PACKERS AND STOCKYARDS ADMINISTRATION. 683 



The respondents agreed to this proposal, and order was issued 

 by the Secretary on the 25th day of August, 1922, requiring that the 

 charge agreed upon be made a part of the published tariff of the 

 respondent market agencies. 



The original notice of hearing also provided for a general in- 

 quiry into the basic commission charges made by the members of 

 the Baltimore Live Stock Exchange. A hearing was held on this 

 general inquiry on June 22 and 23, 1922. 



Dockets Nos. 9 to 14, inclusive. 



American National Live Stock Association, National Wool Growers' As- 

 sociation, Arizona Cattle Growers' Association, Arizona Wool Growers' 

 Association, California Cattlemen's Association, Corn Belt Meat Pro- 

 ducers' Association, Idaho Cattle and Horse Growers' Association, 

 Montana Stock Growers' Association, Nebraska Stock Growers' Asso- 

 ciation, Nevada Land and Live Stock Association, New Mexico Cattle 

 and Horse Growers' Association, Oregon Cattle and Horse Raisers' As- 

 sociation, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers' Association, Utah 

 Cattle and Horse Growers' Association, Wyoming Stock Growers' As- 

 sociation, Complainants, 



V. 



The Chicago Live Stock Exchange, The Kansas City Live Stock Ex- 

 change, The Omaha Live Stock Exchange, The St. Paul Live Stock 

 Exchange, The Portland Live Stock Exchange; and those market 

 agencies operating at the stockyards at Chicago, 111. ; Kansas City, Mo. ; 

 Omaha, Nebr. ; St. Paul, Minn. ; Portland, Oreg. ; and Fort Worth, 

 Tex., that have registered with the Secretary of Agriculture under sec- 

 tion 303 of the Packers and Stockyards Act. 1921, Defendants. 



These are complaints against the commission charges at Portland, 

 Fort Worth, Kansas City, Omaha, St. Paul, and Chicago. Before 

 the date of hearing was ordered on this complaint a conference was 

 held by the representatives of the market agencies at the Kansas City 

 market and representatives of the American National Live Stock 

 Association, Kansas Live Stock Association, Missouri Live Stock 

 Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers' Association, 

 and other livestock organizations tributary to the Kansas City mar- 

 ket. This conference resulted in the proposal to the Secretary that 

 the issues in dispute be settled by arbitration. G. N. Dagger, in 

 charge of the division of rates, charges, and registration, and 

 Howard M. Gore, in charge of the division of trade practices, of the 

 Packers and Stockyards Administration, were selected as arbitrators. 

 This form of procedure was approved by the Secretary. The same 

 form of procedure was agreed upon at Omaha, St. Paul, and Chi- 

 cago. A hearing was held at Kansas City, beginning October 30, 

 1922. A hearing was held at Omaha on March 26, 1923, at St. Paul 

 on February 19, 1923, and at Chicago, March 5, 1923. These hear- 

 ings were widely announced, and all parties were present and pre- 

 sented their facts and suggestions with reference to the commission 

 rates. In addition, the division of audits and accounts of the Pack- 

 ers and Stockyards Administration made an audit of the books of 

 the commission firms. The arbitrators made considerable investiga- 

 tion on their own account and required numerous reports from com- 

 mission jEirms regarding their business, organization, and operations. 

 A preliminary informal report was made to the Secretary on the 

 rates at Kansas City, Omaha, St. Paul, and Chicago before the close 

 of the fiscal year, and the final report of the arbitrators has since 



