REPORT OF THE PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS 



ADMINISTRATION. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Packers and Stockyards Administration, 



Washington, D. C. September 9, 1922. 

 Sir : I submit herewith the first report of the Packers and Stock- 

 yards Administration. 

 Respectfully, 



Chester Morrill, 

 Assistant to the Secretai^y. 

 Hon. H. C. Wallace, 



Secretanj of AgricuJture. 



This is the first report of the Packers and Stockyards Administra- 

 tion. It covers the period from the date of the passage of the packers 

 and stockyards act. 1921, on August 15, 1921, to the end of the fiscal 

 year, June 30, 1922. Substantial progress has already been made in 

 the development of the organization under the act and the accom- 

 plishment of its purposes, notwithstanding the embarrassment caused 

 for several months by the litigation instituted by certain commission 

 men and traders to test the constitutionality of the new statute. 



The live-stock and meat-packing industry, taken altogether, is 

 more important, if not in fact larger, than any other single class 

 of business in the whole industrial organization of our country, and 

 for a long time prior to the passage of the packers and stockyards 

 act a general impression existed, especially among live-stock pro- 

 ducers, that conditions prevailing in the live-stock markets and the 

 meat-packing industry were such that the Federal Government 

 should exercise general supervisional authority over the various 

 phases of this great activity. There had arisen a general lack of con- 

 fidence, as well as deep-seated dissatisfaction, with reference to the 

 manner in which the live-stock marketing machine was functioning. 

 There were known to be certain specific evils which the legitimate 

 elements in the industry disapproved but found it difficult to combat, 

 and which apparently could be dealt with only through some disin- 

 terested party. There was serious controversy as to what were the 

 facts bearing upon important phases of the business, and leaders 

 in the industrj' came to see that intelligent supervision should be 

 beneficial. 



In substance, the act charges the Secretary of Agriculture with 

 the duty of preventing and correcting irregularities or abuses on 

 the part of persons engaged in the live-stock and meat-packing 

 industr}', such as unfair, discriminatory, or deceptive practices, or 

 the control of prices or the establishment of monopolies, and with 

 the supervision and control of the rates and charges of the stock- 

 yards companies and market agencies at the various public stock- 



25684— AGR 1923 37 567 



