The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-10-24

t<hhp and Territories. one
twelfth of | per cent. of the population nf
the United States. fifteen times aS great
as the whole corps of first, second ami
third class postInasters in the govern
ment service. to whom nearly S6,OOO,0
is paid every year. And the work of this
corps of correspondents will be performed
without any cost to the government. eX-
cept what is represented by the value Of
some crop pamphlets which are d%istribut-
ed by the Secretary of Agriculture every
month.
h work of organizing is the result of
the meeting at Washington last spring of
the representatives of commercial bodies
from all parts of the United States to
protest against the system under which
the information about the crops was col
lected. The chief occupation Of the stat
istician of the Agricultural Department is
the preparation of statistics showing the
condition Of The growing crops. Bulletins
containing this information are published
every month. They are awaited anxious
~ by all the people who are Interested in
cotton or cereals. They are of chief inter
~ w bl't' w VI = III flI 'oltbI1,
because If the government report shows
Il good condition Of the growing crops. the
priccsof grain for future delivery are likely
To so down; and if the government report
shows II bad condition of the crops, or q
decrease in the acreage planted. the price
is likely to 50 up. Whatever the charac-
ter of the report, there is one class of men
dissatisfied with it; and never Il month
passes that the statistican is not de-
bounced by the SPECTATORS rs unfair or
stupid Or corrupt. Mr.. Robinson's pre-
'ieccssor. Prof. Dodge. had This expert
rnc". and il was the persistent attacks
of The Spectators lnl jic Grllrrs in grain
in the larC" citics tina! brought about bis
retirement from the department. Mr..
Robinson is having a similar experience.
aud ii is making his hair gray.
Weakness of the Old System.
Under the old system of making mp tho
monthly crop report. returns were re-
ceived at the statistician's office from
each agricultural county. In each of
these counties were four correspondents.
One of these was designated the chief
correspondent, and to this one the other
three sent their reports of the crop con
Nihi'iIS va a va. Hhtf. i ItSt lIlTNt re-
ports the chief correspondent combined
with his own. and he made Il report to
the Department of Agriculture on the
crop conditions Of his county. There were
land there ar" now. for thai matterl TO-
rth, of these correspondents, of whom
100 sent reports TO the department. In
addition to these correspondents. there is
another corps which is intended TO be
inst as large. which is organized in each
State under the supervision of a State
agent, who receives a salary from the
government. This salary may be any
thing from $500 to $1,000 a year. The
amount is supposed to be proportional to
the work. Mr.. Robinson tells me that the
division of salaries has not been entirely
fair in the past, and that there is to be
Il reorganization of these State agencies
some time in the near future.
These State agents appoint their CORE
',ondents III each county. who are in
dependent OF the agents reporting d.
rect 10 the department. The reports of
their agents are made 10 them direct, and
then each State agent assemblies the re-
ports which come to him and makes up II
general report of crop conditions in the
state to send TO Washington. The two
sets OF correspondents are expected to be
Il check OF each other. If there is any dis
cr"Iancy between the reports Of one an,
the reports of the other, the statistician
investigates through Il special agent, and
learns which set of correspondents is
wrong.
When the representatives Of the com-
mercial bodies met here the statistician
went over the subject of the reports with
them very thoroughly, and after some
consideration he came to the conclusion
that he was not raking the country care
fully enough for his crop facts. SO he de-
ternined TO multiply the number of the
departments direct correspondents by
five. Instead Of having four correspon.
dents TO Il county. he determined TO have
II To each township. The question was
how to gel at the right men. Mr.. Rob
ilsoi decided to write to the county
clerks. as men likely to know the mos
available correspondents. SO he selected
twenty-one States, in which from two
thirds to nine-tenthS Of the grain cro;s
are raised, and sent ciIYular letters to the
county clerks, asking Mem to sond the
names Of men, two in each township. who
might be willing to act as the depart
ments correspondents, and who would be
competent to make crop estimates. With
each circular was inclosed a franked en-
velope for reply.
Ms correspondence has involved no
little labor. Most of the county clerks
have replied promptly. but a great Loany
have not replied at all, and it has been
necessary to address these again. In all.
there are about $500 county clerks to
hear from. but the department has not