Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1906-04-27
CO1lgr.e ssio 1laI FRI e
Seed Allowance

| Washington, D. G., April Is. Within
| a few days the house will be confront
| ed with the proposition of whether or
not it will stand by the recommends
!, tons Of its committee on agriculture
and abolish the Congressional Free
! Seed Distribution" It is somewhat
surprising that there should be any
doubt as to the action of the house,,
and yet the committee fears that its
recommendation will be disregarded
and that the appropri alton will be vot-
| ed back into the bill. If this is done
in the house it will be in direct opposi-
ton to overwhelming public senti-
ment. Secretary of Agriculture VIII
son is on record as firm in his opposi-
ton to this indiscriminate distribution
| of common garden seeds such as
onion, turnip, radish and beans. The
i National Grange, aroused by the in
lsulting, charge that the distribution is
only continued because "the farmers
want the Seeds" by resolutions adopt
ed at its convention, through its pre-
siding officer, N. j. Bachelor, Of Con-
cord, New Hampshire, through its
Legislative committee and in the coll
umns of its official organ, the Nation
/ al Grange Bulletin, has unsparing1y
denounced the practice and has re-
sented the imputation that the farmers
want these cheap seeds. Postmaster
General Cortelyou would be glad to
see the distribution abolished because
the seeds clog the mails and his de-,
partment is compelled to bear the cost
of distributing them as we'll as the
loss of revenue from the postage which
would be paid if the seeds were sent
out by the seed merchants. The press
is a unit against the distribution and
thousands of letters against it's con-
tinuance have been received by men,
bers of the house from their conStitu-
ents. tt4 #
The common vegetable seeds of the
last distribution cost 100000, SO that
each Of the fort ymillion packets dis
tribtued was intrinsically worth less
/, than a quarter of a cent-222- 100ths,
to be exact. AS these are put up in
five packets each. the total value of
the seeds to the recipients was slight
ly less than one and quarter cents.
To distribute these seeds costs the
government comparatively enormous
sum. It costs $4,000 in the depart
ment 4 of agriculture alone, for the
packeting, the clerical force and the
selection, examination, testing and
purchasing of the seeds. The rail-
roads receive about $36, 900 IA year for
carrying them, while the value of the
time of the postofice clerks railway
mail clerks and carriers, both city and
rural, consumed in distributing them,
is estimated at certainly not less than
100000. The loss of revenue to the
postoffice department is estimated at
from $23S,OOO to $36O, 900, SO that there
is total loss to the postoff1ce depart
ment of at least half million doll
lars. n III, IL IA 5 HI 4 I'll.
| Ins-order to approximate the amount
: Of mail matter sent out by the various
departments under frank, inquiry was
! recently made of each department in
I the city. The treasury department re-
ported an average. of seventy-fiye
sacks per diem, which, at 300 letters
or parcels to the sack would amount
to 22,500 a day. The pension office
sent out last year 1,795,000 pieces and
the department Of justice averages six
sacks per diem, or about / 800 pieces,
estimating 300 to the sack. The other
departments reported that no figures
were available. AS the distribution of
free seeds" amounts to 100000
packages, the average is $4,000 pack
ages a day for 300 working days,
which lis many times that of the de-
partment of justice, about three and
a half times the entire mail from the
Ipension Office with a million pension
ers, and greater even than that of the
treasury department, which collects
I the revenues of the government and
4 which is supposed to have the heaviest
mail Of all the departments
i Should an attempt be made to re-
store the appropriation in the house,
as it is expected there will be, the
flight against it will be led by Repre-
1 sentative Wadsworth, of New York,
chairman OF the committee on agricul-
ture; Representative Cocks, Of New
York, from President Roosevelt's
4, home, district, who proposed the mat
ter in the committee; Representative
4 TaWney, chairman of the committee
!, on appropriations: Representatives
|. Grosvenor and Dalzell of the commit