The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-22
ALaband Commissioners Aduocates Broadening of Work Of Department

The functions and scope of the State Department of Agriculture were out lined in . speech delivered by Hon. q. A. wilkinson. cemmissioner of Agri- culture at the sfbvsnth annual con- vsntion of the southssn States Asso- ciaion of tho Commissioners of Agri- culture and other agricultural work CTS which met ip Jackson. Miss, on the 18th. 17th and 18th.
 The speech was as folIows:
 "Mr. President and Gentlemen; It affords mo great pleasure to present to you short paper of my views on the question of What Should Be the Main ofics of the work of the De-
 I construe this to mean the scope Of the work of the departments of the Southern gtsfes, what particular interests fhsy should cover and how far the work of each branch of the depa rtmenfs shoulA extend. of course my remarks will rafeF more especially to my own obssfvettens and the needs of our several departmerts based on our work In Alsban]A.
 The acknewiedBed importance of the work. the gssstnsns Of agriculture, the many phasss cf the kindred sub- jects that. bear on the Experimental organization end extenpien, all appeal to us to not only extend the scope of the depeyatments of the several States, but to better systemakise and classify and to establish for each industrial branch . bureau. with head capable of regulating and directing any given or particular work. Each bureau or departmental head should be under the entire control of the Commissioner of Agriculture or the Board of Agricul-. ture. as the case may be. should 1t be necessary to argue the case in or der to establish the truth of these assertions. then we would refer you to the States where concentration of all the agricultural work is most com. plete and you will cbsevve that the most progressive conditions pertain On the other hand, you will note those interests In the States are severed from the influence and control of the agricultural departments are the least perfected, and the best results are not obtained.
 It strikes me the work at washing- ton under the Secretary. MT. Wilson, and his assistant. MT, Hays. justify us in concluding that each industrial branch should be confined to one and not to several heads of different de- partments. ,-s
 
 the demands growing ont of the neees. sities that arise from time to time. Ten. years ago the scope was different from what 1t ia dodsy. Ten years from now new necessities and ccndi- tions will arise that win require an extension of the work in some direc- tion ana in the incorporating of new depa artments; also there may be time when retrenchment aud topping on saar rtr
 The Departments of Agrtcuiture or the states at present. % far as my conservation extends, are too much divided up and the great interests or arYfcuiture proper, of stock-retsing. of dairying, of horticulture and plant breeding, of immigration and farmers institutes, of forestry. of co-pperatton In soil survey and crop demonstration work. of statistical and fertilizer work. of pure food both for man and beast are all too much distributed and with too many heads working at these m&ny questions and nanee there is much lost motion to the working machinery of inc department. This work should he concentrated in the hands of one Commissioner of Agricuiture,i or cf 2 board of three or more mempevsi yet | confess sm partial ts the Agsicui. lpual Commisstonsr. .bsying control and I HfHI Gf. fEfkiH HAtt414tkA&%N ttfsttt " ~-s>
 eisctea by the people However this may be, my contention is that one de. partmentai head should control ano manage the entire work.
 | am well aware that In each state there are political troubles in the way of these eniargements and eoncentra- tions of efforts. and n each state many may fear losing their jobs. Thts trouble may or may not pertain, but a comforting suggestion to such ls that truly great psparsrnent of ASrl. Bureaus and extension interests that will call for skilled men te head these different Bureaus and these men should be subjected by the law of the state or States to some civil examination, before promotions or assignments are extended them. In this way 1t strikes me only best results can be obtain ed. Aspirants Co once may 6Bd place in some of these many Depart mentG. ,n.S|
 You may ask how many Bureaus