554 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 



ceipts off the market, both for the purpose of relieving the market pres- 

 sure due to disproportionate receipts. In either case the attempt would 

 be to make the necessary re-distribution of the supply after it reaches 

 the market rather than at loading points or en route. This would involve 

 the minimum of transportation expense and would eliminate the necessity 

 of added equipment in the scheme of marketing, except at the markets 

 themselves. The first method of limiting the numbers to be offered would 

 necessitate an agreement among all the interests at the markets by which 

 seasonable daily maximum limits to the numbers of different kinds of 

 stock that could be offered for sale out of first hands should be established, 

 together with practical means of securing such limitations. Such a 

 method would more or less automatically limit the numbers offered for 

 sale on a given day's market; it would not require any agreement as to 

 action to be taken in particular situations; the control would be central- 

 ized at the markets; and means would be had for relieving a situation that 

 had developed. On the other hand, it might involve expensive and even 

 impossible (under present conditions) changes in market equipment, and 

 certainly considerable changes in handling at the market. Also it is per- 

 haps debatable whether a supply that has reached the market if held off 

 the market would not still have the same depressing effect. The con- 

 scious control method of securing temporary agreements for carrying ex- 

 cessive receipts over would make possible the taking off the market of 

 temporary over-supplies and would lessen the dependence upon traders 

 and speculators in carrying over this surplus. Such a method, to be work- 

 able at all, would require the approval and loyal support of all the different 

 selling agencies as well as the backing of all the established exchanges; 

 admittedly these would be difficult to secure. Unless accompanied by 

 reduced country loadings it might have the effect of simply piling up the 

 supply instead of equalizing it. Finally, to be equitable, it would require 

 some sort of pooling by which the expense and risk of carrying over would 

 be shared by all the stock benefiting by the action. 



If it is accepted that the present automatic, price regulated control does 

 not work satisfactorily and that there are promising possibilities of im- 

 proving upon it and that a better method of control will result in returns 

 to the live stock industry much exceeding the added costs of some differ- 

 ent or supplementary method of control, then it appears plain that these 

 changed methods must be along the lines indicated under the name of 

 conscious control. As the name implies, this must be a thought-out, care- 

 fully planned action to bring about a desired end. Not only must the ade- 

 quacy of the means, to bring this end be considered, but also the ultimate 

 value of the end itself must be critically examined. 



Both ends and methods having been decided upon, organization adequate 

 to put the former into practical and efficient operation are an absolute 

 essential. The size and character of these organizations will depend 

 largely upon the kind and amount of control that is decided upon. Cer- 

 tainly the type of organization will have to differ for different kinds of 

 live stock. Both the kind of control and the type of organization to make 

 possible that control will be considered in the separate discussions of the 

 problems involved in the marketing of the different kinds of live stock. 



