The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-30
DISTRIBUTION Of
FREE SEED HOLDS
Old Practice Continues Under
Agricultural Appropriation
TIMBER AMENDMENT LOST
Lacey Seeks to Have the Government
Go on the Bear Side of the Market
Against the Lumber
Monopoly.
TIMBER AMENDMENT LOST

Washington, January 29.-Under the
leadership of Mr.. Gambler of Mississippi.
today, the house in committee of the
whole voted to continue the free distri-
button of garden and flower seeds along
old lines and not according to the meth
DDS recommended by the agricultural
committee in the appropriation bill.
Mr.. Jones of Washington made a point
of order against the amendment that
no distribution of seeds were authorized
by law
Mr. Foster of Vermont, in the chair,
sustained the point but admitted that it
was an exceedingly close question. Were
it a new proposition there was no doubt
in his mind that It should be sustained,
but in view of the long continued prac-
tice and some precedents, he felt that
the house should itself decide. In order
that It might do this he sustained the
point.
Mr. Gambler appealed from the. decis-
ion, and by a vote of "a to 1856 the chair
was overruled The amendment appro-
priating $23S,00 for the free distribution
Of ordinary seeds was then adopted, as
has been the practice for a number of
years.
On point of order made by Mr.. Macon,
of Arkansas, the increase of $1,000 in the
salary of Chief Forester Pinchot, rec
ommended by the committee on agrieul-
ture, was stricken out.
Representative Lacey, of Iowa, Offer
ed an amendment authorizing the secre-
tary Of agriculture to sell marketable
and ripened timber from the forest re-
serves to persons not belonging to any
organization to control lumber prices. Mr.
Lacey said the result of the creation Of
great timber reserves has been to in
crease the price of lumber and he urged
that the government should offer lum-
Der for sale at times when it will tend
to force down prices which have been
infia ted. for the government to go on
the bear side of the lumber market and
play it's strength againsf the lumber
monopoly.
! Mr. Mondell. of wyoming said that the
amendment was along proper lines and
insisted that the government should give
some measure Of relief to purchasers of
lumber in the west
Mr.. Fitzgerald, of New York, remark
ed that the legislation was vital, but said
II ought to go further and remove the
tariff on lumber so that Canadian lum-
ber might be bought at reasonable prices.
instead of the fictitious prices maintain
ed by the e1umber trust
The amendment went out on a point
of order.
Mr.. Crumpacker of Indiana made sew
eral points of order against certain por-
tions of the bill especially against those
features which seemed to him to change
the existing pure food law. so far as the
question of review was concerned. Mr..
Foster of Vermont, who was i'm the chair,
turning to Mr.. Wadsworth of New York,
in charge Of the BILL asked
Does the gentleman from New York
desire to be heard on these points or
order?"
mo" replied Mr.. Wadsworth. ''all
points of order look alike to me-" a re-
mark which evoked laughter. III the
amendments to which objections are
made" continued Mr.. Wadsworth. ''are
not in last years bill, the points OF or
der are good"
The chair sustained the points Of or
der
Mr.. Tawney of Minnesota then offered
an amendment, providing that no part
Of the sum appropriated for the bureau
OF chemistry shall be used for the pay
ment of compensation or expenses to any
officer or other person employed by any
state, county or municipal government