Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-08-03
THE NEW AGRICULTURAL DE-
PARTMENT.
What Bureaus 1t May In Future EN-
brace.
New York Evening Post. |

Gen. Rusk, Secretary of Agriculture. 10
studying very carefully the provision Of the
new law which makes the former Agrieul-
tural Bureau 4 department Of the Govern
ment, and he will have some important rec
concentration to make to Congress which will
be designed to supplement the law There
10 popular misapprehension, especially
among the sgrcultnralists of the country as
to the nature of this new law. The act
created a new Department of Agriculture in
one sense, but it did not change
in any particular the organization
of the present Bureau of Agriculture.
The only difference is that the head of that
Bureau is desi grated as Secretary, and that
an assistant secretary is provided, and the
salary of the Secretary increased. The ex-
isting organization of the Bureau. however,
is not affected in any way. 1t was the ex-
pectaiion of some of those through whose
influence the bill creatiag the Department
became Law that this act would furnish
nucleus for future legislation, and that the
result would ultimately be that nearly all Of
the scientific bureaus of the Government
would be collected in one department. The
promoters of this law did not, however,
suppose that it would be possible to
have as the Secretary of Agriculture
a
Department wholly from politics. But
leaving the appointment of the Secretary
of Agriculture to the politicians, especially
in the sense that he would be a member Of
the Presidents Cabinet. they did expect that
the Bureau would be so organized that the
department would be largely in the charge
of scientific men. One Of the original plans
was to transfer to this new department the
Geological Survey and Bureau. of Ethnol0-
gy, the Signal Service, now in the War De-
partment, the Statistical Bureau, which 10
now attached to the Treasury Department,
and the census. Such a consolidation could
not, of course, be effected without very
strong opposition from some of those who
are connected with the scientific bureaus.
Gen. Greedy, the Chief Signal Officer, has
shown himself most strenuous in oppOsi-
ton to the change. Some of his fellow
scientists in the city however, are of the
opinion that he did not at the time rightly
apprehend the scope of the new department,
and that when the new organization is e. fected
he will reconsider his opposition. Another
plan of those who originated this new de-
partment is to transfer Land Office from the
Int, ror Department to the Department of
Agriculture. and they have hoped that the
new department would hold very close rels.
tons to the Smithsonian Institution.
The Department of Agriculture is better
situated than any other department Of the
Government for the erection of new
building which could contain all the other
scientific bureaus of the Government It
is located in a large reservation which
would readily adapt itself for the erection
of such building. The question Of the
erection of a new public building in
Washington for some of these outlying
bureaus is pressing one. The Government
now pays very large sum for the rental Of
| quarters for bureaus outside OF the depart
ments to which they are nominally assigned.
Estimates which have been made show that
the annual rental for these bureaus repre-
sents the interest upon sum which would
be very much larger than would be necessary
to erect new building in which they could
all be comfortably located. The Geological
Survey, the Bureau of Statistics, the Coast
and Geodetic Survey, the Fish Commission.
the Marine Hospital Service. the Bureau of
Education. the Indian Bureau. the Census
Bureau, and considerable number of other
bureaus of the Government are located in
buildings which are now rented.