The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-09

ton thus obtained is used for the inn mediate benefit of all our people.
 With the limited means hitherto pro- vided, the bureau of education has rem ! dered efficient service, but the Congress
 has neglected to adequately supply the bureau with means to meet the educa-
 tional growth of the country. The ap-
 propriations for the general work of
 the bureau, outside education in Alaska, for the year 1909 are but $S7 ,50O-an
 amount less thNl they were 10 years ago, and some of the important items i in these appropriations are less than ] they were 30 years ago. It is an in- 1 eXcusable waste of public money to ap- | propriate an amount which is so fn- i adequate as to make it impossible prop 1 erly to do the work authorized, and 1t
 is unfair to the great educational in- 1 terests of the country to deprive them | of the value of the results which can
 be ob tained by proper appropriations l I earnestly recommend that this un- | fortunate state of affairs as regards the 1 national educational office be remedied ! by adequate appropriations. This recom- mendation is urged by the representa-
 tives of our common schools and great i state universities and the leading edu- ] cators, who all unite in requesting favorable consideration and action by | tn Congress upon IllS SuDJecl.
 Census.
 strongly urge that the request of
 the director of the census in connection | with the decennial work so soon to be
 begun, be compiled with and that tn e | app ointments to the census force be l placed under the civil service law
 waiving the geographical requirements as requested by the director of the I ,i.t H 1 tors should not be appointed under the
 civil service law, for the reasons given ] by tn he director. I commend to the Con- | gress the careful consideration of the | admirable report of the director of the i census, and I trust that his recommen-
 datIons will be adopted and immediate i action thereon taken.
 Public Health.
 It is highly advisable that there l should be intelligent action on the part ! of the nation on the question of pre- l serving the health of the country.
 through the practical exterminaton fin 1 San Francisco of disease-bearing
 rodents our country has thus far es-
 caped the bubonic plague. This is but | one of the many achievements of Amer
 ican health officers; and it shows what i can be accomplished with a better or l i dangers to public health from food 1 adulteration and from many other | sources such as the menace to the | physical mental and moral development | of children from child labor, should be 1 met and overcome. There are numerous ] disea ses, which are now known to be | preventable which are, nevertheless. | not prevented. The recent international | congress on tuberculosis has made us l nF laA inc Of | American public health Legislation. This nation cannot afford to lag behind in |, the worldwide battle now being waged by all civilized, people with the micro l scopic foes of mankind, nor ought we 1 longer to ignore the reproach that this 1 government takes more pains to protect | the lives of hogs and of cattle than of human beings. The first legislative step to be taken is that for the con- l centration of the proper bureaus into | one of the existing departments. I l therefore urgently recommend the pas | sage of a bill which shall authorize | a redistribution of the bureaus which shall best accomplish this end.
 Government Printing Office. recommend that Legislation be en- acted placing under the Jurisdiction Of | the department of commerce and labor | the. government printing office. At pres | ent this office Is under the combined control, supervision and administra- | tive direction of the President and of l the joint committee on printing of the | two houses of the Congress. The ad- vantage of having the 4096 employees in | this office and the expenditure of the $5.761. .377.57 appropriated therefore SUI pervised by an executive department is obvious, instead of the present combined supervision.
 All soldiers homes should be placed under the complete Jurisdiction and control of the war department.
 Independent Bureaus and Commissions Economy and sound business policy require that all existing independent bureaus and commissions should be placed under the Jurisdiction of ap- propriate executive departments. It is unwise from every standpoint and re-