The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-12-04


| o'"o,.,;ng their use of public funds besides
| bm;n1r;nn tho department of agriculture into
| oIdAs - Y,ore confidential relations with
tho Governmental stations and through their
| Joint service largely increasing their useful
ness to the agriculture of the country. Act
| ing upon a recommendation contained in the
| renort of 1898 Congress appropriated $40 900
| 90 enable the secretary of agriculture to in
vestioate and report upon thei nutritive value
| of the ,arious articles and commodities used
| for human food, with special suggestions of
| fun wholesome ana edible ratons less
| wastefuI and more economical than those
| in common use." Under this appropriation
the department has prepared and now has
nearly ready for distribution an elementary
| diScussion of the nutritious value and pecun-
| ;arv economies of food. When we consider
| that fullv one-half of all the mon-.v earned
| NV the waoe-earners of the civilized world s
eynended by them for food, the Importance
and utility of such an investigation is appar-
ent. The department expended in the
out of that sum the total amount
expended in scientific research was
| AZ & ner cent, but in the year ending
| June 90. 1894, out of total expenditure of
| S1. 94S. 9SS. 3S, the department applied 51.S
| per cent of that sum to scientific work and
| investigation. 1t is, therefore, very plainly
| observable that the economies which have
department have not been at the expense of
scientific research. The recommendation
contained in the report of the Secretary for
1894. thai the vicious system of promiscuous
| free distribution of its departmental docu-
ments be abandoned is again urged. These
publications may wen De furnished without
cost to public libraries, educational institu-
| tions and the officers and libraries of States
and of the federal government But from
| alliudiyduals applying for them a price COW
| ering the cost of the document asked for
+ should be required. Thus the publications
and documents would be secured by those
who really desire them for proper purposes.
| Half million of copies OF the report of the
Secretary of Agriculture are printed for dis
trbution at an annual cost of about three
hundred thousand dollars. Large numbers
of them are numbering store rooms at the
Capitol. and the shelves of second hand book
stores throughout the country. All this Ia
Dor and waste might be avoided if the rec
concentrations of the Secretary were adopt
ed. The Secretary also again recommends
that the gratuitous distribution of seeds cease,
ard that no money be appropriated for that
purpose except to experimental stations.
He iterates the reasons given in
his report for 1898 for discontinue
ing this unJustittable gratuitous dis
tribution and L fully concur in the
conclusions which he has reached. A further
important utility in agricultural statistics is
found in their calculation of the relation of
the supply of farm products to the demand
for them in the markets of the United States
and of the world. 1t is deemed possible that
an agricultural census may be taken each
year through the agents of statistical diyis-
ion of the department.
Such course is commended for trial by
the chief OF that division. Its scope would
be: % The area under each of the more i'm
portant crops. (2) The aggregate products
of each of such crops. i(3) The quantity of
wheat and corn in the hands of farmers at a
date after the spring sowings and paintings
and before the beginning of harvest: and
also the quantity of cotton and tobacco re-
naming in the hands of planters, either at
the same date or ale some other designated
time. The cost ofthe work is estimated at
S500,000. a. -
owing the peculiar quality OF the statistic
clans work and the natural and acquired lit
ness necessary to its successful prosecution
the secretary of agriculture expresses the
opinion that every person employed in gath
ering statistics and under the chief of that
division should be admitted to that service
only after thorough exhaustive and success
full examination at the hands of the U. S. civil
service commission. This has led him to call
for such examination of candidates for the
position of assistant statislicians and also of
candidates for chiefs of sections in that diyi-
sion. I So
The work done by the department. of agri-
culture is very specifically dealt with in this
communication, and commend the report of
the secretary and the very important inter-
ests with which it deals to the careful atten-
ton of Congress.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
The advantages to the public SER
vice of an adherence to the princi-
pies of civil service reform are constantly
Il -
ing to those in official life who honestly de-
sire good government as the increasing APP
probation by our people of these advantages.
A vast majority of tietxobers of the land are
ready to insist that utfeptime and attention
of those they select to perform these
important public duties should not be
distracted by doing out minor offices and
they are growing to be unanimous in regard
ing party organization as something that
should be used in establishing party prnci-
pies instead of debating the distribution of
public places as rewards of partisan activity.
Numerous additional offices and places have
lately been brought within civil service rules
and regulations, and some others will prob
ably soon be included. The report of the
commissioners wilt be submitted to Congress
and / invite careful attention to the recon-
mendatons it contains.
NATIONAL BOARD OF HEALTH.
ought not to be without national
board of health or national health
office, charged with no other duties than
such as pertain to the protection of our
country from the invasion of pestilence and
disease. This would involve the establish
ment, by such board or Office, of proper
quarantine precautions or the necessary aid
and counsel to local authorities on the ssub-
ject, prompt advice and assistance to local
boards of health aud health officers in the
suppression of contagious diseases, and in
cases where there are no such local boards,
or officers the immediate direction by the ma
tional board or officer of measures of sup
messing constant information concerning
the foreign countries and all parts of our
own country as related to contagious diseases
and consideration of regulations to be en-
forced in foreign ports to prevent the intro
duction of contagion into our cities and the
measures which should be adopted to secure
their enforcement. There seems to be at this
time an inclination to discuss measures of
protection against contagious diseases in in
ternational conferences with view to adopt
ing terms of mutual assistance. The crea-
tion of such a national health establishment
would greatly aid our standing in such con-