The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-12
Market News Services

Many producers, distributors and others have come to depend on the mar ket news services of the bureau of mar kets and to make less use of commer- ,cial price quoting agencies, which are not able to furnish data so reliable, ac- curate prompt, and comprehensive, ac- cording to the annual report of the Secretary of Agriculture.
 The market news services were greatly enlarged in the fiscal year 19ls until branch offices numbered approx mately 90. They were distributing mar ket information to all sections of the country over practically 14,oo0 miles of leased wires.
 The news service on fruits and veg etables was made continuous through out the year for the first time since 1t was instituted Reports were issued In season covering approximately 92 com modities and indicating daily carload shipments, the shipping prices in the particular markets throughout the country, and other shipping point facts. Temporary field stations were operated at S2 points in two producing sections, more than twice as many IS in the pre- ceding year.
 The news service on live stock and meats was extended to include addi-
 
 marketing centers and producing dis tricts. New features to make the ser vice more useful to producers in the trade were added. The daily reports on meat trade conditions, which formerly gave information on the demand, sup plies and wholesale prices of western dressed fresh meats in four of the most important western markets, now cover Los Angeles, San Francisco and Pitts burg also. As a supplement to the daily reports a weekly review is published. The daily telgraphic report on live stock shipments west of the Allegheny mountains was extended to include all live stock loaded on railroads through out the United States. Information, re- garding the "in' and "out'' movement in certain feeding districts is being published This work is held to be val- uable in indicating the potential meat supply of the country and is to be de- veloped as rapidly as funds permit.
 The department took over on June l. 1918, the furnishing of all telepraphic market reports distributed daily from the Chicago union stock yards on live stock receipts and prices, not only those regularly sent over the leased wire of the bureau of markets. but all reports used by commercial news agencies and press associations. The ubstitution of a government report for the previous unofficial services has exerted ma terial influence in restoring confidence in the reports of market conditions, the lack of which has been a fundam ental obstacle to the development of the live stock industry. ..
 The news service on dairy and poul- try products gives prices of butter, eggs, and cheese, trade conditions, mar ket receipts, storage movement, and supplies in storage and in the hands of wholesalers and jobbers. Since the fall of 1917 it has covered Washington. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chi cago, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Data were secured each month from ap- proximately 14,000 dairy manufactur- ing plants In the United States, show ing the quantities produced of such prodcts as whey, process butter, oleo- margarine, cheese of different kinds, condensed and evaporated milk various classes of powdered milk. casein and milk sugar.