PROCEEDINGS CORN BELT MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSN. 505 



ment of live stock. After this had been done and the movement of live 

 stock had been charted with colored charts so that any one could see just 

 what was happening and how the ups and down in receipts affected the 

 price of our live stock, the sub-committee set about to work out plans that 

 would, if possible, more evenly distribute the supply over the daily and 

 weekly periods^ 



After these plans were worked out on the various kinds and classes of 

 live stock and put in proper form and presented to the committee of the 

 whole, it was found that it would be most diflScult to harmonize and dove- 

 tail them into the plans of the sub-committee on co-operative marketing. 

 Then, too, we also found when we presented our plans to representatives 

 of the live stock exchange, that we could not secure their endorsement and 

 co-operation in putting them into actual working operation. But this, I 

 think, was largely due to the fact that the Committee of Fifteen was plan- 

 ning for the establishment of co-operative selling agencies at the different 

 terminal markets. 



After the various obstacles in the way of putting the plan over, as 

 worked out, were encountered and it was found impracticable to attempt 

 it at this time, the sub-committee found it necessary to very materially 

 modify and change its original plans so they would harmonize and work 

 into the general plans for the co-operative marketing of live stock. 



As time and space will not permit me to go into these as finally adopted, 

 I will refer you to the printed report of the Farmers' Live Stock Marketing 

 Committee of Fifteen which was adopted by the live stock conference at. 

 Chicago on November 11. 



In this connection, I wish to state that I believe that everything indicates 

 that the time has come when we, as producers, must prepare on a large 

 scale to market our live stock by the co-operative route. The idea that live 

 stock producers can not organize co-operative selling agencies that can 

 successfully compete with the old line commission men is all tommy-rot 

 and should be relegated to the archives of the past ages. The stock men 

 can not only save from forty to fifty per cent in commission charges, but 

 under the general plan adopted at the recent live stock conference, the 

 most logical and surest w^ay to bring about a more orderly flow of our live 

 stock to market is through our own co-operative marketing agencies. 

 This, then, being true, we should urge the early establishment of a good, 

 strong co-operative commission company at the Chicago market, and when 

 this is done, every live stock producer and shipper should get solidly back 

 of the movement and see to it that it is a success from the very beginning. 

 The time is fully ripe for the live stock producers to enter this field and 

 demonstrate the fact that they can market their live stock through their 

 own representatives to a material advantage to themselves. 



1920 Transportation Act 



Everybody except the men who control the railroads is agreed that 

 rates must come down, and yet there are no material reductions, and why? 

 Simply because the 1920 transportation act, known as the Esc'h-Cummins 

 bill, prevents the Interstate Commerce Commission from reducing rates 

 under the present railroad earnings. 



I doubt whether there has been a more vicious piece of legislation en- 



