KEPOKT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 41 



started with an initial expenditure of $3,000,000 for the first year 

 and approximately the same amount during the second year, and the 

 remainder could be extended over a period of years. 



This is one of the fundamental needs of the department which has 

 been recognized by all who have had any connection with the 

 housing of the Government dej^artments in recent years, and I 

 urgently recommend that it be provided for as soon as the state of 

 the Nation's finances will permit. In the meantime, at my request, 

 experts of the United States Bureau of Efficiency are making a 

 survey of the present space arrangements in the department with a 

 view to affording such relief, if any, as may be possible by regrouping 

 of the space assignments pending the provision of suitable and 

 adequate housing for the department. 



NEW SEED-GRAIN LOANS. 



The act of March 20, 1922, authorized the making of seed-grain 

 loans in crop-failure areas for the crop of 1922, and appropriated 

 $1,500,000, to be expended under the direction of the department, 

 for that purpose. Undei* the provisions of this act, $1,463,812.69 

 was loaned to 11,968 borrowers in the States of Idaho, Montana, 

 North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. The total expense 

 of making the loans was less than $20,000. 



COLLECTION OP SEED-GRAIN LOANS. 



During the spring of 1921, under the authority contained in the 

 annual Agricultural appropriation act, approved March 3, 1921, a 

 total of 13,935 seed-grain loans was made by the department in 

 Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, and Washington, aggregating 

 $1,954,929. These loans were made at a cost of approximately 

 $16,000 for administrative expenses and $5,000 for recording fees 

 for crop mortgages. Crop conditions generally throughout the seed- 

 loan territory were poor during the following season, and collec- 

 tions during the winter months and up to June 30, 1922, amounted 

 to only $668,742 on the principal of the loans and $1,415 on the 

 interest. The expense of making these collections was approxi- 

 mately $25,000. So far as practicable, borrowers who were unable 

 to repay their loans were required to renew their promissory notes 

 and execute new mortgages on their 1922 crop as security. At the 

 close of the fiscal year 1922 there were outstanding unpaid seed- 



