The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-07-30
WORK IS IN BAD REpUTE
 HE CHARGES
Legislation Puts Authority in U. 5. Agriculture
 Department
By CHARLES D. WATKINS

By CHARLES D. WATKINS
 WASHINGTON. July 30-IR-- Rep. Dirksen tR-IlD, chairman of the House Appropriations Sub- committee on Agriculture, says consideration of national defense' led his committee to place all agri- culture research in Alaska under the Department of Agriculture.
 He added in the Congressional Record that he believed evidence indicates that the good farmers of Alaska have been made the vic- tims, for, To, these many years, of some pretty vicious administrative practices on the part of certain Territorial authorities
 Congress in approving the agri- culture appropriation bill for the year which began July l. made s144,940 available for agricultural research in Alaska.
 It withheld a customary annual appropriation of $44.940 to the Ter ritory for allotment to the Univer- s!ty of Alaska. and provided that the program previously handled by the university should be turned over to the Agricultural Depart ment together with unexpended Federal and Territorial funds. Delegate Bartlett of Alaska de- scribed the measure as "one of the most vicious pieces of legislation affecting Alaska which has ever reen passed by the Congress Explanation Printed
 In an explanation printed in the Congressional Record out yesterday, Dirksen said.
 The primary. all-compelling req. son for the action is wrapped up in the important consideration of national defense. Tn the present posture of world affairs, Alaska has become highly strategic bastion of the outer ramparts of America and will. no doubt. continue to be for some tune on important link in the chain of national security
 Dirksen said it was of the high est importance that Alaska be made ss nearly as possible self support ing with respect to agriculture pro- ducts.
 T have in my possession let ter from the then Secretary of War, Robert P. Patterson, empha- sizing this point he continued.
 This consideration is also em- phatically undefscored by the re- cent near famine conditions which obtained in Alaska as a result of the shipping ssrike, as well as the situation during the war when threat of energy action to cut off sea communications necessitatea the expenditure of large sums of money in construction of the Alcan Highway.
 If, which Providence forbid, there should be third world war. Alaska might turn out to be an- other Pearl Harbor. Steps to min imize such possibility should be taken without delay"
 Dirksen said the action of Con- gress does not contemplate the abolition of the university experi- ment station nor the permanent discontinuance of making funds for grants to t.
 Dirksen predicted that in the not distart future Alaska will be- come a state.
 The subcommittee chairman said in his account in the Congressional Record he had received complaints that the work of the university in agriculture research is generally in very bad repute" and said it was the opinion of officials of the ex- perlment station that the Presi- dent of the university and director of agriculture research "are wholly lacking ir. qualification for or in- terest in carrying on effective agri- culture research; that the principal objective has been to produce food for the university dining table
 He said the bill enacted by Con- gress had been praised by the edi- tor of the Anchorage, Alaska Times, the Business and Profess sional Women's Club at Fairbanks, the Matanuska Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Panama Valley Far mer's Association and the Wasilla Grange No. 2 of Wasilla, Alaska.
 Dirksen said that though Bart lett had assailed tEe legislation he was in the House the day it was passed but had not spoken against