The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-04-30
ACRICUL LTURALl DEPARTMENT ASK FOR MORE CASH Secretary Says Money Is Needed To Conduct
 Business. DEPT. RETURNS
 1,00031 PROFIT Cites Examples of Money Saving By Experi-
 ments.

Abstract of address by E. T. Mer- edith, Secretary of Agrictuture, at lunch con of the Bureau of Advertis- ing of the American Newspaper Pub fishers Association.)
 The Department of Agriculture makes for it's stockho olders---t1e peo pie of the United States---a profit of several times 1000 per cent. per year on all the money invested in it, but, for the purpose of the point I wish to make, let it stand at 1 GOO per cent.
 As evidence that it is paying big re- turns I will give but a few typical items -out of large number that could be cited. We spent $250, 900 es- tablishing durum wheat in this coun- try. The dururn wheat now produced nere is worth $5O,O00, 600 a year. We spent less than $208,00 introducing a rice and establishing the industry in California. The rice crop in that State is now worth $21, COX, 600 a year. We spent $40,0 900 introducing Egyptian cotton, breeding it up and establishing the industry in the arid regions of the Southwest. The American-Egyptian cotton crop is now. worth s20, ,000, 900 a year and is increasing every year. We discovered a serum that prevents hog cholera, and it's use, as demon strated by the Department has re- duced the losses from that disease by $40,000,000 a year. I could point out scores of similar things, but these are sufficient to show you that my esti- mate of 1000 per cent. profit is not too high.
 If a private business in which you are a stodhholder were putting dfvi- dends like these into your pockets, would you go around complaining be cause one of the employees happened to lose a, pencil-sayfng to everybody with whom you came in contact that the mana gem ent was inefficient, de- stroying confidence in your own bus mess, driving your customers away, and generally doing everything in your power to deprive yourself of so remarkable a dividend?
 Now, there are instances of ineffi- ciency, no doubt, in every departm ent of the Government, just as there are in your business and many other bus inesses, but why should we--the stockh olderS---get into the habit of emphasizing the very small items of ineffBciency and of overlooking the gen eral results? There are sure to be leaks in any organization so large as the Department of AgEdculture. An official of the departmer errt came to me and said his salary was being wasted because he wasn't given responsibiH- ties, that he was going to resign and that he was going to make a state ment in the newspapers giving that as the reason why he resigned asked him if he cd not feel the departTn end returned to the people s1 900 for every dollar expended directly for agricul- ture, and he said, ~Yes, three or foul times that amount at least" I tolG him I agreed with him about his sal ary having been wasted during the short time he was in the department I admitted that he had not been giver any responsibilities. He was not qual flied for responsibilities. But I told him I did not think he ought to tall about it in the newspapers. I gave him the lead pencil illustration--s lead pencil is about as big an item 1T his private business as his salary was in proportion to the governme ex penses. He could not see the point He did give his statement to th< newSpapers---and he got it printed I ask you if the paper carrying hi! complaint-and the only thing he dit in the Department that could b. commended was to resign wer, serving the best interests of thei readers by publishing statement de signed to discredit the Governmen service, to shake their confidence il the government, in a Departmen paying many times 1000 per cent. pc