568 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



yards throughout the country. The assurance of open competitive 

 market conditions and reasonable marketing costs in the live-stock 

 and meat-packing industry is the prime purpose of this statute. In 

 addition to the powers specifically conferred on the Secretary of 

 Agriculture, those possessed by the Federal Trade Commission with 

 respect, to the enforcement of the provisions of the Federal Trade 

 Commission act in connection with unfair methods of competition 

 are granted also to the Secretary of Agriculture for the enforce- 

 ment of the packers and stockyards act. On the other hand, the full 

 effect of the existing antitrust laws of the country remains unim- 

 paired. Not the least important responsibility placed upon the 

 Secretary of Agriculture is that of gathering and determining facts 

 about which there has been so much controversy and publishing 

 them from time to time, even when they show that complaints have 

 been unjustified. 



THE PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ADMINISTRATION. 



The packers and stockyards act, 1921, Public No. 51, Sixty-seventh 

 Congress, was approved August 15, 1921. As the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture is charged with the enforcement of this statute, he began 

 immediately to develop plans for its administration. An estimate 

 of the amount of funds required to defray expenses for the remain- 

 der of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1922, was submitted to Con- 

 gress, and $200,000 was provided in the deficiency act of August 24, 

 1921. As a means of effective administration, and in order that the 

 Secretary might give his close personal attention directly to its 

 activities, the Packers and Stockyards Administration was created 

 as a separate unit of the department under an assistant to the Secre- 

 tary, who reports directly to the Secretary. This officer was desig- 

 nated on September 6, 1921, and began immediately the formation 

 of the organization and the work of carrying out the purposes of 

 the law. The first work was that of securing competent associates 

 for the purpose of handling the different phases of the work as it 

 developed. These phases were naturally grouped into five parts: 



1. Administrative. 



2. Law. 



3. Audits and accounts. 



4. Rates, cliarges, and registrations. 



5. Trade practices. 



This does not constitute a separation of the work into projects, but 

 is solely a division of administrative labor in order that matters 

 needing attention may be handled properly and by persons having 

 definite responsibility therefor. 



The development of the organization has shown the need for the 

 utmost flexibility and coordination of effort, particularly in the de- 

 velopment of policies, so that no one branch of the work may be car- 

 ried on without full cognizance of the activities in the other branches. 



For the handling of the multitude of administrative matters that 

 necessarily arise in such an organization, and in order that the bene- 

 fits of the existing experience of the department might be retained 

 in full measure, Stephen Bray, specialist in marketing live stock and 

 meats, who was head of the live stock and meats division of the Bu- 

 reau of Markets and Crop Estimates, was selected as general assistant 

 to the officer in charge, and George T. Ash, who for years had served 



