EEPOET OF THE SOLICITOR. 389 



the provisions of the act pending action by tlieir legislatures. Many 

 inquiries regarding proposed road legislation in the States were 

 answered. Fifty road project statements submitted by the States 

 were examined, and 10 agreements for the construction of roads were 

 prepared. Various forms were drafted for use by the States in the 

 administration of the act. 



UNITED STATES GRAIN STANDARDS ACT. (39 U. S. Stat. 482). 



The appropriation act for this department for the year ending 

 June 30, 1917, which was approved on August 11, 1916, contained a 

 part known as the United States grain standards act, which provides 

 for the establishment of official grain standards of the United States 

 for corn, wheat, and other grains and of a system of licensed inspec- 

 tion and grading thereunder for the purposes of interstate and foreign 

 commerce. This statute was the result of an agitation extending over 

 a number of 3'ears looking to the elimination of the diverse standards 

 and sj'stems of grading thereunder in use in the various grain mar- 

 kets and to the substitution therefor of uniform standards and their 

 accurate aj^plication throughout the United States. 



Immediately upon the passage of the act this office worked with 

 representatives of the Office of Markets and Eural Organization in 

 the preparation of orders of establishment and promulgation, in- 

 cluding the description, of the official grain standards of the United 

 States for shelled corn, wdiich were issued on September 1, 1916, 

 effective December 1, 1916. Following this the preparation of rules 

 and regulations under the act was taken up. A series of conferences 

 with members of the trade and public hearings on the proposed regu- 

 lations were attended and the final draft was completed and was 

 issued on November 6, 19^6. In the meantime and following the 

 issuance of the regulations forms were prepared for gi-ade memo- 

 randa, findings, complaints, stipulations, and authority of agents, 

 in both disputes and appeals, certificates of grade, applications for 

 inspectors' licenses, orders of cancellation of licenses, daily records 

 ancl monthly reports of licensed inspectors, handling of fees and 

 charges, shippers' reports of uninspected grain, a tabulation of the 

 shelled-corn standards, and other papers and records used in the 

 administration of the act. Assistance was also given the Office of 

 Markets and Rural Organization in framing the order of the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture establishing supervision districts for use in 

 administering the act. During the year 87 opinions upon questions 

 arising in the administration of the act were prepared and dis- 

 tributed through service and regidatory announcements and in- 

 formation bulletins of the Office of Markets and Rural Organization 

 and upwards of 200 others in the form of letters, not published, 

 for the signature of the chief of that office were prepared, revised, 

 or approved. This office participated in the preparation of pro- 

 posed standards for wheat, upon which public hearings, attended 

 by a represent atiA^e of this office, were held in various markets of 

 the United States during February and March, 1917. These stand- 

 ards were then put into final shape and were issued on March 31, 

 1917, effective in part on July 1 and in part on August 1, 1917. A 



