FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 80 



Federal inspection began in Nov. 1917 and the work has gradually in- 

 creased from year to year in response to increasing demands. The 

 steady growth of the work is apparently limited only by the facilities 

 available. Total inspections for the last Fiscal year were approximately 

 24,000. For this year our appropriation is 175,000 and with this amount 

 you can readily understand that there is a limitation on the number of 

 markets to which the service can be extended. Inspection offices are 

 established in about 30 of the largest markets. We receive a great many 

 requests to extend the service to additional markets and we believe that 

 there is sufficient demand for the service to warrant the opening of a num- 

 ber of new offices. We should like very much to extend the service to 

 some of these markets but this cannot be done with the funds available 

 for this year's work. At the present time we have about 50 inspectors and 

 during the past j^ear we could have well used at least 70 to 75. It has been 

 necessary to decline a large number of applications for inspection both 

 in the smaller markets which are served by the larger markets and in 

 some of the markets where a force of 5 or 6 inspectors has been unable 

 to supply the demand for the service. 



You may be interested in knowing the proportion of inspections made 

 at the request of shippers, receivers and the railroads. Figures for last 

 year's work are not available but as a general rule about one-fourth of 

 the inspections have been made for the railroads. Nearly the same pro- 

 portion were made at the request of shippers and the rest were asked by for 

 receivers, although many of the applications were indirectly at the re- 

 quest of shippers. 



The value of the inspection work can be better realized when you 

 keep in mind the fact that in the case of most of the 24,000 shipments 

 inspected last year there was some dispute about the sale and a basis 

 for adjustment was needed. The certificates issued by giving a statement 

 of facts which described the quality and condition of the products, made 

 possible in most instances a just settlement of the difiiculty. We have 

 not pleased both sides in all cases, and it has worked both ways as will 

 appear from the following statement made by the sales manager of a large 

 organization, "The buyer can always find fault with the shipment and 

 the shipper is never willing to agree that his shipment is of poor qualitj'^; 

 your reports are fair and impartial, and since they come from a disinter- 

 ested source both sides are beginning to realize that they are more de- 

 pendable than reports from any other source." 



You as shippers should also remember the fact that a government 

 inspector serves you even though no inspections are made. Undoubtedly 

 many unjust rejections and claims for allowances have been prevented 

 simply because it was realized that the shipper had the right to ask for 

 government inspection which would show an impartial and accurate 

 report of the qualit}^ and condition of a shipment. 



I wish to emphasize the fact that no matter who asks for the inspec- 

 tion we have only one kind of certificate to issue — that is based on a 

 statement of facts, without considering the particular interests of any- 

 one. We do not have one kind of certificate for the railroads, another 

 for shippers, and still a different kind for receivers. There is no axe 

 to grind and we are not working for any particular interest but we are 

 trying to serve the best interests of all and our efforts are devoted to 

 placing the produce trade in general upon a sounder and better working 

 basis. 



