MARKETS AND RURAL ORGANIZATION. 397 



ports of the office of the Secretary on the meat situation (Report 113) , 

 under the title, "Methods and Cost of Marketing Live Stock and 

 Meats."' Extensive compilations were prepared from schedules of 

 questions on marketing live stock and meats which were sent to 

 10,500 live-stock correspondents and price reporters of the Bureau 

 of Crop Estimates early in the fiscal year. 



CONFERENCE AND HEARINGS RELATIVE TO MARKETING LIVE STOCK, DISTRIBUTION OF 



MEATS AND RELATED MATTERS. 



By direction of the secretary a conference and hearing was con- 

 ducted on November 15 and 16, 1915. at Chicago for the purpose of 

 " ascertaining the essential facts pertaining to the industry with a 

 view to bringing about more stable market conditions, more efficient 

 methods, closer cooperation, and a better understanding among all 

 the interests connected with the industry." 



Prominent representatives of all the leading organizations of 

 stock growers, feeders, commission men, packers, retailers, stockyard 

 companies, traders, railroads, live-stock loan companies, banks, and 

 other interested parties participated in this meeting. It was the 

 first attempt ever made to bring together representatives of the vari- 

 ous interests concerned in the live-stock and meat industiy. The 

 proceedings of the meeting were published as House Document No. 

 855, Sixty-fourth Congress, first session (Mar. 8, 1916). There 

 has been a large demand for this publication, and the statements it 

 contains have been of material assistance in connection with various 

 phases of the work of this project. 



MARKET REPORTS ON LIVE STOCK AND MEATS. 



A special study of the methods, sources, accuracy, and use of 

 market reports and variations of the prices of live stock, meats, and 

 animal by-products at market centers, which was begun in June, 

 1915, was continued during a part of the past fiscal year. The 

 results have been embodied in part in Report 113 and have been 

 utilized also in connection with the work of other subprojects and as 

 a partial basis for the separate project, market reports on live stock 

 and meats, which is now being organized. 



STUDY OF CENTRALIZED LIVE-STOCK MARKETS. 



The study of centralized live-stock markets has been continued by 

 means of personal inquiry, using a systematic schedule of some 70 

 items pertaining to the facilities, organization, and service rendered 

 by these markets, with a view to publishing the data for the informa- 

 tion of stockmen and others who are dependent upon these establish- 

 ments. Monthly reports of live-stock receipts and shipments are now 

 being furnished this office from 58 public stockyards, and improved 

 methods of reporting such figures have been adopted by several of 

 the markets at our suggestion. Especial attention has been given to 

 the segregation of data on stockers and feeders shipped from the 

 markets to the coimtry, and 26 stockyards companies are now 

 furnishing this office separate reports on stocker and feeder ship- 

 ments. 



