The Washington times., 1925-03-12
INCREASED
MILLIONS
IN YEAR
Congress Adds to Farm,
Forest, Road and Other
Big Appropriations
BY WILLIAM HARD.

By WILLIAM HARD.
One of the most amusing and
amazing situations bequeathed to
Washington by the late Congress
IL this:
At the very moment while
President Coolidge was earning
the plaudits of the public BY
vigorously saying that the Federal
Government must stop subsidizing
the States of the Union in their
internal activities. the Congress
passed and the President signed
two new great extensions Of Fed
eral activity and of Federal money
into the internal affairs of the
States.
! One was in the Purnell bill,
which drastically increases our
Federal contribution to the agri-
cultural experiment stations own
Cd BY the States.
Each State has at least one
agricultural experiment station
To each State we have been pay
ing $4,000 q year toward the
upkeep Of the ework of that
station.
Expands Good Work.
II now appears, however, chat
institutions Is getting expanded.
Dedicated at first to studies in the
production Of crops, they now also
are studying problems OF farm
business organization problems OF
markets, problems Of rural com
uunity life, economic problems, |
sociological problems.
Accordingly the Federal Govern
ment Is now naturally called upon
TO contribute to this most desirable |
expansion Of the endeavors Of the |
agricultural experiment stations.
The question arises: No matter |
how good the work may be. should |
q not be done entirely by the
States themselves?
According to the Presidents
principles, that question should be
answered In the affirmative In
practice, such is the pressure and
such Is the impulse toward helpful
Federal participation in good works
that the question has been answer
Cd In the negative.
The States are not TO be left to
finance the expansion Of their
agricultural experiment stations by
themselves. The Federal Govern
me is going to step In and assist.
Increase In Allowances.
In this next fiscal year, on
behS1f OF agricultural experiment
stations. we shall give an additional
$4,000 to each State. In the next
succeeding fiscal year we shall give
an additional $4,000 more. In the
third year we shall give an addi-
tional and extra $4,000 on top OF
cur previous contributions.
That will be the climax OF it
as now scheduled In place OF
giving to each State our present
$4,000 per annum for agricultural
experiment station work, we shall
then be giving to each State $4,000
per annum.
Our total annual bin for this
lAudable work has been 81 AZ, 900.
IL win then be $4,320, 900.
A somewhat similar extension OF
started into action by the famous
Glarke-McNary bill. This bill has
10 do with forests and is now In B
operation.
Because Of 1t we now have FIR
the first time a cooperation with
States and with State officials in
the matter Of farm forestry" BY
that phrase Is meant work on wood
lots OF farmers on their farms.
Helps Forest Development.
We have in this country $780,.
100000 acres Of woods on farm
lands. The Federal Government
now begins for the first time to
ing the individual private farmer
20 develop his individual private
forest property. 4
The appropriation for it this next
fiscal year is 100000. That appro-
pFiatton will undoubtedly grow.
We presently shall have large ap-
preparation every year for this new
work which beyond question IL
concerned with a problem vital 10
the welfare OF the country.
The question recurs: Should it
not, nevertheless, De handled by
the States by their own efforts?
The answer given IL again In the
negative.
Further. It is to be noted that
sur appropriation for cooperating
With the States in the suppression
of forest fires has been Increased
for the next fiscal year from
800. 600 10 $500. 900.
IL IL also TO be noted that under
the new Sterling bill our Federal
appropriation for building forest