LAW NO. 600 (County Agents' Law)

        A BILL AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE EMPLOYMENT OF AT LEAST ONE HOME AND ONE FARM DEMONSTRATION AGENT IN EACH COUNTY AND PROVIDING COMPENSATION FOR THEIR SERVICES (Only a portion of this law now remains in code and can be found in state code 4-11-50).

        Whereas, a better agricultural and higher standard of rural life would seem to be to the best interest of South Carolina, particularly at this time when there seems to be an agricultural depression traveling over the state and,

        Whereas, through the efforts of home and farm demonstration agents these conditions are improved, forming a nucleus for better agricultural work and improvement in home life in rural sections and,

        Whereas, the employment of such farm and home demonstration agents as at present provided does not carry that certainty of continuance in the work they are doing which is essential to a well arranged program, the employment of such agents being left in many cases to political influence in a manner which is deleterious to the work undertaken and,

        Whereas, Extension work is really educational work in its scope and character and is carrying the work being done by Clemson College and Winthrop College to the people of the state and, therefore, should be carried alike to every county in the state, these workers being under the control of the Extension forces in the state and compensation for their employment being provided partly by the federal and state governments, and it would seem proper that all such salaries should be provided by the state, thus relieving the counties of the burden of providing for the employment and salaries of such agents, now, therefore,

        SECTION 1: Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, that the Extension forces of South Carolina be, and they are hereby authorized, empowered and directed to place at least one farm and one home demonstration agent, subject to the confirmation of a majority of the county delegation, in each county of South Carolina, said agents to be employed as at present, payment of their salaries to be made through the Treasurer of the Extension forces as now provided for the payment of that portion of the salaries of such agents now contributed by the state and federal governments.

        2. That there is hereby appropriated a sufficient sum of money, from any funds not otherwise appropriated to pay the salaries of said farm and demonstration agents, no county to receive more than two thousand dollars per annum for the salary of a farm agent and two thousand dollars per annum for the salary of a home demonstration agent.

        3. That nothing in this Act shall be intended to prevent any county supplementing the said salaries from county funds nor providing to pay expenses of said home and farm demonstration agents in a county of the state.

        4. All Acts and parts of Acts inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.

        5. This Act shall take effect January 1, 1930.

APPROVED THE 16TH DAY OF MARCH, A.D., 1929.