The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-09-04
Agricultural.
Commissioner Folks Letter.
RALEIGH, Sept. /: 1879.
,Lss,e ,SL0t3reW d: DO1cd.

Mcss,s. .ShotreH 4; Dord,
GpSTIEMEN i nave read in late issues
Of your paper, the FARMER N MECHANIC,
articles criticising the policy adopted by the
Roard of Agriculture. 1t is not my purpose
to make any reply to these criticisms unless
the Board thinks it necessary. | wish to
correct a statement In your last article as to
the manner in which [ nave executed an or
der of the Board IN regard to the printing
Of the monthly report. If this correction
involves and settles all the matter of which
complaint is made, SO much the better.
Your statement is that 5000 copies of
said report cost Sl1O per month, or Sl32O
nor annum: or if 10000 copies be issued,
i would cost s., 900 per annum
issued 1000 copies at a cost of so. in
Guiding paper, printing, postage and mailing,
the maximum amount allowed to be eypend-
ed ON it. bv a resolution of the Board. So
that, if the same number be issued each
month inthe year, the cost could not exceed
$40.
You will thus see a very sufficient reason
(apart from the legal %reason) for the failure
ia accept your proposition to print and mail
these reports at Il cents per copy. | have
no doubt that you believed, as italics and
exclamation points III your article indicate,
that YOUR proposition would result in saving
the public money. But by having the print
inc done as ordered by the Legislature and
at prices fixed by the Legislature, there has
been a saving to the Department of SO Is
per cent, as compared with your PROPOSE
ton. Thus, to have printed the same mat
ter asa supplement to your paper at l. cents
each, the 1000 copies would have cost SlO3
they actually cost us $40. So that we
saveS35 per month, or 1920 per annum.
There need be no mistakes or errors as to
facts relating to the expenditures of this
office, as they are matters OF record, and the
books and vouchers are at all times accessible
to our citizens.
BY giving this note a place in your col
umns, you will greatly oblige,
ours respectfully, l.. l.. POLK.
We insert the above as desired. At the
same time we are surprised that Col. Polk
should assume a figure as our offer, and then
proceed to argue from his own assumption.
We did not fix / ] cents as our set offer. On
the contrary, we offered to print any number
Of copies, above GOO, of Ou' ach0le pape at
/ cent a copy, or we would print the matter
in a supplementary sheet ut 40 cost at 0H,
except for postage and paper which the De
partment might itself purchase, In its own
quantity. and at Its W terms; and thus
print ANY NUMBER of copies at no expense
except for paper! Col. Polk himself assured
us on the morning of the meeting of the
Board that he should favor our offer, which
We put into writing at his request. He in
formed us afterward that he had told the
Board it was the cheapest method of reach
ing the people; the only objection being the
possible criticism of the State press.
Respecting the Monthly Reports, we We're
ILL - oo,,,nU lIroc+ly- 4ron, tho ,r11,chor-
that the cost of printing them would be Sc
per month. Any printer can estimate the
cost of Is columns of small type at the 10
cent rate for plain work, and nearly double
that rate for acknowledgements
The postage nj also form an heavy sum.
Each copy Of the Report mailed singly re-
qulres all one-cent wrapper. We know that
a large number have been mailed in One-cent
wrappers. 1t is reasonable to suppose if
Col. Polk wishes to reach the farmers, scat
tered as they are, he must mail at least half
OF his circulars, or say 1900, which would
require $40 postage or Including paper,
type-setting, and wrappers.J SllO a month,
or $3.50 a year, as we stated.
II Col. Polk were not to send a single copy
slngly, but, as he says, "apportion them to
the several counties according to their achie
pOpulatIon,n he mus divide them between
AN"A vi NV d-ShAc LII SoN VI NAS -
counties, thus making near 500 packages.
Now the postage on the FARMER AND Me
CHANG, done up in similar bundles, land at
publishers rates. runs above $500 per
month, or $40 a year, for only about 1900
copies. How, then, can his postage on 1000
fall under $50 per month? 1t will be re-
membered the Departmental postage bill, as
reported to the Legislature last winter, ran
between 5000 and 81 1000.
As for the legal reason" we fail to see
any. The Legislature (more than half OF
whom are readers of this paper knew that
1t Was established as the organ of the De-
iartment for the Publication of the Re
ports, analyses, discoveries, etc. of the De
RaTIlnent; The contract, drawn by Col.
Polk, and signed by Gov. Vance, President
battle, Prof. Kerr, and Col. Holt, Of the
board, still exists. No notice of its termi-
nation has ever been given; no complaint of
me me paper has ever been made. Messrs.
IN Battle, Evans, Kerr, Holt, and Cheek,
vi The Board, did us the honor RI call mon