Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-02-22
tests or experimental work Of average

IL may ne OIL W KNOW, III COh~
nection with the present hearing on
n resolve to give added State support
to the experiment station, that, ex-
cept for the salaries Of the farm su-
perintendents and the ordinary labor
on the farms, not one cent Of State
money. goes to pay the salaries of the
men engaged in research and expert
mental work in the laboratories at
Orono or on the farms. These sal
aries are all paid from Federal funds.
All equipment for experimental work
in the laboratories and some OF that
used for the same purpose on the
farms is provided from the same
source. The general overhead eX-
penses in the laboratories at Orono
for such items as heat, light. water.
gas, janitor services, office supplies
and office help, and for the most part
travel expense. as far as these items
apply to the investigation work are
all met by Hatch funds. The State
Of Maine does not even pay for keep
in. our accounts. 1t does not pay
for our books Of reference or our
subscriptions to scientific journals,
OF pay for binding them. The Uni
versity houses our valuable library
in much safer and better quarters
than the station itself formerly pro-
vided and in return the students and
faculty in other departments have
free access to 1t. This means added
facilities for the State university
without added expense to the State.
l have tried to show that much Of
what the station has accomplished in
the past has been the result of sup
port furnished by the Federal Gov
eminent for research and expert
mentation. The amount of this sup
port has remained the same for near
~ II years, and it's effectiveness has
dwindled rapidly in recent years. In
this connection l wish to quote from
a report signed by the Chief of the
Office of Experiment Stations at
Washington and different station
directors from widely separated
parts of the country and presented
at the Chicago convention of the AS
sociation of American Agricultural
Colleges and Experiment stations in
November. 1919.
There is probably no branch of
the college that has felt the increas-
ing cost Of maintenance more than
the experiment station. 1t is a large
employer of labor, it is often re-
quired to buy considerable amounts
Of feed for its experimental animals,
and it's laboratory work calls for new
apparatus and continuous replenish-
ment of supplies, all Of which have
increased enormously in price. Il
has been repeatedly said that the
Federal funds today have no greater
purchasing power than the Hatch
fund had at the time the Ad.:ms Act
was passed in 1906"
The committee elsewhere state:
while the cooperative principle is
not primarily embodied in the Hatch
Act to the extent of requiring each
state to duplicate the Federal appro-
rriations. it may be implied in the
purpose and limitations of the act.
and it has been a dominant feature
of recent legislation such as that for
agricultural extension and vocational
education"
The majority Of the states have
made liberal additions to the federal
income and the grand total of these
contributions in 1920 was S3.594,-
441.S0, or an average of nearly $751;
coo per state as against 100000 re-
ceived from the Federal Government.
One fourth of the states make an
nual appropriations of 100000 or
over for the support of their individ-
ual stations and there have been
several increases since these figures
were compiled in 1920.
For several years the income of
the Maine Station from appropria
lions has remain ID stationary. With
Il deprecated dollar and no increase
in the number of dollars available
there was no inevitable result-a de-
crease in both the quantity and
quality of the work done. although
every effort has been made to keep
the latter up to the standard that
has made the station one of the
recognized leaders in the country.
In five years the roll of staff men,
bers has been reduced over one-third
and number of persons giving full
time to investigation work has been
almost cut in halt. Field and lab
oratory work has been curtailed in
proportonate amounts. Some things
have been dropped entirely, others
are marking time and in many in
stances will have to be abandoned
unless additional financial support
can be obtained. Included in the
work that has been dropped are
many things from which were being
obtained results of direct and imme-
diate practical value.
In the line Of publications, the
series Of weekly Publicity Letters"
dealing in a popular way with the
progress of the Stations investiga-
ton work and with agricultural mat
tiers of general interest in the State.
which We're sent to practically all of
the daily and weekly papers in
Maine and We're quite generally pub
lished by them. has been dropped.
The productive work of the Station.
as measured by the number Of page
published in its bulletins and annual!
reports. has decreased one -half in
the last five or six years and will go
still lower if additional support is
rot obtained.
The correspondence work of the
Station is increasing rapidly. Sew
eral hundred letters are received
each month asking for advice. as
slstance and information relative to
the problems upon which the Station
has carried on or is now conducting
Investigations. There are about 10, {.
600 persons in the State of Maine
VINO regularly receive the Station
publications as issued and new
names are added each week. During
the last year individual letters We're
received asking for 11,.43 separate
bulletins. reports or circulars. These
came from every state or possession
OF the United States. except Alaska
and the Island Of Guam and from 20
foreign countries or dominions.
Residents Of Maine requested 1881
individual publications, in addition
to those sent to the regular mailing
list.
Under present arrangements no
state funds are available for travel
or Tor other expenses for CARRYING OIL
investigation work in different parts