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Show PRIVATE WORK IS PROHIBITED Members of United 8tates Geological Survey Prohibited From any Personal Per-sonal Interest In Mineral Properties, Warning Against Impostors Im-postors Tho spirit of 'square deal" which now prevails In moat Govornment business Is Illustrated by the manner man-ner In which tho United States Geological Geo-logical Survey guards tho data It obtains ob-tains and also withholds information from prlvato persons until reports embodying such material can be published pub-lished and offered freo of cost to ' rich nnd poor alike ' Tho law under which tho United States Geological Survey was organized organ-ized In 1879 cxprcsBly provides that tho Director and members of tho i Survey shall havo no personal or private Interest In the lands or mineral min-eral wealth of tho region under survey sur-vey and sha'l execute no surveys or examinations for prlvato parties or corporations. This was a wlso provision; provi-sion; for on tho one '"ind It insured that whatovor advantages wero to como from geologic wcrk paid for by tho peoplo as a whole Bhould bo equally and simultaneously available to all, and on tho other hand, It ro-moved ro-moved from tho geologist what would othorwlso have been strong and frequent fre-quent temptation to make his official work subordinate or contributory to his personal and material Interests. Can Not Own Mining Stock So strictly is tho regulation now lnterpreteu that tho Govornment geologists geo-logists are prohibited from acquiring stock In any mining company operating operat-ing In tho United States. The result has been that tho public In general has confidence in tho impartiality and Integrity of tho Federal geologists, geolog-ists, and property owners willingly ' Impart Information to them which would bo withheld from men who might use It lor tnolr-own advantage. Even after resignation from tho Survey Sur-vey a geologist is in honor bound j by a written promise not to act as ! an oxpert in mining litigation In any j district that ho may havo Invcstlgat- i ed while on tho Survey, until three j years shall havo elapsed since his ! resignation or until ten years shall ' havo passed since he mndo an oill- cial report on tho district. It Is sup- ' posed thnt nftor these periods of limitation tho local Information gained gain-ed In his official capacity will havo ceased to bo of special advautago in ' current litigation. The conlldenco reposed by the pub" lie in tho Federal geologists has oc casionnlly been abused by Impostors who havo claimed to belong to tho Geological Survey. Geologists who resign from tho Survey of course aro freo to seek employment wherov- , er thoy chooso but from tho date of their resignations they enn no longer long-er bo employed by tho Survey nor can they represent It In any capacity ' unless reinstated or appointed from a civil servlco register. Tho only apparent cxcoptlon to this regulation ,' la that reports on certain subjects or certain Holds may bo purchased from geologists who havo novcr been connected with tho organization or who, though formorly employed by It, havo resigned to cntor prlvato work. In all such cases, however, tho finished report Is purchased and tho geologist while iiWR.,iin iho materials mater-ials for tho report Is acting in a purely pure-ly prlvato capacity und uoes not in any sense ropresent tho Government. Should Beware of Impostors Because pesons sometimes misrepresent mis-represent thumsuUtb ..., i ... JV. of tho Geological Survey for tho purpose pur-pose of securing "Insldo Information," Informa-tion," tho public Is ndvlBed to regard all representations with caution und to Insist that tho porson soliciting .. i.i..tli.n shall establish his identity and connection with tho Survey Sur-vey beforo complying with his request. re-quest. This can easily bo done, for each geologist or cnglncei connected with tho organization Is furnished with a card certifying to his position on tho Survoy, signed by tho Secretary Secre-tary of tho Interior and countersign-ed countersign-ed by tho Director. Anyono who seeks Information on tho basis of be- ' lng an employee of tho Survoy, but who can not produce such a card of Identification, should be reported at I onco to tho Director of the United ' States Geologlcnl Survey, Washing- ; ton, D. C. j |