UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
I| BULLETIN No. 589 
Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 
A. D. MELVIN, Chief 
^Jr'^^ru 
Washington, D. C. 
January 5, 1918 
THE 28-HOUR LAW REGULATING THE INTERSTATE TRANS- 
PORTATION OF LIVE STOCK: ITS PURPOSE, REQUIRE- 
MENTS, AND ENFORCEMENT. 1 
By Haery Goding and A. Joseph Raub, 
Bureau of Animal Industry. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Enactment of the law 1 
Purpose of the law 2 
Requirements of the law 3 
Proper feed and water 3 
Sufficient rest 4 
Humane handling 5 
Properly equipped pens 5 
Abuses under the law 9 
Results accomplished 13 
Improved yards 13 
Improved feeding and watering facilities. 14 
Better loading and unloading facilities. . . 16 
Removal of incompetent employees 17 
Improved train schedules 17 
Violations and penalties 17 
Further improvement desirable 17 
Text of present law is 
ENACTMENT OF THE LAW. 
During the Forty- second Congress a law was passed to prevent 
cruelty to animals while in the course of interstate transportation, 
which was approved by the President on March 3, 1873, and incor- 
porated in the Revised Statutes of the United States, first edition, 
as sections 4386 to 4390, inclusive. This law was enacted to prevent 
any carrier from transporting animals in interstate commerce for 
a longer period than 28 consecutive hours without unloading for the 
purpose of rest, water, and feeding for at least 5 consecutive hours 
before continuing their transportation. If, however, the animals 
were carried in cars, boats, or other vessels in which they could and 
did receive proper food, water, and rest, the statute permitted the 
carrier to transport them without unloading. 
To comply with the act, it became necessary for the transportation 
companies to provide feeding, watering, and resting facilities at 
1 The authors acknowledge the cooperation in this work of Mr, 
the time was in the service of the Bureau of Animal Industry. 
5775°— 18— Bull. 589 1 
J. V. De Laney, who at 
