Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-31
By LEO STUHR,
Secretary of the Department of A.
riculture,

By LEO STUHR,
Secretary of the Department Of A.
riculture.
One OF the new departments Gre
atcd under the civil administrative
code is the department of agricul-
ture. Nebraska, as one oil the great
est agricultural states in the union,
should develop this department into
the most important of any OF the
divisions under the new organiza-
tion.
The intent OF this act is to merge
under one general head or depart
ment various activities or. enforce
ment agencies so as to promote
greater efficiency and also fix the
Responsibility delegated to the Off
cials appointed to perform the affairs
OF the state. The existing commits
sions and boards concentrated under
the department of agriculture are
the food, drug. dairy and oil COM
mission, the live stock sanitary
board, agricultural statistics, pub
1icity, state development and the
game and fish commission
ei One of the most important
branches of the work just enumer-
ated is the food, drug, dairy and oil
commission. This commission has
grown steadily and at the time the
code became effective had the en-
forcement of laws relating to ID
different subjects as follows: Food.
sanitation of food, cold storage,
drugs. commercial feeding stuffs,
gasoline and kerosene, paint and
linseed oil, imitation butter, COM
mercial fertilizers, live stock reme-
dies, dairy laws, weights and meas
ures, agricultural seeds and hotel
laws. Under tile code several bu-
reaus will be established, with a chief
in charge of each. who will be held
responsible for the enforcement of
the subjects in his bureau.
Has Big Laboratory.
The first bureau under this classi-
fication will probably be the bureau
Of foods, drugs and oils, and will
have the enforcement of the laws
on foods, cold storage, drugs, feed
ing stuffs, gasoline and kerosene,
paint and linseed oil. imitation but
Ter, commercial fertilizers and live
stock remedies. This bureau main
taihs the chemical laboratory to
which official samples of any ar
tieles coming under the laws Just
mentioned, are submitted for chem
ical analysis. This work was for
> mesly performed by the state chem
ist, which position no longer exists
under the new arrangement. This
bureau has field force of IS or 20
inspectors, whose duty it is to make
inspections and Investigations rela-
tive to the enforcement of the sub
jects coming within the jurisdic-
ton of this bureau.
The second bureau will probably
be known as the bureau of dairy
industry, and will have the enforce
nent of the laws relating to the
dairy industry. A variety of IL
ccnses are issued under the dairy
and Babcock test license laws in
cluding licenses for operators of
creameries, cheese factories, con-
,denseries, manufacturers of whole
sale and retail ice cream, cream sta
tion operators, also dairy licenses
for both producers and dealers.
, These various licenses are imposed
SO that the dairy industry may de.
svelop, but at the same time being
subjected to regulation, so that
higher standards may be established
from the producer to the manufac-
turer, and that the consuming pub
lie will be protected in that the
quality of dairy products will be
improved.
Weights and Measures Bureau.
mother bureau will probably be
tae bureau of standards, and will
have the enforcement of the laws
relating to weights and measures,
This includes the inspection of the
various types Of scales as we'll as
= liquid measuring devices, including
oil and gasoline measuring pumps
This law also provides for the
Standardization of building material
such as bricks, as we'll as the sale OF
coal and coke by weight only. Also
that all dry commodities must be
sold by weight or numerical count
unless otherwise agreed.
The bureau of animal industry will
Be another bureau under the new
classification, which will have charge
of the work formerly enforced by
the live stock sanitary board. Sew.
eral special appropriations were
made by the last legislature for in
yestigational and emergency work
of live stock, including one for pre-
Scnton of hog cholera, and another
Tor cattle tuberculosis. This bureat
and that of the dairy industry CO.
operate very closely in >the enforce.
ment of the provisions of the dairy
law relating to the testing of dairy
herds for tuberculosis. This will
have a tendency toward promoting
greater efficiency in the enforcement
of this work. The provisions of tht
Stallion registration law are also
enforced by the bureau of anima
industry. n
Game Inspection Work.
: The game and fish laws also will
come under the Department of Agri
culture, and bureau viii be estab
hshed for the enforcement of tn,
: laws relating to this subject. Unde'
the present system. there are bu
six deputy game wardens beside!
the chief: under the new organiza
ton inspectors from the various bu
reaus of the department can be de
tailed to secure inofrmation of vic
iations of the game laws with no ad
ditional expense, as these men arr
continually travelling over the stat
in the performance of their othe
duties. The present game warden
could probably be used for othe
lines of inspection work.
a new bureau will be created re