| 1918 KANSAS AND KANSANS | Other Institutions | Part 3 |
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, STATE BOARD OF HEALTH, PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION, STATE PRINTING PLANT, STATE INSURANCE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Agriculture is the outgrowth of the Kansas State Agricultural Society, which was organized for the first time in front of the old Topeka House, July 16, 1857. An Executive Board was chosen. Hon. Alfred Larzalere was elected president, and Hon. C. C. Hutchinson, secretary. Complete sets of the Agricultural reports of New York, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and a number of the newer states, were collected and are now in the State Library. Beyond this, the society was able to accomplish very little and soon became dormant. A society under the same name was organized in 1862. A constitution was drawn up, and officers elected as follows: president, Lyman Scott; secretary, F. G. Adams; treasurer, Isaac Garrison; and an executive committee of ten members, H. B. Whitman, P. P. Baker, W. A. Shannon, C. B. Lines, J. C. Marshall, Martin Anderson, Thomas Arnold, J. W. Sponable, Welcome Wells and R. A. Van Winkle. The secretary was the only paid officer, and his salary was fixed by the Executive Committee. Expenses were met by an annual fee to members of $1.00, or $10.00 for life membership. The activities of the society consisted in holding State fairs at different towns, reporting experiments, improvements in methods of cultivation, varieties of seeds, feeding and breeding stock, statistics and other matters calculated to promote the general prosperity of the State.
The society began the publication of the Kansas Farmer in 1863. The first fair was held that year at Leavenworth. The state contributed $1,000 toward it. Owing to unsettled conditions no fairs were held in the next two years. In 1865, John S. Brown was elected secretary, and became editor of the Kansas Farmer. He resigned the next year, and H. J. Strickler took his place. The second fair was held at Lawrence, as that town raised $2,006.00 for the purpose. In the succeeding years fairs were held at Ft. Scott, Leavenworth and Topeka. In 1870, Alfred Gray was elected secretary. He held the office until his death in 1880, becoming in the meantime a State officer.
The Act which converted the Kansas State Agricultural Society into the State Board of Agriculture was passed February 19, 1872. It provided that the officers of the Society should continue to the end of their terms as officers of the Board of Agriculture. The county societies which had been organized as auxiliaries to the State society, were to become a part of the new Department of Agriculture, and the county Boards were given the right to send their president, or other representative, as a voting delegate to the annual election of officers. At this meeting a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and five board members were to be elected, and these, together, should constitute the State Board of Agriculture. In accordance with the provisions of the Act the Kansas State Agricultural Society formed itself into the State Board of Agriculture March 12, 1872.
WALLS OF CORN IN KANSAS (NEOSHO COUNTY)
An appropriation of $35,000 was made for the purpose of awarding premiums at fairs held under the direction of the Board in 1872. The Shawnee County Agricultural Society tendered $2,00-0 in cash and the use of a $30,000 grounds, and the fair was held at Topeka. The next year it was held at the same place, and at Leavenworth in 1874. The Board then decided that it was not their business to hold fairs and the enterprise passed into other hands.
In 1873 the work of collecting information regarding different Kansas localities calculated to assist the prospective settler was begun. For twenty years this was an important part of the work of the Board, as was also the collection of agricultural and geological specimens for exhibition. The information thus collected was disseminated in pamphlet form where it would reach not only the eastern people, but foreigners as well. In 1882, Secretary Sims had pamphlets printed in German, Swedish, French, Bohemian, and Danish, and every effort was put forth to influence the superfluous population in this direction. The Kansas exhibit at the Centennial in 1876 was in the hands of a committee appointed for that purpose, but the Secretary of Agriculture gave valuable assistance in collecting the material which surprised all the Eastern states and cleared the name of Kansas from much of the odium hitherto attached to it in most minds. The result was a great influx of settlers and rapid development of the eastern half of the State. The work of the Board of Agriculture grew so that before the end of Gray's administration, the following officers had been added: Assistant secretary, auditor, geologist, entomologist, meteorologist, botanist and chemist. In 1883 a sorghum commissioner was appointed.
