Repository: UIHistories Project: Book - 16 Years (Edmund James) [PAGE 9]

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Sixteen Years at the University of Illinois

The Adams Act, approved March 16, 1906, provided for an increased annual appropriation for agricultural experiment stations. Under its provisions the University received $5000 for the year ending June 30, 1906, and for each of the next five years an increase of $2000 over the amount of the preceding year. Since 1911 the University has received under this Act $15,000 annually. In 1907 Congress provided for the more complete endowment and maintenance of the agricultural colleges by appropriating for their support the sum of $5000 for the year ending June 30, 1908, and for each succeeding year for four years a sum larger by $5000 than the amount of the preceding year. Thereafter $25,000 was to be paid annually under the provisions of this law—known as the Nelson Act. The sum of $25,000 has been received by the University annually since 1912. The Smith-Lever Act, approved May 8, 1914, provides for cooperative agricultural extension work by the land-grant colleges and the United States Department of Agriculture. By this act $480,000 was appropriated by the Federal Government for the year 1914-15, $1,080,000 for the succeeding year, and for each year thereafter for seven years a sum exceeding by $500,000 the sum appropriated for each preceding year. Thereafter the appropriation is to be $4,580,000 a year. Of the first $480,000 appropriated annually, each of the 48 States receives an equal share or $10,000. The additional sums appropriated are to be allotted to each State in the proportion which the rural population of each State bears to the total rural population of all the States as determined by the next preceding Federal census. The act provides further that no payment out of the additional sums shall be made in any year to any State until an equal sum has been appropriated for that year by the legislature of such State, or provided by State, county, college, local authority or individual contributions from within the State, for the maintenance of this cooperative agricultural extension work. The legislature of the State of Illinois, by house joint resolution, assented to the provisions of the Smith-Lever Act March 4, 1915, and the first instalment, $10,000, was received by the