480 ANNUAL EEPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



produce through commission dealers find the reports useful as a 

 means of checking statements of sales. 



The operation of this service has a marked tendency to decrease 

 market gluts by increasing the consumption of abundant products, 

 and in the various cities in which the Local Market Reporting Service 

 has been established, it has received the hearty commendation of pro- 

 ducers and consumers, especially civic leaders and domestic economy 

 workers. 



In addition to carrying on the regular work of this service the agents 

 in a number of cities have also been able to bring about special 

 improvements in marketing conditions. 



EMERGENCY TRAFFIC AND STORAGE ASSISTANCE. 



Abnormal transportation conditions engendered by the war have 

 caused the receipt by the Department of Agriculture of a flood of 

 complaints and appeals for assistance in obtaining transportation 

 facilities from producers and distributors of agricultural products, 

 and from the manufacturers, distributors, and users of the commod- 

 ities needed in agricultural production. All of this correspondence 

 reaching any bureau or division of the Department of Agriculture has 

 been referred to the Transportation Division, which is under the 

 direction of Mr. G. C. White, and much work has been done in reliev- 

 ing many urgent cases. 



Transportation men have been detailed to heavy producing sections 

 to work in close cooperation with shippers and carriers in an effort to 

 procure better service for shippers and to avert shortages of cars and 

 ice for refrigeration in transit, by bringing about the best possible 

 utihzation of equipment and by heavier and better loading, etc. 

 Work of this kind was taken up in connection with the movement of 

 the onion crop of Texas and the cantaloupes of the Imperial Valley 

 of California and the Salt River section of Arizona. 



The cold-storage specialists of the Bureau of Markets have cooper- 

 ated with representatives of the United States Food Administration 

 in formulating regulations governing the distribution and marketing 

 of cold-storage foodstuffs. Assistance has been rendered to the 

 Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army in planning better 

 methods of handling and conserving, in storage and in transit, the 

 meat products intended for the Army abroad. 



FOOD PRODUCTS INSPECTION SERVICE. 



Under authority contained in the food production act, which au- 

 thorized the Secretary of Agriculture to investigate and certify to 

 shippers the condition as to soundness of fruits and vegetables 

 received at important central markets, the Food Products Inspection 

 Service was instituted during the last year in 36 of the most important 

 markets of the country. For administrative purposes the country 

 was divided into four divisions, each in charge of a supervising 

 inspector. The headquarters of these divisions are Washington, 

 New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. This work is supervised by 

 Messrs. W. M. Scott and C. T. More. 



Rules and regulations for the conduct of this service were contained 

 in Cii'cular 82 of the Secretary's Office, and information concerning 



