The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-04-24

!. !: !. !. !. !: !: &. !. !: !. J. Z. =. I. !. !. Z: ! 6: {. :: : !: !. E. !. +. !. !. !. !. J. !. ]
ASHINGTON-For nearly two years
VA}$A there has been an attempt on the
A1I part of the agricultural department
ZH V4\ to spread useful agricultural and
MNW household information among the
Wa people through the medium or the
press of the country. The attempt
has been highly successful, as per-
haps the readers of newspapers do
not need to be told, for the interesting and and at
times compelling writings of the service men have
been before them from day to day.
In the department of agriculture there is an Of
flee of information which was created in June, 1913.
Before its establishment there had been no active
effort to give directly to the people the results of
the departments work. Walter H. Page, at pres
ent the American ambassador to Great Britain, said
on this subject of getting agricultural information
to the people that the department Had been reser-
voiring an enormous mass of information collected
with the peoples money and which the people were
entitled to get"
In the past there we're issued at frequent inter.
walls publications largely in bulletin form, but with
the exception of more or less perfuuctory notices of
their appearances comparatively little was done to
make the public aware that they were at its dis
posal. One of the first things that the Office of in
formation did, therefore, was to develop a system
by which absolutely accurate newspaper stories
based on the material contained in these bulletins
could be sent out to such newspaper, which it
seemed reasonable to expect from the nature of the
various subjects, would be interested in publishing
them for the sake of their readers. This work still
Ii a urge part U IL dCllNllleS Ol III ONCE
Some time ago there was a criticism of what were
called the publicity efforts of the department of agri-
culture. The critics did not understand at all the
nature of the work which was being done. Tnev
seemed to think that a press agency had been es.
tablished simply for the purpose OF booming the
activities of the agricultural department with a view
perhaps, as some of the critics may have thought
of saying something kindly occasionally about the
officials of government concerned in the work
Criticism passed quickly, for congress was told in
a letter to Sneaker ChamD Clark Of fhe hOuca 20 -
resentatives of just what the information work NJ
the department consisted, and a sharp line was
drawn between the nature of the information which
was being sent out and the usual stuff which ia
turned out by a publicity bureau which is not at
all necessarily an nformatio bureau.
IN the letter to the speaker of the house the sec.
rotary of agriculture said this:
THE nation is spending through the depart-
ment many millions of dollars in acquiring agri-
cultural information. It would be little short of
criminal to spend millions of dollars to acquire
information and not to use every possible eff.
cient agency available for placing 1t at the dis
posal of the people as promptly as possible. 1t
is the purpose of the Office 1.-THE office of informa-
toni, with as little delay as possible, through
every proper medium, to give the knowledge
which the department possesses as the result Of
Investigations and field work to all the people
who desire it or should have it. The office I'M
dertakes to deal solely with facts, with sugges-
lions of remedies, and of methods of applying
them in every field of agriculture"
Prior to the time that the office of information
was created nearly all the printed matter con-
veying information was in the form of bulletins
and circulars and the issues were not very vol
luminous. Frequently a great deal of time was
required finally to prepare the bulletin, to print
it and to distribute it. 1t was inevitable for
many reasons that these bulletins could not
reach the great mass of the people who would
be interested in them. Many farmers did not
know that the service was at their disposal.
They knew nothing about the bulletins or which
ones of them would be helpful to them, nor did
they know how to secure them. Moreover, the
publications largely were technical, were diff
acult to interpret. to understand and to apply.
One of the particular duties of, the depart
ment's Office of information is to put the matter
which comes from the different bureaus in tech
meal or scientific form into language which lay
readers can understand. 1t seemed easier and
better to the department officials that the office
of information should choose the matter of spe-
cial value to particular districts or sections OF
the Union and to have it distributed to such sec
lions quickly. 1t had been found that delay in
issuing the official printed bulletins and in mail
ing them often defeated the ends of real service.
In case of the appearance in some district of an
insect plague or of a disease that menaced the
stock, quick action, of course, it was realized
was necessary to accomplish results.
The Inauguration of the service of information
as II is at present carried out necessitated a most
efficient mailing system which would enable the
office to circulate its material among those
classes of publications and in those sections Of
The country which could derive benefit from it.
and at the anne time avoid a distribution that
would be expensive to the government and use
less to the newspapers and, if they should pub
lish 1t, to their readers.
Now there is a mailing system installed and
under operation by the division Of publication
and by means of It the publications of the coun-
try are classified geographically and by their
character. Now it is possible to transmit a
story to all the newspapers in the United States,
to all the newspapers in any city or group Of
cities. to all the farm publications in the country
or in any state. emitting the general newspapers,
to the trade papers of any one or all of the
trades, to daily newspapers IN big cities alone,
or to those in small county seats alone-in short,
practically any desired combination Of publica-
lions is possible.