Evening star., 1924-04-07
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

British cabinet heard him and re-
manned conse rvative. France heard
his story and turned away. When
the minister of agriculture OF italy
refused to support his idea of a world
clearing house of agricultural fnfor-
nation he asked for an audience with
King Victor Emmanuel-and got it.
The king was interested in his royal
opportunity to center great world
activity in Rome, the historic capital
OF former world dominion, military
and religious, now to become the CEN
ter of commercial world interest He
promised his support, provided only
that his ministers should approve the
plan: Later the king built and gave
to the cause a magnificent marble
palace equal in beauty to but larger
than our Pan-American Union build
ing. Official invitations were sent
from Rome to all governments to ap-
point delegates to a permanent COM
mission and also delegates to the first
pienary congress upon the establish
ment of the institute
X X X X
President Roosevelt appointed David
Lubin to represent the United States.
Then months passed in inactivity.
with Lubin prodding the slow-going
bureaucrats of Europe BY his nerv-
GUS energy he provoked ennnity, and
Just when he had rounded out his
preliminary success he received word
from Secretary Of State Root that
ne mad been superseded as official del
eeate. Cables brought congressmen
10 his support but more powerful
man they. the King OF Italy sent his
pei sonal request that Luhin be rein
S@h'eo' ana the crisis passed.
X 4 r X
N1ynp
or Representatives, partly due to
short-visioned statesmen who could
not conceive such {. movement with
out personal graft They termed If
fake, private snap" lob" Of
no value, except to supply place
Tor its promoter. tCongressiona, a,
record, February 90 1905.)
ThlS IS what Lubin wrote Of that
opposition TO his friend, CONGRESSMAN
Kahn of Califoi MIA:
Now what does the Houea meat I,
Does 1t mean that the delegate of the
united States at this institute in
tended unlawfully and cunningIy to
ABSORB government money from the
FUNDS OF the United States for his
own Personal use? These solons
gould have easily learned that while
was permitted to draw during the
past two years S3,500 a year. salary
(and the position is worth that, and
double that, and treble that, and
other nations are paying their dele
gates, and the delegates are accent
ing the salary, that / accepted but
800 salary for the past two years.
$50 of which were paid to Mr Nor
rison. clerk of the State Department,
for the portraits of Washin gton and
Lincoln now in the American room.
and the $50 remaining of the s100 are
still in the Treasury OF the United
states, or in the safe of the clerk of
the State Department subject to my
order"
History does not record any sena-
torial investigation of that 800.
Throughout the demoralizing years
OF the world war, the international
Agricultural Institute was almost the
only organization which was main
tanned without a break; it's functions
I were found to be Indispensable 1t is
today so firmly established that it is
| a great bond uniting the nations.
x X X =
Telegraph and radio gather the
| conditions affecting crops and all
circumstances that affect supply and
! demand of foods These facts are
digested at Rome by trained econo-
mists, and then broadcast through
out the world. to departments of
agriculture. The news reaches our
department in brief form, and here
it is interpreted from the standpoint
of American crops and conditions 50
as to be comprehensive and practical
to the American farmer and dealer in
farm products.
These data do not consist merely
in dry statistics of conditions long
past, but concern day-to-day facts,
directly and indirectly affecting our
practical farm problems.
There is no other country which
has so complete an organization of
crop reporting as has the United
States in its Department of Agricul-
ture, but without this worldwide
vision given by the International
Agricultural Institute, supplementing
and modifying American information,
the American crop reporting would be
as futile as would weather prognosti-
cations based merely upon county
atmospheric observations
Copyright, 1924. by Paul V collins-)