644 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



for the general purpose of "encouraging production, conserving the sup- 

 ply and controlling the distribution of food products and fuel." One of 

 the provisions of the act is that it shall cease to be in effect when the 

 state of war between the United States and Germany shall have termi- 

 nated, and the fact and date of such termination shall be ascertained and 

 proclaimed by the president. 



Technically we are still at war, although there has been no fighting 

 since November 11, 1918, and in view of the fact that a condition of actual 

 war does not now exist, the question as to why we should continue to 

 function under wartime legislation would be a pertinent one. The an- 

 swer to this question is easy, for it has been demonstrated through the ad- 

 ministration of this legislation that federal supervision of the live stock 

 markets is an essential function for the government to perform and that 

 the benefits derived therefrom should not be confined to wartime only. 

 For this reason, the Department of Agriculture considers it a duty to 

 continue the work so long as the authority and the funds will permit, in- 

 stead of discontinuing it as has been done in the case of numerous other 

 wartime activities. 



In order that you may understand more clearly our present situa- 

 tion, I will explain briefly the present status of the authority and funds 

 which have enabled us to continue to function as we are doing at the 

 present time. At the end of the fiscal year, which ended June 30, 1919, 

 the appropriation of funds providing for various wartime activities, includ- 

 ing this work of stock yards supervision, expired leaving the authority 

 still in existence but leaving us without funds to finance its administra- 

 tion. Thru numerous and persistent appeals, however, from live stock 

 producers, live stock shippers and other factors in the live stock industry 

 whose familiarity with the beneficial results which had already come from 

 this work, enabled them to determine its value, together with a recom- 

 mendation from the Secretary of Agriculture, a special appropriation of 

 $75,000 was provided in the bill making appropriations for the Department 

 of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920. This amount was 

 estimated to be suflJicient to continue all supervision work until the peace 

 treaty was ratified. At that time, however, it was thought that this im- 

 portant event would take place at some time during the present genera- 

 tion. It has developed, however, that no man knoweth the date thereof 

 and our special appropriation is beginning to look small. We are pre- 

 paring to discontinue all of this work except where it can be conducted 

 in conjunction with other activities of our bureau where permanent of- 

 fices are being maintained for the purpose of conducting our market 

 report service. 



It would be of no value and little interest to you for me to consume 

 your time here in narrating the history of this wartime activity if it were 

 a mere piece of temporary work, which upon its completion is to be for- 

 ever consigned to the archives of the past. Such is not the case, however, 

 for vast questions of enduring importance to the live stock industry have 

 developed which must be dealt with in the future, and I can not think 

 of a time or place at which, a discussion of federal live stock market 

 supervision could be more appropriate than at the present time before 



