REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE OFFICE OF MARKETS 

 AND RURAL ORGANIZATION. 



United States Department of Agricul,ture, 

 Office of Markets and Rural Organization, 



Washington^ D. 6'., October i, 1915. 



Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith a report of the work of 

 the Office of Markets and Rural Organization for the fiscal year 

 ended June 30, 1915. 

 Respectfully, 



Charles J. Brand, 



Chief of Office. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



GENERAL STATEMENT. 



In the miscellaneous section of the act making appropriations for 

 the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ended June 30, 

 1914, a paragraph carried $50,000 for the acquisition and diffusion 

 of useful information on subjects connected with the marketing and 

 distributing of farm products. 



In the appropriation for the following year a similar paragraph 

 was headed " Office of Markets," and the amount increased to 

 $200,000. A new paragraph was placed in the miscellaneous sec- 

 tion of the same bill appropriating $40,000 for a study of coopera- 

 tion among farmers in the United States. 



In the bill for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1916, both of these 

 appropriations were removed from the miscellaneous section and 

 combined in an appropriation for the Office of Markets and Rural 

 Organization, with the total amount increased to $484,050. Of this 

 sum, $75,000 was appropriated for the enforcement of the United 

 States cotton futures act. This act was approved on August 18, 

 1914, and was designed " to tax the privilege of dealing on exchanges, 

 boards of trade, and similar places in contracts of sale of cotton for 

 future delivery and for other purposes." According to its provi- 

 sions certain sections of this act were to be administered by the 

 Department of Agriculture, and the Secretary made the Office of 

 Markets and Rural Organization responsible for the consideration 

 of all matters pertaining thereto. The act carried a continuing ap- 

 propriation of $150,000 available for expenditures by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. Of this sum, $50,000 was set aside for ex- 

 penditure during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915, leaving a 



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