After the death of Secretary Gray in 1880, J. K. Hudson was elected to the place but resigned in October, 1881. His unexpired term was filled out by F. D. Coburn. In 1882, William Sims became secretary and served until 1888. The department was now issuing weather and crop bulletins monthly from April to September, quarterly bulletins concerning soils, kinds of crops to plant, improved methods of cultivation, and the care of live stock, and annual reports of population, County by county, churches, schools, valuation of property, kinds and values of crops and live stock. One of these publications announced that it has been determined that the eastern half of Kansas is productive.
When Martin Mohler became secretary in 1888, attention was just beginning to be turned to Northwestern Kansas, and the problem of the next few years was to find suitable crops for that area, as well as for the so-called arid districts of the west. In 1891 alfalfa came to the rescue in some localities, and the secretary asked farmers who had raised this crop to report their experiences. It was enrolled with other important crops in the statistical reports. The bounty for Kansas sugar in this same year, necessitated the appointment of a sugar inspector.
The Board of Agriculture held a special meeting in April, 1891, to make arrangements to have Kansas suitably represented at the World's Columbian Exposition. Although a committee was put in charge of the matter, Mr. Mohler visited a large number of the counties in person to collect funds and materials and create an interest in the work of the Board of Agriculture. An exhibit which placed Kansas in the front ranks as an agricultural State was the result.
With the selection of F. D. Coburn, as secretary, in 1894, a new era began in the work of the department. It was changed from an advertising bureau to an educational bureau. The yearly meetings of State and county, boards had gradually become fanner's institutes. Some of the most important subjects on which the people were instructed in the twenty years of Mr. Coburn's incumbency were: the construction of silos and the use of ensilage, the advantages of raising thoroughbred stock, and the care and breeding of such stock, improved methods of feeding, improved seeds and improved methods of cultivation, methods of fighting grain and fruit pests, combating diseases of animals, road building, and sugar beet raising. The introduction of new varieties of seeds was a great factor in bringing the western part of the State under successful cultivation, and the pamphlets issued by Mr. Coburn carried the results of experiments in this line to the people.
THRESHING SCENE IN KANSAS
In 1901, J. C. Mohler, the present Secretary of the Board of Agriculture, began work in the department as assistant to Mr. Coburn, and upon the resignation of the latter in 1914, succeeded him as secretary.
ELIZABETH N. BARR.
The State Board of Health was established by the legislature in 1885. The act provided that the governor should appoint a board of nine physicians who were graduates of medical colleges and had practiced seven years, to supervise the health interests of the people of the state. The Board was to serve without pay, but had the power to elect a secretary and fix his salary. The county commissioners in each county were empowered to select local boards of health to co-operate with the state board. These local boards had power to select a physician in each county as health officer and fix his salary. Some of the duties of the board, as enumerated by the law, were: To inquire into the causes of disease, epidemics and mortality; to collect and preserve information on health matters; to advise officers of the government on such things as drainage, water supply, waste material, heating and ventilation; to, keep a registration of marriages, births, deaths and diseases.
The following physicians composed the first board: G. H. T. Johnson, C. H. Guibor, D. W. Stormont, D. Surber, J. Milton Welch, H. S. Roberts, J. W. Jenny, W. L. Schenck, T. A. Wright. They held their first meeting April 10, 1885, and elected Dr. J. W. Redden, secretary. A set of rules were formulated to govern the state and county health boards and officers in carrying on their work. Blank forms were made out for reporting marriages, births, deaths, diseases and burials. Some of the first work undertaken was the abatement of nuisances, such as hog pens, cattle yards, cess-pools, garbage, filthy alleys, night soil, dead animals, diseased meats, impure ice, and the contamination of streams and wells. A great deal of literature was distributed and within two years practically all the counties had their health boards and health officers. For some time there was little interest among the people in this work, which was a hindrance in obtaining results.
In 1888 the following standing committees were created by the board to take charge of the different departments of the work
- Legislation, Revision of Rules, and Library.
- Hygiene of Occupations and Railroad Sanitation.
- Epidemic and Endemic Diseases and Quarantine.
- Topography, Meteorology, Hygiene of Public Institutions.
- Water Sources, Sewerage, Drainage, Disposal of Substances injurious to Health.
- Especial Sources of Danger to Life and Health.
- Adulteration of Food and Drugs.
- Heating, Ventilation, Lighting and Hygiene of Schools.
