Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-14


DEPARTMENTAL paper men are employ
! me- ;. ed to handle publicity
/ 1uollclty. are undecided as to just
how serious will be the effects OF an
amendment to tho urgent deficiency bill
which prohibits the use Of any money
appropriated by that bill or any other
act for the compensation of any publicity
expert. unless the money is specifically
appropriated for that purpose.
II the bill is passed in the Senate as
amended in the House. government Off,
ctals for the most part believe that 1t
will be necessary to ask for decision
from the controller OF the Treasury or
the Attorney General to learn whether
the act will apply to the payment of
salaries to men who are already en-
ployed in the departments as editors or
chiefs OF Offices Of information and who
Also handle publicity. 1t will also be
necessary to get a definition of just what
is publicity expert. Some Of the best
stories which are now prepared In sew
eral of the departments are the work of
men holding administrative offices. Sec
retaries Lane and Daniels, for instance.
are both trained newspaper men, and
during the short time they have been in
siderable matter about their departments
which has been interesting enough to be
printed and given widespread publicity
over the country. Would their ability
in this direction and their previous news
paper experience qualify them as pub
licity experts?
A number of the government bureaus
have had In their employ for years train
ed newspaper men whose work has been
to popularize the results of scientific re-
searches and statistical Investigations
carried on by the government-that is, to
condense and throw into readable and
understandable English scientific reports
which were formerly given to the public
In printed documents SO heavy with tech
nical expressions that they lacked inter-
est for the general reading public and
were ineligible only to members OF
scientific societies.
The notice of a civil service examination
for publicity expert in the Office Of pub
lie roads In the Department Of Agriculture
is what stirred Representative Gillett
of Massachusetts, to offer his amend
ment, which was passed by the House.
1t appears now that the examination was
not authorized by the Secretary of Agri-
culture and that the notice was pre-
pared by the civil service commission
following request made in error error
roads. For this reason the examination
has been called OFF. A similar examina-
ton was held recently for a publicity eX-
pert to handle work in the Office of infor-
nation in the Department of Agriculture.
Secretary Houston's plan has been to
have attached to his office a capable man
whose newspaper training qualified him to
assist scientists in the preparation of bull
letins and statements to be given to the
press. 1t was estimated that much could
be saved in the dissemination of informa-
ton IL large part of the material gath
cred by the government could be given to
the newspapers for quick publication
rather than to wait six or twelve months
before printed bulletin could be issued.
Such publicity. it was stated. was not in
any way to interfere with the work of
Washington correspondents or other
newspaper men Of Washington, and when
ever they have proper business with the
Secretary or Assistant Secretary of Agri-
culture or any Of their subordinate Off
GERS free access to their offices would
be given. The plan has worked out well
so far, and officials of the Department OF
Agriculture were surprised when the at
tack was made on the system during the
discussion on the Gillett amendment las,
week.
Secretary Houston Of the Department
of Agriculture and Secretary Lane of
the Department of the Interior have
many bureaus in the branches of the
government over which they preside.
whose principal work is to gather and
disseminate information. Most govern
ment officials feel that any amendment
which will curtail publicity will lessen
the value Of the various lines of work
for which Congress has been appropriate
ing money for many years. Should the
anti-publicity amendment pass the SEN
ate it is probable that the heads of the
several departments will ask Congress
at the next regular session to make
-pecific appropriation for the employ
ment Of publicity experts
The cotton boil weevil. which is con-
sidered the very worst crop pest which
has ever been brought
Roll Weevil to the attention of
agricultural authori-
UeSIrucIlOn. ties, has come to
stay. This is the latest opinion of ex-
perts who have been engaged in the
extensive studies of the boil weevil which
have been carried on by the government
since the pests first appearance in this
country.
According to estimates of government
experts the decrease in value of the cot
ton crop caused by the presence of the
boil weevil amounts to $1OOO0O.OOQ a
year. 1t is believed that about - per
cent of the country in which cotton is
grown or 271. 900 square miles of terri
tory, is now infested with the boil weevil.
At the present rate of advance, II Is
believed that the entire cotton-growfns
section will be infested by the weevil In
ten or fifteen years. 1t can adapt Itself
to any place where cotton grows. and
changes it's habits and methods of life
as it gets into new territory.
weevi's are known to travel from 100
to 125 miles in a year. migration is
going on all the time by the weevil
family The pests rapidly spread from
one field to the next, from county to
county and from state to state. Weevil
conditions are worse this year than any
time since 1909. especially in sections o.
Louisiana. Other crop pests. as rule.
have their enemies which keep them in
check, but the boil weevil has so far en-
tirely vanquished any enemies it may
have.
Because the government recognizes the
boil weevil as a pest which is perhaps
permanently intrenched in this country
it does not intend to ceare its fight
against the great destroyer Of the cotton
crop Every known method Of combat
ing it in infested territory and in check
ing it's advance in new fields is being
adopted. The men engaged in the farm
ers' cooperative administration work of
the Department Of Agriculture have es-
tablished experiment stations for boil
weevil studies in many different points IN
the south.
Up to the present time no satisfactory
method of. killing off the boil weevil
quickly has been discovered. The prin-
cipal methods of attack are in cultiva-
ton, diversification and rotation of crops
and in picking off the boil weevil. the
same as people in the northern states
engage in swat-the-fly campaigns. me
picking Of the weevil off the cotton has
been proven profitable and in series