prehensive organization was necessary to provide a
medium that could speak for the engineering and
allied technical professions on matters of common
concern to them. The Committee also decided, which
dec sion was concurred in by the official representa-
tive of Engineering Council and the members of the
Committee who also representatives on Engineering
Council, that
“If desired. Engineering Council can be mould-
ed into this organization by making it more
democratic and founding it on direct
represen-
tation of all engineers, rather than
by appoint-
ment as at present.”
It was agreed that engineering Council is at
present not properly constituted to carry on effi-
ciently the work which it has undertaken; its organi-
zation is from the
top downward, rather than from
the bottom upward, which the Committee deemed
desirable if a thoroughly representative and efficient
organization was to he established.
It has been admitted by Engineering Council and
it was so pointed out to the members of the Joint
Conference Committee that Engineering Council has
been handicapped from the begimrng in regard to
funds for its operations, in freedom of action on the
matters that came before it, by reason of the necessi-
ty for reference to the Member-Societies and to the
United Engineering Society, and the great difficulty
in electing additional member-societies. The annual
contributions of the Member-Societies never exceeded
$22,000; wh'ch amount was wholly inadequate for
meeting the demands for service which Council has
been desirous of rendering. Notwithstanding these
difficulties, Engineering Council, has been able to
accomplish a great deal as was pomted out by the
Joint Conference Committee in Bulletin No. 3, and
particularly has it been successful in its work of de-
veloping among its Member-Societies the habit of
united effort in matters of common concern to the
engineer and the allied technical professions. En-
gineering Council may be said to be a success and
considering the conditions under which it has operat-
ed, to be a commendable success. It is evident, how-
ever, that to fulfill the real functions of compre-
hensive
body to represent the engineering profes-
sion that there are basic defects in the organization
of Engineering Council, and these are not remedial
through
:
ts reorganization.
Engineering Council has six Member-Societies.
At the Organizing Conference in Washington, 71
societies were represented with an aggregate member-
sh:p of over 80
per cent of that represented by 110
societies that were invited.
The action of the Organizing Conference in creat-
ing The Federated American Engineering Societies
and its
governing board. American Engineering
Council, was unanimous. This action has received
the unanimous
approval and support of Engineer-
ing Council. The affirmative consideration that is
being accorded the invitation to become members of
The Federated American Engineering Societies, as-
sures that American Engineering Council will have a
far greater number of member-societies at As initial
meeting in November than Engineering Council,
based on its present rate of growth, could possibly
have had at the end of
many years.
The work of Engineering Council is not to be
abandoned but is to be carried on and extended
under a more comprehensive program
made possible
by the more representative American Engineering
Council.
The deficiencies of Engineering Council are not
in the quality of the work that it has accomplished,
but rather have been due to its organic limitations
and to the fact that it is not sufficiently representa-
tive of the local, state and regional organizations
and affiliations. The Organiz/ng Conference in Wash-
ington laid the foundation for a more democratic
organization in which the local, state, regional engi-
neering and allied technical organ
1
zations, and af-
filiations, will be represented, and have a real voice
in its management.
The Organizing Conference in its wisdom
recogn-
ized the success and limitations of Engineering Coun-
cil and has evolved an organization, in which all
of these successes will he utilized and broader op-
portunity afforded for more effective work on
half of the engineering and allied technical profes-
sions.
New Bridge Engineer for South Carolina.
Charles H. Moorefield, South Carolina highway
engineer has announced that the commission had en-
gaged a specialist for steel and concrete bridge work
for South Carolina, this work having assumed tin'
proportions for an engineer of this kind. The new
engineer will devote his time largely to bridge pro-
jects on the Santee,Wateree and Pee Dee rivers and
other structure that will come under the state high-
way commission.
At
present the engineer is connected with other
work and until he has officially notified his present
employer of his acceptance of the South Carolina
job, his name will not be announced. He has already
taiken the position of bridge engineer in the Palmetto
state and only a few days will elapse before his
official acceptance will be announced. He is expected
to report September 15.
Opportunities for American Engineers.
American c : vil engineers, railroad contractors,
Bridge builders, manufacturers of locomotives and
all kinds of railroad rolling stock, would be welcome
with open arms in Serbia today, at probably what-
ever terms America is willing to offer, in the opiir’on
21
THE CONCRETE AGE
October, 1920.
EN