The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1915-10-02
SALARIES GET THIS
DEPARTMENTS MONEY

/ The State of Maryland spends a
| great deal of money upon the Agricul-
| tural College, upon the Experiment
| Station connected with the college,
| upon the experiment substation at
Ridgely and in sundry appropriations
| for agricultural interests. No one has
ever contended that these appropria-
| tions yielded even encouraging re-
| turns.
Until very recently no one seemed
| to care especially. The politicians
proceeded upon the theory that the
| farmer would be entirely satisfied if
| his taxes were not raised. If they
| were lowered a cent or so in some
year, SO much the better. But the inn
| portant thing was not to raise the tax
rate. So long as that was avoided it
was accepted that the farmer would
not inquire too deeply into the expen-
| diture of the proceeds of the tax rate
and of the returns from indirect taxa
tion. Things, as they were. affecting
the farmer, drifted along in pretty
| much the same way year after year.
| Duties of Immigrant Bureau.
The facts about the appropriations
for agricultural education will be
| given in a separate story. At this
point attention will be directed to
| some other appropriations in which
| the farmer is interested and which
| should be considered before the educa-
tional appropriations. There is the
State Bureau of immigration. 1t has
been receiving an annual appropria-
tion of 100000; it has $4,000 for the
current fiscal year. The business of
| the bureau is to advertise the agricul-
tural resources of the State so that
more farmers and labor may be at
tracted and the farming community
thereby upbuilded
In what measure ha sthe bureau
| succeeded? Possibly an analysis of
| its financial statement for the year
ending April 80. 1914, will indicate
something. In that year the bureau
spent S10,349.97. of which $5;844-
more than so per cent.-went for sal
aries. That would indicate that a
| good deal of the bureaus advertising
was done by word of mouth-which is
a primitive method. to say the least.
Even Costs Board To Meet
The analysis also shows that in that
year the bureau spent $701.20 for
printing, S932.74 for advertising and
| S694 for postage, ETC., total of ST.
327.94. If one assumes that all the
| printing and all the advertising" and
/ all the postage, ETC., were spen tin per-
| suading outsiders to come to US he
| finds that the total thus spent amounts
| to less than 25 per cent. of the total
expenditures.
Some of the other expenditures of
the bureau are worth giving. The rent
| cost $500, office expenses 5000, an Off
cial trip of the secretary to Canada
$500, the board meeting expenses of
the commissioners $500 (they are paid
| salaries, too). discounts $66.17 and
telephone S216.86.
In 1913 John A. Tschantre, the sec
retary of the bureau. made a trip to
Canada, the cost of which has been
! stated. Upon his return Mr.. Tschan-
! tire wrote Governor Goldsborough a
letter.
Admits II Is Worthless
Mr.. Tschantre's letter virtually
states that the bureaus work has not
been worth while; he says that the
method which had been pursued twill
never be productive of great results"
That really is a remarkable admission
for an otflce-holder to make in writ
ing. The explanation is that Mr..
Tschantre is genuine sort Of man.
But note what he states to be the
condition for an improvement in the
bureaus Work-an increased appro-
priation. Twas ever thus. No one
concerned with State affairs seems
ever to dream that reorganization and
elimination of waste may bring i'm
provement.
Neither Mr.. Tschantre nor the Leg
islature of 1914 which gave the bur
"a $4,000 increase, seems to have
| given thought to the obvious fact
| that superintedent of the bureau at
$4,000 year. two commissioners at
| $500 year each, secretary at $1,000
and two clerks are an absllrdity in
such department. And vet neisher
| Mr.. Tschantre nor the members of the
Legislature could think for moment
without realizing that all the bureau
needs is one working executive and a
| clerk or two.
Lukewarm On Results
Since the bureau has had it's in
creased appropriation there have been
| signs of additional activity. Mr..
Tschantre started a labor exchange,
for example, which probably did some
good, although his conversation while
he was in the midst of it suggested
that he was not the most pleased man
in the world with the results.
But there are no signs today that
the board is doing anything especially
valuable for the State. There is no
reason to expect it to. What may one
reasonably expect of a small depart
ment that is all heads-a president of
the board, superintendent. a COM
missioner and a secretary?
The immigration Bureau could be
made useful if it We're consolidated
with some of the other agencies affect
ing the States agricultural interests
and its appropriation applied, not to
salaries and rent and board meeting
expenses and office expenses, but to
the business of intelligently placing
tho Stata'c odvapto hafora thoca