DECREASE FOR HAWAII STATION You will note that there is a $20,000 reduction for the Hawaiian station, and $20,000 increase for Puerto Rico. The decrease of $20,000 in the appropriation for Hawaii is offset by an increase of $20,000 under the first item of payments to States and Territories. That increase is one that is provided for by the terms of the Hawaii Experiment Station Act. The $20,000 reduction is in accordance with the policy of gradually putting the Hawaiian station on the basis of those of the States, and discontinuing the Federal station in Hawaii. WORK OF THE PUERTO RICO EXPERIMENT STATION As to the $20,000 increase for Puerto Rico, I would like to explain the purpose of that. That Puerto Rican station as an insular station for Puerto Rican agriculture is being discontinued, the same as the one in Hawaii is. This $20,000 is for the maintenance of that station as a Federal outpost. One of our big problems in agriculture in the United States today is the question of spray and insecticide materials for control of diseases and insect pests, and at the same time materials which will not complicate the marketing problem through poisonous spray residues. A few years ago a group of plants were found to contain rotenone, which appears to be effective in the control of pests and not harmful to humans. Many of the plants from which rotenone is obtained can be propagated and grown only under tropical conditions. We have now collected at the Puerto Rico station something like 6,000 plant specimens which are under propagation, to see if we can find something which will be commercially feasible for the production of rotenone in quantities and at a cost making it practicable for use in the control of plant pests. We have one other item of a similar nature, quinine. This country is dependent on foreign sources for quinine, which is important in our Canal Zone and for other uses in this country. We are attempting in Puerto Rico to find out whether a supply of quinine can be made available in case of emergency, even if the cost. is slightly more than the commercial product if the commercial product were available. Mr. UMSTEAD. Where do we get our present supply of quinine? Dr. JARDINE. As I understand it, the main control of the quinine supply is centered perhaps in Holland. The general supply is produced in the East Indies and British India. Small amounts of quinine sulfate, I understand, are secured from Peru and Bolivia. Mr. UMSTEAD. The necessity for quinine in this country is not limited to the Panama Canal Zone. Dr. JARDINE. No. The purpose of this item here is to carry out the policy which the Department has deemed to be in the interest of agriculture in the continental United States, to maintain one outpost under tropical conditions, and Puerto Rico happens to be close. Here is another problem. This last spring I received a request from the Iowa Experiment Station, inquiring as to cooperation in the Tropics in connection with sweetpotato breeding. We arranged through the Bureau of Plant Industry to use the Puerto Rico station. as an outpost to mature seed of sweetpotatoes, and act as a cooperative agency with the State stations in the United States which need that seed service. Prior to that, there was some cooperation with agencies in Cuba, but by having our own outpost relatively convenient, we can better control these features. Entomology is doing some work on the corn earworm, and down there they can have fresh corn to work with every month of the year, while if they worked here they would be dependent upon time and the season. Take the matter of testing varieties of soybeans. We are having a test made there now, and the report the other day showed that from the time of planting the seed until maturity, the average for some 50-odd varieties was a little less than half the time required in the States. The plan is to maintain the Federal station in Puerto Rico as an outpost for the service of all bureaus of the Department in such of their work as will benefit by tropical facilities. EMERGENCY FUNDS Mr. UMSTEAD. Have you any comment to make on the emergency funds listed on page 46 of your justification? Dr. JARDINE. I have no comment to make on those other than this, that in Hawaii the plans for this fund are developed by an advisory committee representing all agencies in Hawaii. They were assigned to the Office of Experiment Stations for administration because of the necessity of having a Federal agency responsible for the administration. Mr. UMSTEAD. I notice that all of the emergency funds mentioned were used in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Dr. JARDINE. That is right. These are sugar processing tax funds. SPECIAL RESEARCH FUND, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Mr. UMSTEAD. Next we come to the special research fund-the item covering which reads as follows: For enabling the Secretary of Agriculture to carry into effect the provisions of an Act entitled "An Act to provide for research into basic laws and principles relating to agriculture and to provide for the further development of cooperative agricultural extension work and the more complete endowment and support of land-grant colleges", approved June 29, 1935 (49 Stat., pp. 436-439); for administration of the provisions of section 5 of the said Act, and for special research work, including the planning, programming, and coordination of such research, to be conducted by such agencies of the Department of Agriculture as the Secretary of Agriculture may designate or establish, and to which he may make allotments from this fund, including the employment of persons and means in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, and the purchase, maintenance, repair, and operation of motor-propelled and horse-drawn passenger-carrying vehicles necessary in the conduct of field work outside the District of Columbia, $800,000. Dr. JARDINE. The justification that has been presented in explanation of this item is as follows: Second Deficiency Act, 1935 (available for 1936)--- Increase.... Authorized Bankhead-Jones Act approved June 29, 1935. 