USDA Northwest Cannery Survey Collection, 1914-1915

In 1911, the 26^th legislative assembly created the office of the Oregon State Immigration Agent, appropriating $20,000 for immigration advertising work. An additional $5,000 was allocated for statistical research and collection work to be done by the Oregon Statistical Bureau (OSB), under the direction of Dean J. A. Bexell of Oregon Agricultural College’s Department of Commerce. The initial mandate of the OSB was completion of a general survey of statewide agricultural operations in order to “determine the opportunities in each locality for new settlers and, if possible, to find some of the difficulties in agricultural development.” Though the Oregon Statistical Bureau was not funded to continue its work after completing the survey, the resulting publication, The Oregon Farmer: What He has Accomplished in Every Part of the State, laid the foundation for subsequent agricultural surveys.

In his report for the School of Commerce in OAC’s 1912-1914 Biennial Report, Bexell suggests that it is the “aim of the department of Economics to be of the utmost possible service” to farmers’ organizations. Referencing Dr. Hector MacPherson’s recommendations in the Oregon Farmer, Bexel argued the OSB should be funded to continue its work under the umbrella of the proposed state Bureau of Markets, and that future efforts should “[attack] certain definite problems” of agricultural operations in the state. With regards to “Business Efficiency,” concerted efforts should be made to “work towards a uniform system of accounting for all farmers’ organizations,” and progress should be monitored more uniformly by providing organizations with standardized “forms for a series of reports from month to month, and from year to year.” Finally, in order to help streamline, standardize, and modernize methods and costs of production, Bexell argued that a “cannery survey covering the complete operations of the canneries of Oregon for the season of 1914” should be conducted.

The subsequent cannery survey, undertaken between 1914 and 1915, was commissioned by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Office of Markets and Rural Organization, and was done cooperatively between the USDA and the OSB, working out of Oregon Agricultural College’s School of Commerce under the continued direction of J. A. Bexell. The surveys were overseen and submitted by Certified Public Accountant J. W. Boies of New York, who reported to H. W. Kerr, Investigator of Business Practice at the Bureau of Markets and Rural Organization. Typical suggestions made by the Auditing Committee – comprised of J. A. Bexell, T. A. Logsden, and Harry Asbahr – included introducing “simple, labor saving methods under a practical, but concise, cost system,” a “modern…method of distributing the Pay Roll,” and the purchase of “modern” Cash and Sales Books.