The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-06-02
FOOD SURVEY BILL.
HOUSE PASSES FIRST OF ADMIN.
ISTRATION EMERGENCY
MEASURES.
department Can Furnish Fairly Ac-
curate Estimate of Resources With.
I'm Three Weeks After Measure is
Signed by President-Senate to Act
Soon.

Washington, May 2S.-The admin
istration's food survey bill, first of
the food control measures, was passed
by the house today without a record
vote. 1t appropriates $14,770,7OO for
an immediate investigation of the
country's food resources. and for
measures to stimulate production. A
similar bill is under debate in the sem
ate and may be passed there Wed.
nesday.
The agriculture department expects
to present a fairly accurate estimate
or food resources within three weeks
after the bill 8 signed by the pres
ident. Secretary Houston said today.
AS soon as the measure becomes q
law the department will start in it's
1900 employees and the $50 600 vol.
untary crop reporters to work in the
investigation. The preliminary report
to be made within three weeks will
be supplemented with monthly reports
and probably by further complete
report within six months il necessary.
Material gathered will be turned
over to Herbert c. Hoover. who will
De named to head food administra-
tion board as soon as the pending reg
ulatory food measures become law.
Tn survey bill passed virtually as
1t came from the committee. Miss
Rankin. the woman representative
from Montana. inserted an amend
ment which would require the depart
ment Of agriculture to advise women
In the survey work whenever practi-
cable. An amendment by Represen-
tative Mckenzie of Illinois would
make all persons employed under the
bill liable to military service and
another would permit citizens to re-
fuse to 60 more than 800 miles from
their homes or places of business to
testify in a food inquiry. AS original
ly drawn the bill carried more than
$1S,OOO.OOO but the committee changes
reduced the total ano.
These are the principal amounts ap-
propriated: For seeds, $5,778, 900; ed
ucatiOn for increasing production by
waste elimination and conservation.
$4.S4S.400; general survey, $2,522, 900;
eradication Of live stock diseases and
live stock Improvement work, $685.
600; miscellaneous items, s547,4OO;
eradication of plant diseases and in
sects. $441,0ee. Du.
Many representatives, including
Former Speaker Cannon, repeatedly
attacked the measure as wasteful
Chairman Lever Of the agricultural
committee declared heatedly in close
debate today that they were raising
false issue. ...
1T is not economy that these gen
tilemen desire to propagate that ac-
counts for the opposition of the bill"
he said. 1T may be that the opposi-
tion may be accounted because we
are carrying power in the bill to go
into storage concerns and find out
who is boarding and who is speculat.
ing"
The senate devoted the day to de-
pating and adopting an amendment
by Senator McKellar reducing the ar-
preparation for the eradication of the
cattle tick and other live stock dis
eases from s2.Os3, 900 to sS25,ooo. A
motion to eliminate an appropriation
OF $2,500.000 for seeds to be sold to
the farmers at cost by the department
OF agriculture and for the eradica-
ton Of plant diseases was pending
when the senate adjourned.