The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-07-05
SECRETARY AGRICULTURE
DEFENDS CLASSIFICATION
Houston Complains That Work
of Department has Been
Crippled Very Greatly.

Secretary d. F. Houston has sub
mliitei to the senate committee on
agriculture q clear and convincing
statement regarding the amendment
by the house to the pending food pro-
duction act for 1919 forbidding the
payment of salaries under this act
to any man who has been placed in
deferred military classification on &C
count of his employment by the de-
partment.
This amendment, tit remains in
the bill. the secretary says, "will make
it exceedingly difficult for the depart
ment to carry out its program to Sc
cure the increased production of foods,
foodstuffs and live stock, and also to
maintain the activities authorized by
the food production act. Furthermore,
it will seriously interfere with the
investigations and activities which the
department is conducting at the re-
quest of the military and naval auth
critics, the shipping board, and other
branches of the government. To say
that all the state and federal officers
dealing with these matters, trying to
have the tasks imposed upon them in
this emergency by law efficiently dis.
charged, and also that the local and
district boards were negligent of the
national interests, and desired simply
to provide soft places for slackers, is
to say the least, singularly unjust and
offensive. 1t is equally unjust to the
patriotic men who are rendering pat
riotic service, many Of them at no lit.
tie sacrifice, to characterize them as
"slackers." They are only not slack
RI but are performing very vital
emergency service for the winning Of
the war"
In addition to this statement, the
senate committee has heard elabo-
rate testimony from officers of the
department., who explained the diff
culties experienced in securing and
retaining trained and experienced men
to perform the highly urgent and
essential activities of the department.
The facts presented show:
l. That since the United States en-
tered the war the department has lost
the services of 6,O48 regular employ
1887 of whom have entered the
military service.
2. That the personal interests of
the employees were not considered nor
the employee consulted in any
case. Recommendations were made in
accordance with the spirit and purpose
of the selective-service law and of the
issued by the war depart
ment Hereunder only for men who
are necessary to the adequate and
effective operation of the service in
which they were engaged, and whose
qualifications; training and exper-
fence were such that it would be i'm
possible to replace them without sub.
stantial material loss and detrimental
to the adequate and effective opera.
ton of such service.
3. That no men have been recon-,
mended for deferred classification WHIT
were performing purely clerical work
4. That only 2O5 men in the Dis.
trict of Columbia, all of whom, with
the exception of only eight admins.
trative assistants performing respon
technical employees, have been de
ferred on the departments recommen
dalton.
5. That of 1856 men of draft ag,
in the department, not over 100 in
GLIDING county agents and other ex
tension workers, chemists, %veterinar
ians, meat inspectors, and experts il
the various branches of agriculture
have been placed in deferred classifi
cation at the request of the depart
ment. Of these at least 3O3 were de
ferred for other reasons, such as de
tendency, physical disability, and tn
like, as we'll as for departmental rea
sons.