34 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the fresh beef, fresh mutton, fresh pork, poultry, butter, eggs, and 

 fish received into cold storage in a year amounts to a weight of at 

 least 1,000.000,000 pounds and very likely to a quarter of a billion 

 more. 



The eggs received into storage in a year are approximately 13^ per 

 cent of the farm production ; the fresh beef is over 3 per cent of the 

 census commercial shuighter of cattle; mutton over 4 per cent of 

 that slaughter of sheep and lambs; fresh pork IH per cent of that 

 slaughter of hogs; and butter 25 per cent of the creamery production. 



RECOMMENDATION. 

 PUBLICITY. 



This is no indictment of the men who keep foods in cold storage, 

 except in so far as the}' sometimes speculate, nor need they be in- 

 dicted for offenses in order that the public economic interest in their 

 business may be made to appear. The foregoing matter, it may be 

 supposed, establishes that. The man who places food in cold storage 

 is somewhat in the situation of the man who forestalls the market. 

 He may not attempt to do so, but the power may be a temptation. 



The affairs of such a business as this should have publicity. The 

 public ought to know how much goods are in storage from month to 

 month and what the movements of receipts and deliveries are. 



The food warehousemen should be required to send to Washington 

 monthly reports containing the desired information. Here these 

 reports could be promptly aggregated and the results could be given 

 to the public on a previously announced day of the month, somewhat 

 as the crop reports are. 



WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT IN 1911. 



IMPROVEMENT IN BUSINESS METHODS. 



On September 20, 1910, I appointed a committee on economy and 

 efficiency to investigate business methods in the department and to 

 report to me such changes as might seem desirable. After a very 

 comprehensive and thorough inquiry this committee reported that in 

 the main the business methods of the department are economical, 

 adequate, and efficient. Some changes were recommended, which were 

 approved by me and became effective June 21, 1911. While this in- 

 quiry was in progress, the committee cooperated to the fullest extent 

 possible with the President's committee on economy and efficiency, 

 and a great deal of critical, analytical, and constructive work was 

 done, and full reports were furnished to the President's committee 

 by the departmental committee and by the various bureaus, divisions, 

 and offices. 



