Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-01-29
TO
FARMERS GIVEN
BY Department
Annual Report Office of Mar
keting Tells of Valuable
49,. Service Rendered
Special star;BulIstin correspOndsnee)

! Especial StarBuhetin Correspondence
! WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. II. -
The development during the last fiscal
! year of more extensive and more
| highly perfected. demonstration mar
! ket news service for perishable fruits
and vegetables and the performance of
| work preliminary to beginning a simi-
| lar service for livestock and meats are
| described in the annual report of the
office of markets and rural organiZa-
tion of the L. S. department of agri-
culture, which has just been publish
| ed. The news service for perishable
foods and vegetables, established for
four products in 1915, was extended to
include number of new crops, an
additional number of stations in pro-
ducing territory and an increased num-
Der of permanent offices in market
centerS. The service has reached a
much larger number of persons than
during the preceding year and has, ac-
cording to reports, been valuable in
assisting growers organizations to
plan selling campaigns intelligently;
in promoting better understanding
among growers, shippers, commission
merchants and consumers, and in fac
ilitating efficient marketing opera
tons in other ways
Grading and Standardization Work
The office has continued it's stud
les OF market grades and standards
for various farm products.
investigations into the reasons for
the economic loss of foodstuffs in
transit are being continued, and pos
sible methods of Improvement are be-
ing studied. Cooperation between
shippers and carriers with a view to
reducing loss has been stimulated in
various instances. Experimental ship
ments of various products originating
on the farm, aggregating nearly $4,000
pounds, were made by parcel post dur
ing the year. Results from these and
earlier shipments, according to the
report, indicate that 1t is physically
possible to ship almost any commodity
by parcel post when it is properly
packed and'handled. The experiments
have shown also, however, that COM
parative returns from other market.
ing methods must be considered and
that it is essential for success in par
eel post marketing for shippers to
grade and standardize their products
and to use suitable containers.
Rural Organization investigations
Rural organization investigations of
the office resulted in, the collection of
data onlthe costs and sources Of farm
loans, loans to farmers by merchants
in the South, farmers mutual insnr- |
ance companies and rural telephone
companies. Intensive rural SURVEYS of |
two counties were completed and stud |
les were made of large number of !
rural social, educational and civic ac-
tivities. = - So. d
Cotton Marketing Work
In its work of enforcing the cotton
futures act the office designated as |
bona fide spot cotton markets the ex-
changes in two cities in addition to
the thirteen previously designated. A |
number of additional domestic mar
kets have adopted the official cot
ton standards as basis for their
The standards have
been adopted also by the Rotterdam,
Holland, cotton exchange During the
fiscal year disputes arising from fu-
ture transactions and involving 26,717
bales were passed on by the office.
These disputes were from New York,
none arising in New Orleans, the only
other officially designated future mar
ket in the country. D..
During the year the office completed
its standards tor tinged and stained
American cotton and these were pro-
mulgated by the secretary of the agri-
culture. Work on the Standardization
Of Arizona-Egyptian cotton and sea-
Island cotton was continued. Two
hundred and forty-eight full sets and
% fractional sets of the official stand
ards for white cotton were distributed.
Other Work
Other work carried on by the office
of markets and rural organization in
Guided investigations in cooperative
purchasing and marketing and mar
Seting business practise. In the lat
Ter work uniform systems of account. /,
ng were devised for grain elevators,
ruit and produce Associations, live
'tock shipping associations, coopera-l
I've stores, commission houses and
'ther industries. Investigations in city
and distribution and in the .
of cotton seed and its pro-
lucts were continued The new work
AIKEN up by the office included the
irafting of rough plans for and esti
mating the costs of municipal public
markets and wholesale terminal mar
tets, investigations in the marketing
4 dairy products and in the marketing
# grain, seeds and hay.