DIVISION OF ACCOUNTS AND DISBURSEMENTS. 261 



fully suggest that I know of no reason why this Department should be required 

 to furnish detailed statements of expenditures not required by the general statutes 

 of all the Executive Departments. Not only, however, does the section referred 

 to require every year "a detailed statement of the expenditure of all appropria- 

 tions" for this Department, but section 11, of the act of Congress approved May 

 29, 1881, establishing the Bureau of Animal Industry, also requires "an itemized 

 statement of all expenditures under that act." Thus a duplication of a consider- 

 able part of this work is made necessary. 



I inclose herewith a copy of the statement of the expenditures (House Doc. 

 No. 173, Fifty- sixth Congress) for 1899. It is a document of 234 pages. The cost 

 of its preparation and publication amounts to several hundred dollars. Its value 

 is exceedingly doubtful. Certainly the time of the clerks engaged upon it might 

 be better employed upon other work, and the cost of printing it could be better 

 used in issuing some bulletin of real value to the agricultural interests of the 

 country. 



I should not like to be understood as wishing to be relieved of any duty properly 

 imposed by Congress on all the Departments alike. Neither would I seek to avoid 

 any special burden imposed upon this Department if the conditions in this Depart- 

 ment differed in any material respect from those existing in other Departments. 

 But I would respectfully suggest that, unless there be some good reason for 

 requiring the detailed statements called for by the section I have quoted, that the 

 requirement be no longer continued. 



I therefore respectfully recommend that in the pending bill making appropria- 

 tions for this Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1902, a clause be 

 inserted, or added, in substance as follows : 



"That section 2 of the act approved March 3, 1885, chapter 338, Forty-eighth 

 Congress, Session II, imposing restrictions and duties upon the Department of 

 Agriculture not imposed upon the other Executive Departments, be, and the same 

 is hereby, repea'ed." 



I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



James Wilson, Secretary. 



IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE APPROPRIATIONS. 



Forty-seven thousand dollars of the appropriations for 1002 was 

 made "immediately available," divided among certain funds, as shown 

 in the following statement. The question of making a part of an 

 appropriation immediately available is assuming a serious aspect. 

 The practice is contrary to the avowed policy of the Department and 

 should not only be discouraged but totally discontinued. During the 

 last two or three years there has developed a decided and growing 

 tendency in that direction. In practically every instance an imme- 

 diately available appropriation is in the nature of a deficiency to the 

 appropriation of the preceding year, the only difference being in the 

 fact that the amount of the deficiency is carried in the annual appro- 

 priation bill instead of in the regular deficiency bill. 



Amounts immediately available. 



Gra^s and forage-plant investigations ... _ $5, 000 



Bureau of Soils 10, 000 



Bureau of Ciiemistry .__ 5,000 



Collecting agricultural statistics _ 3, 000 



Biological Survey 1 , 000 



Publications _ 8,000 



Tea culture .. 2,000 



Agricultural experiment stations ..._ 3,000 



Purchase and distribution of valuable seeds 5, 000 



Plans for building .... 5,000 



Total 47.000 