- Vital Statistics, Registration, Meteorological Service and Nomenclature.
To these were added one on Executive and one on Finance. With a few alterations these committees stood until about 1909, when the work of the Board was gradually separated into divisions which were created from time to time. Dr. M. 0. O'Brien succeeded Dr. Redden as secretary in 1891. He held the office until 1895; Dr. Thomas Kirkpatrick from 1895 to 1897; Dr. H. Z. Gill from 1897 to 1899; Dr. W. B. Swan from 1899 to 1901; Dr. Charles Lowry from 1901 to 1904, and Dr. S. J. Crumbine from that year to the present.
The difficulties which beset health work prior to Dr. Crumbine's administration were the lack of laws, lack of money, and lack of interest on the part of the people, and the chief efforts of the Board had been along these lines. The educational work carried on at that time had much to do with what has been accomplished in the last few years. The Pure Food and Drug act of 1906 put a valuable weapon in the hands of health authorities. The "swat the fly" campaign has done much to make people realize that dirt and disease are a disgrace to an intelligent community. The common drinking cup has been abolished, and the paper towel has taken the place of the roller towel in public places. Tuberculosis sanitariums have been established through agitation by the Board of Health and a fight made on cigarettes. The public has at last been awakened to the practicality of preventing disease.
The divisions into which the work of the Board have been separated are as follows:
- Division of Food and Drugs, established in 1907. L. A. Corgdon, Assistant Chief Inspector.
- Division of Water and Sewerage, established in 1909. C. A. Haskins, engineer; C. C. Young, director of labratory.
- Division of Vital Statistics, established in 1911. W. J. V. Deacon, registrar.
- Division of Communicable Diseases and Sanitation, established in 1913. Dr. John J. Sippey, epidermologist; Dr. Sarah Greenfield, bacteriologist.
- Division of Child Hygiene, established in 1915. Dr. Lydia Allen DeVilbiss, director.
ELIZABETH N. BARR.
The law creating a Public Utilities Commission in place of the Board of Railroad Commissioners took effect May 22, 1911. Authority was given the new commission to control all public utilities and all common carriers doing business in the State of Kansas. A "public utility" is defined as a "corporation, company, individual, association of persons, their trustees, lessees or receivers who now or hereafter may own, control, operate or manage, except for private use, any equipment, plant, generating machinery or any part thereof" for the transmission of telephone or telegraph messages or for the conveyance of oil or gas. The term "common carriers" was construed to mean all railroad or express companies, including street car companies.
The Board of Railroad Commissioners, the powers of which were extended by the act creating the Utilities Commission, was organized January 9, 1911. From that time until the organization of the new commission, May 22, seventy-one cases were disposed of. Upon the order of the commission, the return goods rule was re-established, and the Kansas lines were required to make their minimum weight rules on carload shipments of hay, grain and lumber, conform to the interstate rules.
The Public Utilities Commission was organized with George Plumb, chairman, and E. H. Hogueland, secretary. W. G. Grice succeeded Mr. Hogueland, June 14, 1912. There were four hundred cases filed from May 22, 1911, to November 30, 1911. Most of them involved rates, services, facilities and securities of common-carriers, and public utilities of the State. The sale of bonds and stocks, the consolidating of companies, etc., are within the power of the commission, so that the public may be protected against fake sales. The public utilities and common carriers have recourse to the courts in case they think the Commission unfair. From December 1, 1912, to November 30, 1914, six hundred and three cases were settled. The work is extensive and divided into three departments, legal, rate, and engineering. Aside from the members of the commission and the heads of the departments, there are thirteen people employed.
ELIZABETH N. BARR.
The original plan in handling the State printing was through a State Printer elected by the legislature. The Secretary of State, Treasurer and Attorney-General formed a committee to decide what printing was necessary. The work was then turned over to the State Printer who had it done in his own shop at an immense profit. Almost from the founding of the State there was agitation to build a State Printing Plant, but the idea was unpopular with the politicians on account of the job being such a good political asset. The profits to the State Printer were estimated at $25,000 to $30,000 per year. The cost to the state was $50,000 to $60,000 more than at present in spite of the increase in necessary printing in all State departments, and the raise in the price of stock. Half of this probably went to the State Printer, and the other half into useless printing, for which there is now no temptation.
