Show WASHINGTON LEGISLATION OF INTEREST TO UTAH UINTAH BASIN Washington Mar 15 The The house committee on agriculture of which Representative Joseph Howell is a member has reported without dissent disse dissent dis dis- se sent t the bill making appropriations for forthe the department of agriculture forthe for forthe forthe the fiscal year ear ending June 30 1917 The bill as it has been presented I to the house for approval contains a number of items of importance to Utah and other western states and which ar are accorded generous treatment treatment treatment treat treat- ment in certain respects The total sum carried by this bill for the department of agriculture which is exclusive of permanent annual annual annual an an- nual appropriations is This is an increase ase of over th the appropriations for the current fiscal fiscal fiscal fis fis- cal year ear which ends June 30 and a decrease ef of below the estimates estimates estimates esti esti- mates submitted by the department The report of the committee accompanying accompanying I the bill points out however that when the funds available from the appropriations made by y special acts and the urgent deficiency bill amounting to are taken Into in in into to consider consideration tion the actual increase II in the tho bill now on the calendar over the appropriations ns for similar objects during the fiscal year ear 1916 is only One of the items in the I bill is in authorization to the department department department de de- to spend for combating mouth foot-and-mouth disease or other contagious or infectious diseases diseases dis dis- eases of animals which may threaten the livestock industry of the country Tinsels This Is merely an emergency fund to tobe tobe tobe be used only in case there is an outbreak outbreak outbreak out out- break of any of these diseases and andi i need not be used by the department I The The total appropriation carried bythe by bythe bythe the bill for the forest service is 5 For salaries and field and station expenses including the maintenance maintenance maintenance main main- of nurseries collecting seed and nd planting necessary for the use maintenance improvement and pro pro- pro protection protection of the tho several national forests wholly or in part within th the state of Utah the bill provides for the expenditure expenditure expenditure ex ex- of and in addition to this sum there is carried an item I of for necessary necessary I miscellaneous ous expenses incident to the general I administration administration of District t 4 at Ogden j I Ii other IOther i Other items from which the state state j should receive incidental benefit are I I I 1 for the selection classification I tion Hon and segregation of lands within j the boundaries of national forests I that may be opened to homestead settlement settlement settlement set set- and entry under the he homestead homestead homestead home home- stead laws applicable to the national forests for the survey and platting of certain lands chiefly valuable valuable val val- I. I le for agriculture now Included in national forests for fighting fighting fighting fight fight- ing and preventing forests fires and for other emergencies for exper experiments ments and investigations investigations investigations of range conditions within national forests or elsewhere on the public range and of methods for improving improving improving im im- proving the he range by regulation regulation regulation reg reg- of grazing and other oUter means and for the construction and maintenance of roads trails telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone lines and other improvements necessary for the proper and economical economical economical econom econom- ical administration and development of the forests Predatory Predator Animals The bill as reported by the committee commit commit- tee carries to be used for investigating the food habits of North Ameri American an birds and mammals in relation to agriculture horticulture horticulture ll ture and forestry and this item provides that this sum shall include experiments and demonstrations in destroying wolves coyotes prairie dogs and other animals injurious to agriculture and animal husbandry The bill requires that pf this sum shall be used for tor the destruction destruction destruction tion of ground squirrels on the national national national na na- forests and other public lands and that not more more- than thereof may be used in Investigating tho disease of wild ducks in the Salt Lake valley region of Utah A A. like amount was appropriated last y year ar for this latter Investigation and on the Insistence of Representative Representative Representative Howell in the committee it was continued in the bill bUl Mr McAtee of the bureau of biological survey which directs this work appeared before the committee and explained this Item Itom He stated that during the present year conditions around Great Salt Lake were not productive of a of the malady which had caused the ducks to die in great great numbers but that the results obtained obtained obtained ob ob- in the investigations went a good ways WIO toward confirming g the conclusions of the cause of the dis dis- I I ease During the present season he said there was a very slight rainfall I in the spring and an nn excessive amount of water was taken out of the rivers for irrigation These circumstances prevented the formation of shallow v pools on on fiats flats about the lake such as have been formed in recent years when the malady has been so preval preval- ent Continuing he said Our hypothesis Is that these shallow shallow shallow low poo pools s of strongly alkaline water are where the ducks become affect affect- ed We have experimentally produced pro Iwo the malady by giving healthy I ducks nothing but the kind of vater water found in these pools V We have also produced the same symptoms by giving giving giving ing ducks ducles water in which the salts left by evaporation of the pools frequented frequented fre fre- I fre-I by these birds have been dis dis- solved We Vc have demonstrated that thata a great majority of or the tho sick ducks can be quickly cured by placing them where they have access only to pure water This year were treated In fit Inthis inthis this manner of which were cured cur cur- oed ed ed In response to a question by Com Com- gressman Howell Mr 1 McAtee stated staled that the Salt Salt- Lake region is a general gener genera al rendezvous for the entire mountain mountain mountain moun moun- tain country and that many ducks ducles which wander in w winter over all the western United States congregate in III fall at Great Salt Lake so so that the duck ducle malady there affects not only Utah but practically th the whole western western western west west- ern United States Stales 1 Rabies L Situation The bill carries in addition to the I regular appropriation of to be used on th the national forests and the public domain in destroying wolves coyotes cootes and other animals injurious to agriculture and animal husbandry an extra to be bo used in the western and northwestern northwest northwest- ern states for tor the protection of stock and other domestic animals through the suppression of rabies by the destruction destruction de de- de- de of wolves coyotes and other other oth oth- er pr predatory wild animals The urgent deficiency bill bUl which has already passed both houses of ot Congress carried an emergency appropriation appropriation appropriation ap ap- ap- ap of ot to be used bYthe by bythe bythe the department In assisting the state authorities in eradicating the time rabies and these two items make a total of specifically provided for this purpose The secretary of ag- ag recommended the emergency I cy appropriations in each instance I and tho the amounts were supported by Representative Howell |