Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-12-27
ME- RC|NG Of ALL
FARM BOARDS IN
TEXAS IS URGED
Commissioner Recommends
That All AdminiStratiOnaI
Agricultural Work Be
Placed Under One Head.
fRy The Associated Press. }

solidation of all the state bureaus
and boards relating to agriculture
is recommended by Fred W. Davis,
Texas commissioner of agriculture,
in his annual report recently trans
mitted to the governor. Commits
sioner Davis would have all admin
istratiye agricultural work placed
under jurisdiction of the commits
sioner of agriculture.
Among the recommen dations
made in Commissioner Davis re-
port are the following:
'As this is my last report, I wish
to repeat some of my former rec
concentrations more specifically,
and perhaps with more emphasis
than heretofore, That greater eff
iiciency and economy could be Sc
cured by putting all administra-
tive agricultural work under one
general direction, it seems to me is
automatic. A multiplicity of boards
cannot avoid some overlapping,
some duplication and some break
in the general harmony, with con
sequent confusion, jealousy and
friction. Such conditions can work
to the advantage of no one except
those who wish to exploit the farm
ers. The directing head Of all this
work should, beyond question, be
the commissioner of agriculture.
He is a member of the executive
branch of our state government.
His office was created for this pur-
pose; and above all, he is directly
responsible to the electorate. When
men are empowered to regulate the
acts of our citizenship, they should
be directly responsible to that citi-
2enship for their official acts.
Would Create Efficiency.
1.-THE livestock sanitary commits
sion, the warehouse and marketing
department, the board of water en-
gineers; the game, fish and oyster
departments; iced, fertilizer and
foul brood control; the department
of forestry, and all boards and de-
partments which administer agri-
cultural laws should be placed I'M
der the direction of the commits
sioner Of agriculture. This would
not only prevent confusion and
jealousies, but would create great
er efficiency and economy. 1t
would be i'm harmony with the au-
thority of the secretary of agricul-
ture of the nation, and the author
ity exercised by the agricultural Of
ficials of most states of the union.
Among the crying agricultural
needs of the state is a law which
would compel every commission
p1nytafnFs and
cold storage manager, and every
person or corporation handling
products on a commission or for
charge, to take out license and be
placed under bond.
THE public weighers' law should
be so amended as to require all
public weighers to grade, in case
of grain, and to grade and staple,
in case of cotton, as well as to
weigh officially our staple farm
products. This would be a great
protection to growers who are an
nualty swindled out of millions of
dollars, because they lack knowl-
edge of grades and staples, and the
proper value of same.
"The necessity of a practical and
afficient warehouse law is already
recognized.
General Plant Quarantine.
"a generaf plant quarantine act
should be enacted, which would
enable the commissioner of agri-
culture to take all necessary steps
against the importation of infested
trees, shrubs, plants, fruits and
seeds. Such an act has been too
long delayed.
THE Legislature should strength
en- the administrative laws OF TINS
state so that protection can be
given the people when outbreaks OF
Injurious plant diseases or insect
pests occur in certain localities. IL
this cannot be done under our con-
stitution, the constitution should pc
amended at the earliest posslple
moment. A failure to give adc-
quate protection in the past mas
probably fastened upon TINS state
and eventually the south, another
and probably the most injurious
cotton pest known to the world
the pink boil worm. In vain did we
plead to the Legislature for ade-
quate legal power to deal with TINS
pest, In vain did we argue that
officials in counties infested shouid
have no authority in administering
the law designed to regulate
themselves and their neighbors.
County officers whose counties are
infested, have gone to other IN
tested counties in the capacity OF
counsellors for the growers, max
ing a mockery of administrator;
Growers have taken their infested
seed back home from the gins in
open and boosted violation of regu-
lations. and our legal department
saws they cannot be convicted for
such acts. Pink boil worms that
were hard to find last year, can
readily be found now, in many
fields. Seed carried back to the
farms are necessarily lost to regu-
latory measures, and a rapid con-
quest of the cotton growing states
by this pest may be expected with
in the next few years, and the cot
ton farmers compelled to face one
more enemy of their prosperity.
The legislature should no longer
close its eyes to the facts OF
science and history and actual con-
ditions, but should meet the issue
as it should have been met before.
This statement is not made with
any i'll feeling on my part. PINK
boil worms in Mexico are number
less as the sands of the sea almost.
Unless drastic action is soon taken
against this pest an outraged citizen
shin will blame some one severely.
The citizenship should not forget
that our excellency and this de-
partment, in corporation with the
federal government, urged the TAX
ing of steps necessary for complete
eradication.
Citrus Industry Menaced.
"By a ruling of the supreme
court of this state, large and
growing citrus industry may be
badly injured. Assuming that the
ruling is constituuonally sound, 1t
is not reasonable to say that we
n. l. - SO