The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1919-11-14
MORE ATTENTION
SHOULD Be PAID
To AGRICULTURE
Child Welfare Report Says That Ken
lucky Must Make More Plans For
Encouraging Agriculture.

|
"Four-fifths Of the children OF the
state" says the National Child Labor
Committee in It's report on Child We'll
fare in Kentucky" Are growing up
on farms or In communities classed as
rural by the census. If numbers count,
child welfare in Kentucky Is primar-
lily problem of the country child
his health, education and play" Ru-
raj life on both its economic and Its
social side is discussed in the report,
and the chapter prepared by Charles
e. Gibbons, the Committees specialist
in agricultural problems, Is devoted to
this subject.
More money for the College or Agri-
culture is seen as an urgent need.
Kentucky requires trained agricul-
tural leadership and It ought to be
provided through her own training
school. Instead of 275 students the
College ought to have a thousand, but
they will not come until more and
better equipment Ia supplied and
larger staff employed Many will go
to schools in other states as at pres
emit The College has but one build
ing for teaching purposes and this is
poorly equipped. Ohio appropriates
for her agricultural college 26 cents
per capita Of the total population, In
diana IA cents, and Kentucky six
cents. The development Of the Col
lege has been further retarded be-
cause the high schools Of the state
have not been turning out enough
graduates to supply 1t with student
body OF adequate size. There are,
moreover, too few high schools avail
able to country children"
Speaking Of the various state agen-
cies concerned with agricultural de-
velopment-the College Of Agriculture
the Extension Division, the Expert
ment Station, the Bureau Of Agricul-
ture, Labor and Statistics, the Live
Stock Sanitary Board and the State
Fair-the committee says: "Agricul-
tural development is purchaseable
commodity and is directly proportion
ate to the amount of money spent up
on 1t. The yearly amount now avail
able from all sources is $570,226.
Wien one realizes that there are over
100000 acres of land under cult
walton and over $4,000 peopie in Ken
lucky depending directly upon agri-
culture for livelihood, 1t becomes
evident that $57o,226 is very small
amount to spend for its development.
Undoubtedly the phase of work
having the most far reaching effect is
that of the Extension Service, parti-
cularly that done by the county and
more demonstration agents. The state
should require every fiscal court to
appropriate for county agent work not
less than $500 annually, except in
pauper counties, where the amount
need not exceed $500. The fiscal court
should appoint as county agents only
those candidates who are approved by
the administrative officers of the Ex-
tension Service.
Through the Extension Service the
county agent should continue the de-
velopment of farmers community
clubs until every county in the state
has such organizations. The com
munity clubs is not an end in itself,
but simply training school where the
first lessons in cooperation are taught
An agency that makes 1t possible for
farmers unions and kindred organiza-
ions to be successful. It is only
through organization and cooperation
that the farmers can come into their
own"
The committee recommends that a
Sta.e Department Of Agriculture be |
created out Of the present Bureau of
Labor and Statistics, and |
that a State Department of Labor be |
created.