1 $400, 000 800, 000 400, 000 The increase of $400,000 for 1937 is for the purpose of meeting the authorizations totaling $800,000 provided for by sections 3 and 4 of the Bankhead-Jones Act approved June 29, 1935. (See Office of Experiment Stations for full text of title I and the part of Second Deficiency Act, 1935, making appropriation for 1936.) WORK DONE UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION Administration of section 5 of act of June 29, 1935.-The administration of section 5 of the Bankhead-Jones Act, which provides for allotments to States, will be conducted along the same general lines as the administration of the Hatch, Adams, Purnell, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico Station Acts. Such administration includes examination and approval of research proposals in advance of the expenditure of funds, review of work and expenditures at each station as a basis for ascertaining and certifying the respective State or Territory to receive Federal funds, assistance in coordinating research of the various stations and the research of the stations with that of the Department, annual report to the Secretary and Congress on work and expenditures under the act, and close advisory relations with the State and Territorial stations. Administration of the Bankhead-Jones Act will differ from administration of the other acts on a few important points: 1. No allotment of Bankhead-Jones funds can be made to a State or Territory in excess of the amount the State or Territory makes available from other than Federal funds for research during the year in question. This means a direct important responsibility of administration not included in any of the other acts. 2. The States and Territories may include as a part of their research offset expenditures during the year for physical plant and equipment. This provision also imposes a considerable additional responsibility upon the administration of the Federal grant. 3. The Bankhead-Jones Act authorizes use of the funds for physical plant, including purchase and rental of land, construction of buildings, and for equipment and maintenance of such buildings. There is no limitation as to the portion of the funds which may be used for these purposes. The expenditures, however, are limited to those necessary for the research under this act. Administration of this provision is an important responsibility in addition to those required under the other acts. As a whole, the Bankhead-Jones Act to be effectively administered will require relatively more time, more responsibility, and relatively much greater expense than any of the other acts. Special research projects, Department of Agriculture.-Approximately one-half of the special research fund is available to the Secretary of Agriculture for financing such research projects as he may decide upon whithin the scope set forth by section 1 of the act. The work under this subitem includes planning, programming, coordinating, and the carrying out of such special research projects as the Secretary may decide to undertake with this fund in a way to effectively integrate this research with research and other activities provided for in the regular appropriations to the Department. The act requires that the research under this fund "shall be in addition to research provided for under existing law (but both activities shall be coordinated as far as practicable) and shall be conducted by such agencies of the Department of Agriculture as the Secretary may designate or establish". The general plan is to have the cooperation of all bureaus in bringing before the Secretary problems suitable for research under the provisions of this act. From the combined suggestions and recommendations, the Secretary, with such advisory assistance as he may call for, will select problems for research. These problems will be assigned to a bureau, or bureaus, or to a group of specialists, for development of plans and estimates for further consideration by the Secretary before final decision is made as to the research to be undertaken. The projects finally decided upon will probably be assigned to an existing bureau or bureaus, along with an allotment of funds to the respective bureau or bureaus to provide for carrying foreard the research outlined and estimated for in the written project outline approved by the Secretary, in accordance with the requirement of the act. Special research laboratoris in major agricultural regions.-The Bankhead-Jones Act provides that the Secretary of Agriculture shall use one-half of the special research fund for establishment and maintenance of research laboratories and facilities, and for research as described by the act at such laboratories, at places selected by the Secretary in major agricultural regions. The work under this item will involve decision as to problems for which laboratories should be established under the provisions of this act; the plan of the research program for each such laboratory; the working out of relationships with the State experiment stations in the major agricultural region having such a laboratory, or where such a laboratory is proposed, in order to coordinate this work with work under regular Federal and State activities; and carrying forward the research program finally approved. The general plan is to secure from directors of State experiment stations, and from chiefs of bureaus in the Department, suggestions as to such laboratories. With