406 ANlSrUAL EEPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 

 UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT (39 Stat. 486). 



The office cooperated with the Office of Markets and Rural Or- 

 ganization in the preparation, of rules and regulations under the act. 



The compilation of State warehouse laws, as published in MoJiun 

 on Warehousemen, was brought up to date for the futui^e use of the 

 office. Certain correspondence of the Office of Markets and Rural 

 Organization relating to the act was reA'iewed, together with a bul- 

 letin on a system of accounts for cotton warehouses, which is so 

 framed that it might be used by warehousemen licensed under 

 the act. 



Other work for the Office of Markets and Rural Organization in- 

 cluded review and revision of numerous bulletins, including among 

 others the subjects of the farm-loan act, farmers' mutual fire insur- 

 ance, cooperative stores, farm mortgage loans, farm leases, the 

 marketing of cotton in the Imperial Valley, marketing creamery 

 butter, the commercial handling, grading, and marketing of potatoes, 

 etc.; and the preparation of a discussion and forms of by-laws for 

 cooperative agricultural associations. 



A large number of cooperative agreements, news items, and mis- 

 cellaneous letters^ papers, and questions were reviewed and sugges- 

 tions made with reference to them. 



A conference was held in Pittsburgh with the market news service 

 representative of the Office of Markets and Rural Organization 

 and the United States attorney on the subject of disclosure of con- 

 fidential information received by the department. 



GENERAL STATUTES. 



At the close of the previous year there were pending 13 cases of 

 violations of the general criminal laws of the United States reported 

 to the Attorney General. During the present year two such cases 

 were reported to the Attorney General. Of the cases reported this 

 year and coming over from previous years, 8 were disposed of. Two 

 were abandoned for lack of sufficient evidence; in one an order of 

 nolle prosequi was entered; in one the grand jury refused to indict 

 because the defendant was probably insane; in one, upon a plea of 

 guilty, the defendant was sentenced to three months' imprisonment ; 

 in one the defendant was found not guilt}'; in one the defendant 

 pleaded guilty and a fine of $1 was imposed ; in one, a replevin suit 

 for the recovery of goods of this department, the goods were recov- 

 ered. At the close of the year seven cases were pending in the courts. 



PATENTS. 



Forty-seven applications for letters patent on inventions of em- 

 ployees of the department for dedication to the public were pre- 

 pared and filed, an increase of 27 over the preceding year. During 

 the year 14 were allowed and 2 disallowed. 



