The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1915-10-01
SMITH-LEVER ACT
AND IT'S RESULTS
GRAND OBJECT HAS BEEN TO
GET COOPERATION.
Progress for Year-ImpOrtant Steps
Have Been Taken i'm Securing CO.
ordination of All Farm
Agencies.

A year has passed since the COOP
erative agricultural extension act of
May 8, 1914, commonly known as the
Smlth-Lever extension act, went into
effect. In that period much has been
accomplished in creating or perfect
ing the administrative machinery for
carrying on the extension work in
agriculture and home economics in the
department and the several States.
The general lines along which these
extensive enterprises will be conduct
ed have also been quite well deter
mined.
All the States have assented to the
provisions of the act either through
their governors or their legislatures
and the action of the governors has
been ratified by all the legislatures
which have been in regular session
during the year. A single agricultural
college in each State has been desig-
mated as the beneficiary of this act,
thus providing for a unified admins
tration of the act within the State. In
several States where the college desig-
mated is not coeducational, a coop
erative arrangement for the work in
home economics has been made with
the State college for women, and sim
ilarly in few States having separate
land-grant colleges for negroes CO.
operative arrangement has been made
for extension work among people of
that race.
Extension Service in Every State.
In all the States the colleges having
charge of the work under the Smith
Lever act have created extension divi-
sions or services and have brought
under these divisions all their extern
sion work in agriculture and home
economics whether carried on with
Smith-Lever or other funds. In some
States these divisions are not yet as
clear-cut as is desirable, and in some
cases old State laws or general admin
1strative regulations of the institutions
adopted years ago have thus far con-
tinued confusing union of the ex-
tension organization with that of the
experiment station. In 80 States
separate officer is in charge of the ex-
tension work usually under the title
of director, in 13 States the extension
director is also director of the expert
ment station or dean of the college of
agriculture, and in three States there
is still an acting director. In almost
every State the extension work has
already become such a large and
varied enterprise tina ia separate Off
Ger in active charge of it's operations
and devoting his entire time to this
work is essential to its highest eff
cency.
In 20 States the farmers institutes
or inI I>ryk l.
partmept of agriculture though in
"a number Of States there Is move
ment for their transfer to the agri-
cultural college and this has taken
place in South Dakota. In practically
all the States where the institutes
have separate organization there is
some kind of cooperation with the
agricultural college in this work.
Where the institutes are under the
direction of the college they are un-
dergoing more or less reorganization
with view to making them more
definitely Unconstitutional and educa-
tional.
States Relations Service.
The plans for the unifying of the
management of the agricultural extern
met by the secretary of agriculture,
in the first place, by the creation of
State relations committee, for the
general supervision of all the extern
sion enterprises of the department bu-
reaus and of the cooperative arrange
ments with the State institutions in
volving the use of Smith-Lever or de-
partment funds for demonstrations or
other forms of extension work. This
committee has now been succeeded by
permanent States relations service,
created by congress in accordance with
the secretary's recommendations
which, beginning with July 1, 1915,
has among its functions the duties
previously performed by the States
relations committee.
All the State agricultural colleges
receiving the benefits of the Smith
Lever act have entered into coopera-
tive relations with the department,
and in 46 States these institutions and
the department are conducting all
their extension work in agriculture
and home economics under the terms
of general memorandum of un-
derstanding," which is used as the
basis for great variety of coopera-
tive projecvt agreements.
County Agents in 1000 Counties.
There has been remarkable unanim-
ity in the acceptance by the States
of one of the fundamental features of
the extension enterprises which was
developed by the department with
funds wholly under it's control prior
to the passage of the Smith-Lever