PROCEEDINGS CORN BELT MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSN. 543 



that conditions will improve, but absolutely that we must not become over- 

 optimistic or impatient at the rate at which that moves, and if we are 

 going to take our place in the reconstruction move and not get ahead of 

 ourselves and precipitate new difficulties, we have got to do it through this 

 representation of agriculture as an industry, whether through the agrarian 

 bloc at Washington or in the state organizations here, that we have got 

 to have bankers who will pass on the possible services of the War Finance 

 Corporation to us, and in time pass that work on to the permanent agency 

 which is in process of being established in this state, and that we must 

 get back as a unit of these commodity organizations in the state of Iowa. 

 I thank you. (Applause.) 



The President : Gentlemen of the convention, I have been re- 

 quested to name a special committee here to consider a matter 

 that is just a little outside of our general program, and I have agreed 

 to do so, and at this time I am going to announce that committee, 

 and then we have another number on our program that does not 

 appear on the printed program which we are to listen to. This 

 special committee consists of J. F. Eisele, Malcom ; Fletcher Mc- 

 Cormick, Montezuma ; Otto Schugg, Ida Grove ; Thomas McGivern, 

 Marengo; Emil Federson, Des Moines; J. B. James, Blakesburg; 

 Charles Mitchell, Chariton. This committee is to consult with 

 W. C. O. Marker. 



Now, further, we have a gentleman with us this afternoon whom 

 we did not receive word of the possibility of his being with us until 

 after the program had gone to the printer, on account of him be- 

 ing connected with the Department of Agriculture at this time, and 

 of course there is a great deal of red tape to be gone thru with in 

 getting those acceptances, and so he doesn't appear on the pro- 

 gram ; but at this time we are going to listen to Mr. C. L. Harlan, 

 who was the statistician for the Corn Belt Meat Producers' Asso- 

 ciation at the Chicago yards and who is now in the employ of the 

 Department of Agriculture in the Bureau of Markets. Mr. Har- 

 lan. (Applause.) 



DEFECTS IN THE PREVAILING SYSTEM OF MARKET DISTRIBUTION 



By C. L. Harlan. 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention: Mr. Sykes and Mr. 

 Wallace, of this Corn Belt Meat Producers' Association, wanted me to 

 come out and say a few words with regard to the problem of better mar- 

 ket distribution of live stock, or as we have generally called it, more 

 orderly marketing of live stock. 



I think we can agree with what Mr. McKerrow said this morning, that 

 the great benefit from co-operative marketing organizations, so far as live 

 stock is concerned, is not going to be in the saving of commissions that 



