EDITORIAL. 909 



salaries and $5,000 for agricultural education throu<i:h farmers' insti- 

 tutes and agricultural schools, making $10,000 for the latter purpose. 

 For the general maintenance of the Office and the irrigation and 

 drainage investigations the appropriations of this year, $30,000 and 

 $150,000, respectively, were continued. The appropriations for the 

 stations in Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico were increased $2,000 in 

 each case to correspond with the increase to the State stations under 

 the Adams Act. and $5,000 was granted for the establishment and 

 nuiintenance of a station in the island of Guam. This island, embrac- 

 ing about 210 square miles, has a population of about 9.000, chiefly 

 engaged in agriculture of a primitive sort, and it is planned to extend 

 assistance to its inhabitants who are now experiencing great losses 

 from a cocoanut disease recently introduced, wdiich threatens the 

 complete extinction of the industry. 



An appropriation of $7,000 was also made to the Office for setting 

 up and completing the apparatus formerly used in the nutrition in- 

 vestigations and the preparation for publication of results already 

 obtained. In accordance with the current appropriation act, the 

 respiration calorimeter and accessory apparatus belonging to the 

 Government have been brought from Middletown, Conn., to Wash- 

 ington, and it is planned to install them in completed form in the 

 basement of one of the new" laboratories of the Department. 



The Bureau of Statistics received an increase in its general fund 

 for the collection of agricultural statistics of $7,000. Reductions 

 on the statutory roll, chiefly through transfer, made a net gain of 

 $1,700. 



To provide for the increase in the general business of the Depart- 

 ment consequent on that of the several bureaus, additional appropria- 

 tions were granted of $13,700 for the Office of the Secretary, $4,900 

 for the Division of Accounts, $18,100 for the Division of Publica- 

 tions, and $5,200 for the Library. The Chief of the Division of 

 Accounts was made administrative officer of the fiscal affairs of the 

 Department. An increase of $39,200 was also allowa^d for contingent 

 expenses, of which $25,000 is for the construction of shops, stables, 

 and storage buildings to replace the present structures and $8,000 

 for rent. 



The work of the Office of Public Roads was broadened tq permit 

 the furnishing of exj)ert advice on road maintenance and adminis- 

 tration, as well as on road building, and the appropriation was in- 

 creased $17,340. A provision was inserted forbidding the rent or 

 purchase of road-making machinery. 



Large as is the aggregate appropriation for the Department, it 

 represents only about 1.5 per cent of the entire Federal ajipropriation 

 and a per capita expenditure of less than 20 cents; and, as has been 

 indicated, nuich of this sum is in the natinv of permanent improve- 

 ments upon an investment. 



