Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-23
The Depa' tment of Agriculture
TX. From Farm to Table
BIZ Frederic J. HQSkin
Bp Frederic ]. HaSktn

BIZ Frederic J. HaSktn
Washington, April 20-A few days ago half
dozen men from Chicago paid quiet visit to
the secretary of agriculture. The little call was
arranged by julius Rosenwad of the Council Of
National Defense, and the half dozen Chicago
men represented the biggest meat packing in
dustry in the world. They suggested that the
Department Of Agriculture should supervise their
billion-dollar business during the period OF the
emergency, and If necessary. fix maximum and
minimum meat prices. The results OF that sug-
gestion still lie in the future, and they may well
be enormously important.
1t will come as news to many Americans that
the department has already the adequate founda-
tons for system which could far more readily
take over the national problem of food require
ments and supply than any other organization
in the country. The machinery OF this system
is largely concentrated in the office of markets
and rural organization; and the chief OF this Office
himself is authority for the statement that not so
long ago there were men to be found in positions
Of high authority, who had never even hard of
it. Yet this Office already has nation wide sys-
TEN OF information covering the meat supply and
the movement Of most of the more perishable
foodstuffs; it has collected the most competent
staff Of experts in marketing and distribution to
be found anywhere; and with the help of some
engagements in its force 1t could furnish within
a short time an accurate statement of all the
available commercial supply of food in the United
States.
The office of markets is little known COM
pared to some Of the other bureaus of the De-
partment of Agriculture, because it is so young
1t is the latest addition to the department, and
even before the war emergency, it was growing
at great rate. The first provision for any work
Of the kind was made in 1918, when congress ap-
propriated $4,000 for the purpose. The growth
OF the work is shown by the fact that the income
Of the office for the coming year will be $l,700
O00 exclusive of any additional funds that may be
voted for emergency work.
The office of markets keeps in touch with the
the food supply through several channels. 1t con-
ducts market news service by mail and tele-
graph, which is the only thing of its kind main
tanned by any government. This news service
keeps track by wire of the movement Of every
car Of perishable foodstufs, such as potatoes and
onions, in the country. Since the first OF the year
a Geographic news service on the shipments of
live stock and the conditions at all the principal
live stock markets has been operated. The in
formation gathered by these services is sent free
to any one interested by mail, or it is furnished
by telegraph to anyone who cares to pay the
telegraph charges. A special force at headquar-
tiers works all night sending out the daily tele-
graphic reports.
Reports for the market news service are re-
ceived largely from railroad division supern-
tendents. In 1916 the news service only covered
the more important fruits and vegetables, but
reports were received from Cos division super
ntendents, representing 225,000 miles of railroad
Reports were received from every railroad, which
handled carload lots of the fruits and vegetables
covered by the service At the height of the
season, as many as ESQ superintendent were re-
porting at one time. There is no law compelling
the railroads to furnish such information to the
government, but the roads have shown themselves
very willing to cooperate.
The value of such market news service
lies in what it can do for the farmer and the
ultimate consumer. 1t steadies prices and elimi-
mates waste. The distribution system for farm
products has become enormously complex, and
no single farmer or association of farmers can
tell where. their goods are needed. As result,
without accurate information, some markets are
flooded, and others are left short. In the flooded
markets, the perishable products rot and decay;
in the short markets, the shortage makes the
consumer pay extravagant prices for fruits and
vegetables that are rotting in some other city
few hundred miles away. The whole object of
the news service is to spread broadcast the neces-
sary information about the supply in every i'm
portant city. The cantaloupe growers in the I'M
perial Valley of California alone estimate that
the news service saved them $250,000 in one sea-
son. The Bermuda onion growers of Texas say
the service was worth million dollars to them
in single year.
The Office of markets has been at work COL
lectng and distributing information on the total
amount of food held in cold storage throughout
the United States. The cooperation of lA50
meat-packing cold storage houses has already
been enlisted. These houses represent SO per
cent of the total capacity of their class in the
country. Figures are being compiled that will
tell the total cold storage capacity of all the
plants of this nature in the country, and of can
ming factories and general foodstuff warehouses
as we'll A list of factories which manufacture
all the substitute fat products, such as oleomar-
garine and compound lard is being prepared The
value of such information in case of centralized
control Of the nations food is very clear. It
should not be forgotten that one of the biggest
meat packers in the world predicted that If the
war lasts year, we may we'll have to put in
force system of meat-cards such as are used in
Germany.
Between the highly organized system for
estimating the yield of farm products, which is
operated by the Bureau OF Crop Estimates and
the machinery of marketing and distribution
available in the office of markets, the nation is
better prepared for national control of the food
supply than most people realize. Such control may
not become necessary, but this is time to take
stock of preparedness for any emergency.