Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-15
A BIG FARMER
IS IOWA STATE
If Legislative Committee Plans
Are Followed Acreage Will
Be Increased
FARMS AS MODELS
Jont Elections Committee Having a
Strenuous Time-Another Effort to
Be- Made to Secure Vital Statistics
Law That Will Work = Railways
Furnishing Some Of The "unfaithfuI."
ial to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Feb 15.--lowa is today
one of the biggest bonanza farmers in
the world The state owns thousands
| of acres which are used for agricul-
tural purposes, and there Is a tendency
rather to increase the acres and not
diminish. A legislative committee has
embodied In formal report recon-
mendation as to these farms. which
will attract q good deal Of attention.
1t contemplates making use of every
| one of these farms practically as a
model farm for experiment work and
| for development of the very highest
| there is in agriculture. This report Is
| that Of the committee which visited the
Eldora school, and referring to the
farms, the report says:
I'VE suggest that the scientific
knowledge the state has at Ames be
applied to the farming of these prem
productive We believe the great agri-
cultural interest OF the state should
| produce stock for use at the state In
stitutions and that the farms operated
by the state should be brought under
the influence thereof and become mod
els of scientific agricultural operations
as we'll as a source of greater In
come"
The plan contemplates some sort of
general supervision of the dozen Dig
farms the state owns by specialists
from the agricultural college to the end
that Iowa not only has big farms. but
the best farms In the world.
The report also recommends regard
ing this boys industrial school that the
worst elements be segregated from the
others also that a railroad connection
be formed. but that the administration
building is sufficient for the present
to give hospital accommodations. APP
preparations approved by the commit
tee aggregate $780,
Noon hours and every evening the
subcommittee of the Joint elections
committee have been devoting to the,
preparations of the primary election
bill. There are no harder working
members OF the legislature than these
eight members of the subcommittee.
The result is that while little has been
heard from the primary bill since 1t
was given to the subcommittee TO
prepare, great progress is being made.
The fact that it is taking some time
to get it ready is only evidence that
the work of preparing the bill is diff
ficult one and the committee Is using
great pains in the work.
1t is possible that another effort in
the line Of legislation for the vital
statistics of the state may be made a:
this time. The late secretary of the
state board of health, DR.. Kennedy,
recommended against any further
change at this time, but the public
health committees OF the two houses
are not so sure that is the best course.
Iowa's vital statistics were at one time
accepted by the government without
question; now they are not accepted by
anyone and are admitted by the state
authorities to be practically worthless.
One of the reasons for the trouble is
the fact that the mode of collecting
the statistics has been changed three
or four times The doctors do not wish
to have anything to do with the re-
ports. When they We're required to
make the reports they. didn' do it. They
argue that the head of the family is
the proper person to make the reports,
and If the law was fixed that way and
allowed to remain thus for all time,
that the public would soon become
aware of its duties and would make
the reports OF births as readily as they
paw their taxes About one-third as
many births as there is reason to be-
lieve take place in the state are now.
reported by the assessors.
Some of the attorneys Of northern
Iowa who last year had the hardihood
to exercise their individual preference
in the matter of selection of candi
date for governor, have discovered that
the railroads can not only give great
favors, but they can punish. They
have been discharged from their con-
-nection with the companies for having
manifested independence.
In several cases it is learned that
local attorneys who gave support to the
candidacy of Governor Cumrnins and
whose counties went progressive, have
been cut off from connection with the
companies.
1t is understood the companies de-
sire not only to punish but to lay the
foundation for a better showing when
another campaign comes on, and they
organize to dispose of the politics of