St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-01-13
Legislative Farmers Club

The first meeting of the Farmers
Club of the present legislature was
held last Wednesday evening and
showed that the farmers of that body
are alive to the Importance of pro-
tecting themselves and securing what
assistance is possible from the legis-
lature. At that meeting little was
said to indicate that the farmers
themselves realize the demand there
is for constructive legislation in the
interests Of agriculture. The en-
phasis with which any man depen-
dent on the vote of the people says,
There is not enough money appro-
priated for agriculture" is very no
ticeable and the truth of the state
ment is seldom questioned.
Admitting the correctness of the
statement for the time, the sugges-
ton of increased appropriations for
agriculture means an increased ex-
penditure for the state and increased
expenditure means increased reve-
nue. or increased deficiency. An in
crease in the revenues of the state
would seem very unwise and would
not be possible without the assess
ment of direct state tax. So either
the agricultural interests must Sc
cure a larger proportion of the reve-
nues already provided for or call for
direct support from the taxpayers Of
the state. The statement by a for
mer state official that the state is
expanding 100000 year for edu-
cation and 100000 for the admins
tration of justice and the fact that
the appropriations for agricultural
purposes amount to less than $780,
900 indicates the proportions be-
tween these important departments
These large figures indicate the use
lessness of attempting to increase
the total appropriations by the state.
Either agriculture must get larg-
er proportion of the money now ap-
propriated or it must devise a bet
ter system of expanding what it has
at present. These steps make
knowledge of what the present ap-
preparations are for necessary. The
appropriations in force on July 1,
1914, were:
State School of Agriculture,
annual S 10000
State School of Agriculture,
limited $4,000
State School of Agriculture,
Rutland and Addison
counties 10000
u. V. NJ and State Agricul-
tural College $4,000
Live stock commissioner 100000
Agriculture and forestry 10000
Feeding stuffs inspection 500
Fertilizer control 1000 |
New England corn show 500
Agricultural seeds 500 |
Dairymen's Association 1000 |
Maple Sugar Makers Asso-
citation 500 |
Horticultural Society 500 |
State fair 5000 |
Agricultural fairs 5000
Total $191,8OO
OF course the appropriation for
agricultural schools in Rutland and
Addison counties has not been
expended and that reduces this
total $4,000. 1t is also hard
to tell how much of the $751;
800 appropriated to the Univer-
sity of Vermont and State Agricul-
tural College is really used for agri-
culture. If we deduct both these
sums the appropriations for agricul-
ture actually used amount to only
$109, 500. We wish every farmer
now a member of the legislature
might read the list of appropriations
and decide how many of them really
benefit the agricultural class as a
whole. After scanning the list the
legislator can quickly decide wheth-
er or not the farmers of the state
are getting $4,000 benefit from that
sum spent for fairs and so on up
through the list. If there is con-
siderable sum that is not satisfac-
torily appropriated it can be stopped
and the sums so saved appro-
priated for other purposes. 1t
is in the revision of this list of ap-
preparations and those for other de-
partments and the redistribution of
the money so saved that we see the
big opportunity for constructive
work by the farmers club at Mont
pelier.