The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-10-04
DEPARTMENT FOR THE AGRICULTURISTS

LIE AdkCULlUkNlN
>ccc>ccccccccoooco
rlculture, the stockyards company.
and the livestock exchange in case
the offenders are members of the ex-
change.
There seems to be a misunder-
standing as to the punishment Tor
wrongdoing which the Department. of
Agriculture can inIilct. In the first
place, | have no authority to refuse
to register commission firms doing
business on the market. / have no
a. thority toput out of the market
commission firms which may be fond
guilty of wrong-doing. When | find
pc ople apparently guilty of wrong
dong l can cite the n to a hearing
1t their guilt is established, either by
confession or as result of the hear
ing, may order them to cease and
desist from the wrong-doing, but /
can not fine them for what thew have
done. After the order to cease and
desist has been issued they then be-
come subject to heavy fine for each
repetition of the .offense.
The stockyards companies can ex-
erclse some power over wrongdoers
by virtue of their ownership of the
yards and can bar agencies from the
yards in case of fragrant wrong-do-
ing.
;. Inc livestock exchange can discip-
me It's members, either by fines or by
| suspension or expulsion from MEM
Dershlp, because the members of live
stock exchanges have agreed to abide
oy the rules and regulations of the
exchanges, thus rendering themselves
subject to exchange discipline.
;. Inc rules and regulations of the
livestock exchange at St. Paul were
MED with us, as required by law. and
these rules include the right Of the
| exchange to punish its members for
improper conduct. The rules of the
stocKyards company also were filed
with the department, and these rules
carry authority to deal with miscon-
duct in the yard. Under the Packers
and Stockyards Act both the exchange
| ana the stockyards are required to
| enforce the rules and regulations
which they have adopted.
When we sent our auditors to g.
Paul the Board of Directors of the
Live Stock Exchange said to us that
| If any of their members were pn;ltv
OF wrong doing they wanted to know
u! that they would promptly deal
with them. Each member of the Elk.
| change authorized us to report to
the Directors anything we found to
be wrong in the conduct of his bust
ness.
The task of auditing the books of
/ thlrty-four commission agencies in
the st. Paul yard was a big one. Re-
tore it was long in progress we be-
gan to discover irregularities on the
part OF different firms. We could
have waited until the audit was com
rleted and then cited these firms for
nearing, and if found guilty could
have issued an order to cease and de-
slst. We could not have put them off
the market. We could not have fined
them for what had been done. Such
course would have required DELAYED
action for many months until the
audit could be completed.
), IT. was evident that members OF
the exchange had been guilty of vic.
iatlon OF the rules of the exchange
and had thus rendered themselves
subject to punishment by the ex
change. 1t was also evident thai
these guilty firms had violated the
rules OF the stockyards compan,
which they had agreed to follow, anc
therefore had rendered ,.themselve.
subject to punishment by the stock
yards company. To get prompt ac
ton, therefore, these guilty partie.
were reported to the exchange and Il
the, stockyards company. Action b,
both was prompt and drastic. Nine
firms were fineds. Two of these firms
subsequently withdrew from business
Seven other firms were indefinitel,
barred from the yeards. The guilty
ones were punishd promptly and eff
Ifectively and every practical step is
being taken to secure restitution fo,
shippers if they have lost anythine
through these irregularities
1t should clearly be understood tina,
the punishment inflicted by the ex.
change and by the stockyards com.
pany does not relieve any of the
guilty firms from the penalties of the
law as enforced by the Department Of
Agriculture. In every case of i'm.
proper practice formal proceedings
have been or will be prosecuted By
j us against both members of the ex
change and non-members. If they are
found guilty, orders to cease and de-
sist will be issued and thereafter il
the offense is repeated they will be
subject to the fines imposed. Moth
| ing has been done to relieve the gull
ty from the full penalties Of the law
and nothing of this sort will be done
The penal punishment imposed BY
the Exchange and stockyards com.
pany is not substitute for action BY
the Department of Agriculture, but
an additional punishment.
! The point to the whole matter is
this, that the course have followed
has resulted in putting the most
guilty ones entirely out of the mar.
ket. If / had not called upon the
/ livestock exchange to punish its
guilty members and the stockyards tt
enforce it's own rules and regulations
punishment would not have been
prompt as it has been, and so far as