Imperial Valley press., 1923-02-08
WEST URGES ALL
TO AID IN SAVING
FARM HOME, WORK
Cutting Off Budget by
State Means Extinction
of Work, Plea

Definite word has just been re-
cciVcd from the California Farm Blu
rcau Federation by G. F.. West,
president Of the imperial County
Farm Bureau that county home dem
onetration work has been cut from
the budget by the state board of
control. Fiftv-s"vcn thousand dol
lars has been cut from the budget
of the University for the home dem
onstration work but eliminates AL
county home demonstrations agents
This viii mean, says Mr.. West that
the farm homo department in Impe-
rial County as well as all other c0un-
ties in the state, will naturally die.
According to President A. G. 1Iar-
olson of the county farm bureau fed
GRAFTON, the proposal has been made
to abolish the u county home dom
onstration agents in California; This
plan contcmplates that the work
! should be done by the high schools
1t is said the high schools have too
much money; that they pay their
i teachers too high salaries; that they
could just as we'll hire another wo-
man to do home demonstration. The
whole plan of help for the farm
home which has achieVed~such great
success in California is threatened
with extinction, says Mr.. West.
West Cites Facts.
The following statement Of facts
may be of interest, declares Mr..
West, in his fight to retain the dem
onstration work:
/. When the Smitii-Lovcr bill was
first contemplated in congress ii
considered the feasibility of having
the work carried on through voca,
tional~ high schools. After thorough
investigation by two congresses it
was decided that vocational high
schools could not handle the work
effectively.
2. The Smith-Lcvel Act, therefore,
disburses f9nds to the states only
through the college Of agriculture.
3. The homo demonstration work
is a national enterprise operated as
n nationwide system.
4. Home demonstration work is
not restricted to home economic
subjects but takes up all subjects
which are problems III the farm
home such rs poultry, gardening
health, sanitation, ta,m home ground
planning.
Covers Many Subjects.
5. 1t is thereby intimately con
rected with research both in home
economics and in subjects in the
college of agriculture such as sani-
tatiou, nutrition, food preservation,
parasitoogy, entomology, poultry,
horticulture, olcrieHlture, landscape
gardening, etc.
6. It is an integral part Of agri-
cultural extension work in each
. county. The home demonstration
agcrt is a member Of the farm al
Viaor's STAFF.
7. TO be thoroughly effective,
home demonstration work must, with
the rest of agricultural extension.
cooperate with one common organi-
%ation of farm people.
s. The public school is not organ
ized to carry on home demonstra-
tion work. It has in numerous cases
attempted to do some sort of home
economies extension work i'll the
; country and has failed.
9. High schools which employ
home economic teachers do not
reach with service the entire rural
districts.
10. Home demonstration work is
2 part of higher education and rs
such should be connected with the
advanced educational enterprises
such as the University rather than
, the secondary or primary education
3 al system.
, II. There can be no "transfer
Of home demonstration work to the
/ schools. The proposal is in effect
one which would practically abolish
, home demonstration work.
10. Federal financial assistance
viii he discontinued if the new pro
posal is adopted.
81 want to ask every man, woman
and child in Imperial Valley said
Mr.. West today, "who is interested
in the advancement of our homes,
and the happiness of farm women,
to act at once and write our Assem-
blymen George Davis and Senator
Eden, in Sacramento; requesting
: that they do all in their power to
see that we are not deprived of this
valuable work.