be an effi- 

 cient safeguard against misdirected expenditures, 

 faulty schemes or projects, and the duplication of 

 work by two or more bureaus. It is not at all 

 certain that a cabinet officer, with his political 

 tenure of office, would be sufficient to co-ordinate 

 the different surveys, except in so far as he would 

 serve as a fiscal administrator, and as a medium 

 between the scientific bureaus and congress or the 

 executive. Political considerations would make 

 it improbable that such a head could always be 



found who should possess the varied scientific 

 and other qualifications that would be required to 

 determine the scope, the field of work and in- 

 vestigation, and the methods to be pursued for 

 each branch of scientific work. 



The executive and scientific details, as he 

 rightly says, of any one of these bureaus, are 

 enough to tax to the full extent of his powers 

 the most skilled expert in those branches of scien- 

 tific and practical knowledge which belong to 

 the objects represented by the bureau. For this 

 reason he deprecates any attempt to consolidate 

 the different bureaus, and especially the coast and 

 geodetic survey, whose work has been so fruitful 

 of practical and valuable results for so many 

 years, with any other. 



The unfortimate shortcomings in this survey 

 during the past year have given currency to 

 numerous false and exaggerated rumors, which 

 have tended to produce an injurious result, not 

 only upon the public mind, but upon congress. 

 Professor Trowbridge urges the injustice of in- 

 cluding in general condemnation all the different 

 bureaus on account of the errors of individuals 

 in one branch, and yet more justly cites the long 

 years of faithful and highly valuable public ser- 

 vices that have been rendered by the great body of 

 officers and attaches of the coast survey, who have 

 grown up in the service, and who have not for a 

 moment been included in any recent accusations. 



HEALTH OF NEW YORK DURING MARCH. 



We continue in the present number the graphic 

 representation of the daily mortality in New 

 York, which was commenced in Science in the 

 number for March 19. In February the greatest 

 mortality from all causes of disease was during 

 the tenth day, when 118 persons died : during 

 March this was exceeded on four days, running 

 up to 137 on the last day of the month. During 

 the twenty-eight days of February there were 

 2,767 deaths ; during the same period in March 

 there were 3,054 deaths, — an increase of 277 : if 

 to this are added the deaths which occurred in the 

 last three days of March, we shall have 3,392 

 representing the mortality of the past month, — 

 an average of nearly 110 each day, or about 5 

 persons every hour. 



The number of deaths of children under five 

 years of age has increased as compared with Feb- 

 ruary ; there has also been an increase in the 

 zymotic class and in consumption ; while the 

 mortality from diphtheria and scarlet-fever is less. 

 Diarrhoeal diseases have carried off 32 persons, as 

 compared with 33 in the preceding month. 