this information available the Secretary, with such assistance as he may call for, will decide upon the laboratory projects to be undertaken, and the agencies of the Department to which the responsibility for the laboratory and the research work is to be assigned. It is contemplated that such laboratories will be established and operated in a way that the research undertaken, as far as practicable, will be coordinated with the regular activities of the Department and the work of the State experiment stations. PASSENGER-CARRYING VEHICLES Section 4 of the act approved June 29, 1935, provides that one-half of the special research fund shall be used in establishing and maintaining research laboratories and facilities in the major agricultural regions. During the fiscal years 1936 and 1937 it is planned to establish five or six such laboratores. At least one passenger-carrying automobile will be necessary at each laboratory and in the case of those established in the larger regions two or more such vehicles, to enable the directors and their technical assistants to visit the different parts of the regions, confer with cooperating State experiment stations, and carry out administrative and other duties. The establishment of various lines of new research work by the Department such as the investigation of the farm storage problems of grain, the development of sheep suitable for southwestern ranges, etc., will necessitate that automobiles be provided for use in the field by the leaders and their assistants at at least four such projects, to enable them to collect data, confer with cooperating agencies, and carry out the projects efficiently and in coordination with other research as provided for in section 1 of the act. The Bankhead-Jones Act provides that 40 percent of the amounts appropriated-in other words, $400,000 for the present fiscal year and $800,000 for the next fiscal year-shall be available for the Department of Agriculture for three purposes: Approximately one-half for such research projects as the Secretary may organize and carry out, primarily with the idea of accomplishing some of the fundamental researches that are difficult to place in line investigations; approximately one-half by the terms of the act, shall be expended for establishing and maintaining agricultural research laboratories in major agricultural regions to be designed by the Secretary; and the balance about 2 percent, for administration of payments to States, Territories, and Puerto Rico under the Bankhead-Jones Act. Mr. UMSTEAD. You are now speaking of the funds authorized by the Bankhead-Jones Act? Dr. JARDINE. That is right, the "Special Research Fund" for the Department, you will note on page 48 of the justification, that fund is in three items. The terms of the act provide that a portion, $8,000 this year, and $16,000 next year, may be used for the administration of the $600,000 and the $1,200,000, respectively, to be paid to the States. SMALL FUND FOR ADMINISTERING BANKHEAD-JONES ACT I would like to make this point, Mr. Chairman, in that connection, that a proviso was written into the act stating that 2 percent of the sums appropriated might be used for the administration of section 5, which is the section providing for allotments to the States. That proviso was inserted into the bill just before it was reported out of committee. I am sorry to report that the Comptroller General has ruled that the proviso was in the wrong paragraph, and that we do not get the 2 percent of the total amounts appropriated, but that we get 2 percent of the $400,000. The result is that we have the most complicated act of all the station acts, involving much administrative work of immediate concern to the States, and we are left with but $8,000 to administer it this year. Mr. UMSTEAD. I suggest that someone in your Department, or the Secretary, should take that matter up with the chairman of the Agricultural Legislative Committee. Dr. JARDINE. Thank you. Mr. JUMP. You understand that the Department itself spends the money provided under this special research fund. Mr. UMSTEAD. Oh, yes. Mr. JUMP. I just wanted to make sure of that, because it is quite confusing. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONAL LABORATORIES UNDER BANKHEAD-JONES ACT FUNDS Dr. JARDINE. There is only one other point, Mr. Chairman. There has been some concern as to how the regional laboratories in major agricultural regions would be established and integrated with the States. For your information I would just like to explain that the Secretary has adopted a policy that he will invite, and he has invited, the directors of the State agricultural experiment stations in each of the four major agricultural regions, say the Southeast, the Far West, the Corn Belt, and the Northeast, to cooperate with us in joint selection of projects which might be undertaken as regional laboratories and best integrate with present State and Federal work. Mr. UMSTEAD. Would it be possible to use that portion of this fund allocated to the Secretary for that purpose in the regions? Dr. JARDINE. The regional-laboratory part; yes. We are proceeding on that basis and hope to establish laboratories in cooperation with the State agencies, so as to bring about the most effective integration of research activities. I have nothing further to add. SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1936. EXTENSION SERVICE STATEMENT OF DR. C. W. WARBURTON, DIRECTOR OF EXTENSION WORK GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. UMSTEAD. As I recall it, the committee last year went into the Extension Service quite carefully and comprehensively in the hearings, and since the personnel of the committee has not changed since a year ago, it will not be necessary to go over that again, but I |