The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-02-07
Copyright, Wsstern Newspaper Union
XXX.
HAPHAZARD EXTENSION

started. The bureau Of fisheries, In
the Department Of Commerce, is an
other. 1t had a modest beginning, and
not so very long ago. Prior to 1871
there was no branch Of the federal
government especially charged with
the consideration of fishery affairs.
Several of the states had established
FISH commissions and these state au-
thorities, supported by private inter
ests, began to agitate for national
bureau devoted to fishery interests.
So 1t came about that by 1871 con-
gress was ready to yield and begin to
make appropriations. The first one
was for $4,000 and provided for
commissioner Of fish and fisheries to
prosecute Investigations and inquiries
with the view Of ascertainlng wheth-
er any and what dlmlnution in the
number Of food fishes Of the coast
and in the lakes of the United States
has taken place; and also whether
any and what protective, prohlbitory
or precautionary measures should be
adopted in the premises; and shall re-
port upon the same to congress"
The commissioner was to draw no
pay, for 1t was provided by congress
in the same joint resolution that he
should be civil officer Of the govern.
ment, of proved scientific and prac-
teal acquaintance with the fishes of
the coast, who should serve without
additional compensation. The then as
slstant secretary of the Smithsonian in
stltutlon, by name Spencer Fullerton
Baird, was chosen as the best man for
the job, and so he proved to be. He
made the little acorn grow. He was
industrious and competent and knew
how TO get along with congress. He
was dlllgent and he stood before kings.
See what happened.
Remember he started out with
$4,000 to discover whether there had
been any dlpinutlon of the supply Of
food fishes along the coasts or in the
lakes. He was at the head Of an in
dependent investigation and reported
directly to congress. The thing was
kept alive by annual appropriations
as an independent institution until
1903, when 1t was incorporated into
the newly formed Department of Com
merce and Labor as the bureau of
fisheries.
BY 1909 the annual appropriation had
grown to SS03,920, and the bureau had
u permanent personnel Of 325. AZ
that time the land owned and occupied
by the bureau at its fish cultural and
biological stations had an aggregate
area of over 1900 acres, with value
of S240OO0. The improvements and
equipment at these stations repre-
sented an investment Of more than
$1,000,000. Other property of the bu-
reau at that time included four sea-
going steam and sail vessels, 20 steam
launches and $50 small sail, power and
rowboats, which with equipment had
a value of 100000. Its six fish-trans-
p0rtation cars were valued at $4,000.
Indeed the total investment of the
government in flshery-servlce property
ran to about $1,5s5,0O0, That was
back In 1909
Well, It hasn't stopped growing;
bigger and buster than ever, as the adj
vertisements say. The appropriation by
congress for the fiscal year 1919 was
S1,1S3,14O, and for 1921, S1,20T 10.
Besides what congress gave, the Pres
ldent allotted In 1918 and 1919, out of
his private fund "for the national Sc
curity and defense" 100000. With the
years of It's growth and increasing
funds the bureau had taken on many
new functions and activities.
Until recently the bureau was adj
minlstering to the best of its ability
the laws relating to the terrestrial and
arboreal fur bearers of Alaska, but
the duty was incongruops to its legItl-
mate functions. Congress finally con-
ceded that the pursuit of foxes does
not constitute fishery. The cultiva-
tlon of mlnks cannot be successfully
conducted in fish hatchery.
Apparently, as so many other estab-
lishments under the executive branch
have, the fisheries service had become
all cluttered up with duties and jobs
It is not fitted or equipped to handle.
All of which is long, long way
from an investigation of the possible
diminution of food fish along the coast.
don't pretend to say of the fisheries
bureau that it has performed inefli-
GENTLY either its proper work or the
added activities that have been i'm.
posed upon It. For all | know II
may be and is great national bless
ing, and managed with maximum skill,
intelligence and real economy. hope
1t is.
l cite it here only as an example of
a branch Of governmental activity that
has grown up haphazard from small
beginning to be n great costly, far
spreading enterprise that by its own
confession is overlald with duties,
functions and activities unrelated TO
It's legitimate and essential business
the care, propagation and study Of all
manHer Of food fish.