Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-05-04
Where Your
Taxes Go
How Uncle Sam Spends
Your Money in Conduct.
ing Your Business
BY EDWARD G. LOWRY
Author Washington Close-Ups" BANKS and
Financial Systems" etc. Contributor Political
and Economic Articles 10 Leading Periodicals
and Writer OF Recognized Authority on the
National Governments business Methods.
By EDWARD G.LOWRY
XX.
HAPHAZARD EXTENSION

tthu tHeiI dCllNllleS, once ihcy SCI
started. The bureau of fisheries, in
the Department OF Commerce, is an
other. Ii had 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 10y private inter
ests, began 10 agitate for national
bureau devoted To fishery interests.
So it came about that by 1871 con-
gress was ready 10 yield and begin TO
make appropriations. The first one
was for $1,000 and provided for
commissioner of fish and fisheries To
prosecute Investigations and inquiries
with the view,of asccrtaining wheth-
or any and what dirlinutiOn 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, prohibtory
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 il 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
siStant secretary of the Smithsonian in
stitutiOn, 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. lie
was diligent and he stood before kings.
See what happened.
Remember, he started out with
$1,000 TO discover whether there had
been any diminution Of the supply CT
food fishes along the coasts or I'm 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 il 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 $500, 500. and the bureau had .
permanent personnel of 325. AZ (
that time the land owned and occupied I
A. Al. Il
biological stations had an aggregate /
area of over 1900 acres, with value .
of S240,0O0. The improvements and
equipment at these stations repre-
sented an investment of more than
Sl,000,000. Other property Of the bu-
reau at shat 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. It's six fish-trans-
portation cars were valued at $4,000
Indeed, the total investment of the
government in fishery-service property
ran 10 about 81 ,5S5,000. That was
back in 1909
Well, it hasn't stopped growing
bigger and buster than ever, as the az.
vertisements say The appropriation by
congress for the fiscal year 1919 was
$1.1S3, 140 and for 1921, 1907 40.
Besides what congress gave the Pres
ident allotted in 1918 and 1919, out OF
his private fund "for the national Sc
curity and Defense" 100000. With the
years Of its growth and increasing
funds the bureau had taken on many
new functions and activities.
Until recently the bureau was adj
ministering 10 the best of its ability
the laws relating to the terrestrial and
arboreal fur bearers of Alaska, but
the duty was incongruous to its legiti-
mate functions. Congress finally con-
ceded that the pursuit Of foxes does
not constitute a fishery. The cultiva-
ton Of minks cannot be successfully
conducted in a 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
II is not fitted or equipped to handle
All of which is a long, long way
from an investigation of the possible
diminution of food fish along the coast.
Il don't pretend to say of the fisheries
bureau that ii has performed inefii-
ciently either its proper work or the
added activities that have been i'm
posed upon 1t. For all / know il
may be and is a great national bless
ing. and managed with maximum skill,
intelligence and real economy. / hope
II is.
/ cite II here only as an example of
a branch of governmental activity that
has grown up haphazard from a small
beginning TO be a great, costly, far
spreading enterprise that by its own
confession is overlaid with duties,
functions and activities unrelated to
its legitimate and essential business
the care, propagation and study of all
manner of food fish.