In 1903, an amendment to the constitution was submitted providing for the election of a State Printer by the people. It carried at the general election of 1904, and the next legislature passed a bill providing a salary of $2,500 for this office, and for the building of a State Printing Plant. An appropriation of $6,000 was made to buy a site and a commission created to take charge of building and equipping a plant. The three men who served on this commission were, George E. Tucker, C. S. Weed and E. P. Harris. The new law provided that the Secretary of State, Attorney-General, State Printer and State Printing Commission should constitute a committee to decide upon what printing should be done.
The first step of the State Printing Commission was to purchase lots at the corner of Tenth and Jackson streets. A building was then begun. The term of the. new State Printer commenced before the building was ready and the commission bought the plant of the outgoing State Printer, George A. Clark. This plant had been bought and installed by General J. K. Hudson when he first became State Printer in 1895, and had passed from one State Printer to another. It was moved to the new building when that was completed, and, with the addition of typesetting machines, formed the basis of the present State Printing Plant, which is now the finest west of Chicago.
In 1913, the sum of $150,000 was appropriated to enlarge the plant sufficiently to handle the state publication of school books. These funds were placed under the management of the School Book Commission. Additional land adjacent to the plant was bought, the building was enlarged and new machinery bought. The institution as it stands cost the state $200,000, which is not a large amount considering the cost of up-to-date machinery, and in the few years it has been in operation has saved the State more than that amount.
ELIZABETH N. BARR.
Ninety-five per cent of the business of the country is transacted on a credit, which is based on the fact that risks of many kinds are covered by insurance on which the debtor may depend to meet his obligations in cases of unavoidable misfortune. Insurance is thus one of the largest and most important lines of business, and the State department which regulates it is important accordingly. The Insurance Department of Kansas was instituted in 1871, to regulate the companies doing business within the State, protect the people and the legitimate insurance companies against fraudulent concerns, and to enforce the insurance laws. The main provisions of the act which created the Insurance Department, were: (1) A Superintendent of Insurance should be appointed by the Governor for a term of four years; (2) the Insurance Companies should make annual statements to the Department on blanks furnished by the State, and open their books for inspection; (3) it was the duty of the Superintendent of Insurance to inspect the books of a company whenever he had reason to doubt any statements made in the report; (4) the Superintendent must make an annual report to the Governor of the condition of the insurance companies doing business in the State.
The first head of this department was William C. Webb, of Fort Scott. There were then twenty life insurance companies and twentynine fire and marine companies. The first noticeable effect of the Department was the protection of the policy-holdiers[sic] against non-payment of losses. From year to year the reports of the Department have contained suggestions for adequate laws, especially stricter requirements in the construction of buildings. These efforts have lead to a great reduction in fire losses, but the losses here are still far greater than in Europe and much of the discrepancy is due to our inferior methods of building construction.
In 1895, the Fireman's Relief law was passed. It has been modified from time to time, and at present operates as follows: The insurance companies writing fire-insurance pay over two per cent of the premiums of the policies to the State Insurance Department for the Fireman's Relief Fund. All except three per cent of this fund is turned over by the Department for the relief of firemen in cases of accident, sickness or death, and as pensions to the superannuated. In the case of cities having organized and paid Fire Departments, the fund is turned over to the City Treasurer, and expended under the direction of the Mayor, and in case of the cities having volunteer departments, the fund is put in the hands of the local representatives of the Fireman's Relief Association. The Fireman's Relief Fund aggregated $41,500 in 1911.
In 1900 the office of Superintendent of Insurance was made elective every two years. The Insurance Department is profitable to the State. The net earnings are more than $300,000 per year. There are now about three hundred insurance companies doing business in Kansas.
ELIZABETH N. BARR.
| 1918 Kansas and Kansans | Previous Section | Next Section |
A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans , written and compiled by William E. Connelley, transcribed by Carolyn Ward, 1998.
![[TOC]](../images/bttoc.gif){kind=small}
![[Biog. Index]](../images/btbndx.gif){kind=small}
![[1918 Index]](../images/btndx.gif){kind=small}
![[1919 Index]](../images/btndx19.gif){kind=small}
![[KSGenWeb]](../images/btksck.gif){kind=small}
![[Archives]](../images/btarc.gif){kind=small}
