Evening star., 1921-06-26
COLLECTING FACTS
ABOUT INDUSTRIES
Proposed to Extend Governmental In.
ouiries and to Furnish More Information
to the Public for Its Protection.

ASSo
this act than agriculture and indus
try, and the women are striving 10
have this increased until they are all
on a parity. The annual maximum
set for agriculture and industry under
the act is $S,O0O,O0O. and the support
: ers of home economics training are
, , urging that the same maximum be set
for that character of training. There
! are 26,O00.000 women and girls en-
gagged in making and keeping homes
in this country today. This number
is in excess of the number engaged III
; industrial pursuits, and more thah
twice the number engaged in agrlcul-
ture.
Some Governmental Activities.
The federal government keeps TAOS
on the weather through the weather
bureau. and it's storm signals nave
saved millions of dollars worth Oh
property. undoubtedly. 1t has gone
into the business of aiding IN 'he
construction of good roads, II ma'n-
tains a bureau of standards. which Is
engaged in all kinds of Investigations
of materials, and the scientific IN
formation obtained by the bureau IS
free to all the industries. which, a'aii
themselves frequently of the in1orma-
ton contained in these reports.
Through the bureau of chemistry. IN
the Department of Agriculture 'ne
federal government sees to it that
food and drugs sold in interstate
commerce are pure 1t supervises the
health of cattle and hog which go
into the food of the people through
the bureau of animal industry; II
aids the farmers in the development
of their crops through the bureau OF
plant industry.
In fact, the government is ensaseo
in a multitude of excellent activities
to help the people. But the people
have to pay for these benefits. one
way or another. The money appro-
priated for these activities comes out
of the pockets of the taxpayers OF
the country.
Question for Taxpayers.
The only question today, in extend
ing these activities. is whether the
people, the taxpayers. are wiling 10
have their taxes continued at the
present high rate in order to obtain
the benefits proposed under the new
legislation. Secretary Mellon a few
days ago, in a letter to the ways and
means committee of the House. de-
clared that government expenditures
were proceeding at rate that was
Shocking" In only two ways, he
said, could this evil be remedied-one
was by cutting down appropriations
and the other by the utmost economy
in government administration. He
said that the present rate of expendi-
ture was in the neighborhood of
$4,000. 900 900 a year, and that there
was no hope for a reduction or taxa |
tion. unless a halt were called.
There is a demand in some quarters
that the government take over and
run the transportation systems of the
country. But on the other hand, op-
ponents of "government in business
are doing their utmost to halt fur
ther legislation looking to the gov
ernment regulation and operation of
any business. Senator Mclean of
Connecticut, republican. recently told
the Senate, in opposing the packer
bill, that it was but an entering wedge |
which, If followed to its legitimate
conclusion, would result in price fix
ing and the regulation of all kinds of
business: He predicted series of
industrial graveyards" if the policy
is persisted in, and that eventually
private property would be abolished. !
and said: Then we shall be right !
where Nh Lenin and MIR. Trotsky have
brought Russia. and l do not think
the American people want that"