REPORT OF THE SOLICITOR. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Office of the Solicitor, 

 Washington, D. C, September 8, 1922. 

 Sir: I submit herewith report of the work of the office of the 

 soHcitor for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1922, 



Respectfully, 



R. W. Williams, 



Solicitor. 

 Hon. Henry C. Wallace, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



Pursuing the policy adopted in the submission of the last annual 

 report of this office, details of the work of the office for the fiscal year 

 ended June 30, 1922, are omitted. 



The last annual report contains a list of the principal regulatory 

 statutes committed to this department for administration. Since 

 then the so-called future trading act, the packers and stockyards act, 

 1921, the Capper- Volstead Cooperative Marketing Act, and the 

 Federal highway act were passed, each providing for their adminis- 

 tration by you. The future trading act was declared unconstitutional 

 by the Supreme Court of the United States as to its regulatory pro- 

 visions. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 

 packers and stockyards act in suits brought by Chicago live-stock 

 commission men and traders. 



I am pleased to report the reduction of the office force during the 

 year by three — one lawyer and two clerks. 



The principal work of the office consists in the giving of legal 

 advice to the Secretary and to the administrative heads of the several 

 bureaus, offices, divisions, and boards in the department and to such 

 of the general public as may request information upon subjects 

 covered by the various statutes administered by the department; 

 preparation of cases, both civil and criminal, under the various 

 regulatory statutes administered by the department, for reference 

 to the Attorney General; assistance to United States attorneys in the 

 conduct of the department's litigation in the courts; drafting and 

 reporting upon proposed congressional legislation affecting the work 

 of the department; preparation or revision of the regulations and 

 orders of the Secretary of Agriculture promulgated under the various 

 regulatory laws; preparation of contracts and similar documents; 

 and prosecution of applications for patents on inventions by depart- 

 ment employees. 



The following is a summary of the work of the office during the 

 year, so far as it is possible to present it statistically : 



There were reported to the Department of Justice 4,864 violations 

 of statutes intrusted to the aepartment for enforcement. The 

 25G84— AGB 1923 38 583 



