(For Miss Chaikin's Journal. June 25, 1917.)

The University and the Legislature. On the whole the spirit of the Legislature towards the University was unusually good. Some of those who in the past have opposed the University's interests were again members of the Legislature but most of them assumed a more friendly attitude than previously and even on the part of the irreconcilables a less aggressive attitude was evident. There were three bills attacking the integrity of the institution: abolishing compulsory military drill taking the Legislative Reference Bureau from the control of the Regents providing for a constitutional amendment to abolish the present Board of Regents. All of these bills died in the hands of the sifting committee. No measures like the above were introduced in the Senate. The portion of the University's work most liberally treated was the Medical College. Provision was made for the equipment of the new hospital and also for building a new laboratory building. In all about $360,000 was appropriated for the benefit of this college in the way of buildings equipment and maintenance. The agricultural interests received some attention in the way of $33,000 for a new farm near Lincoln $10,000 for a fruit farm in eastern Nebraska to help out the horti cultural people of the state $35,000 for the work of the University Experiment Station. These were all new items. Conservation and the North Platte station were also liberally treated. And finally the Regents without their asking it were presented with a new school of irrigation in Scottsbluff County. Other activities of the institution were left on about the old basis. The Regents' program for building met with the approval of the Legislature and the proceeds of the third biennium of the building levy were appropriated. The proceeds of the mill rate for the maintenance of the institution were appropriated without marked opposition. Inasmuch however as the various activities would drain the State General Fund more than it could bear the Legislature decided to autorize a special three-quarter mill levy to care for these activities. This gave rise to the report among friends of the University that the institution's revenues were to be considerably enlarged. This however was an erroneous impression. The extra levy was simply a matter of bookkeeping on the part of the state and the funds for salaries and maintenance were not increased. This leaves the University in good and in bad condition. Some of the... special activities will be extended and some useful new things will be added. The building activities will also proceed. But in these war times when prices are desperately high the salaries and maintenance must stay on the old schedule in spite of the fact that the number of students increased nearly five hundred last year. With a constantly growing school and a stationary maintenance rate the University faces one of the greatest crises in its history. We are a good deal like a family which has made provision for grounds buildings entertainments and other valuable things and has forgotten to provide adequately for food and clothing. The campaign of education along these lines must soon be undertaken by the alumni. One difficulty with the situation is that it is easy to get help concentrated on certain things. Powerful influences will help on those things in which they are especially iner ested but will ingnore the general needs of the institution. Outside of the Regents and a few of the highest administrative officer the University's own employees have been more anxious to boost the few lines of work in which they were engaged than to help the general cause. The slogan for the next two years ought to be no increase for the special activities until the main University and Farm teaching force is more adequately provided for.