PART VII 



Corn Belt Meat Producers Association 

 Fifteenth Annual Convention 



Hotel Savery III, Des Moines, Iowa, February 19-20, 1920. 



Meeting called to order by the chairman. 



Invocation by Rev. W. P. McCormick. 



Report of President A. Sykes. 



Mr. Sykes: Before I start with my report I should like to 

 make an explanation to the effect that this meeting of our asso- 

 ciation was originally called for December. At that time I pre- 

 pared my annual report. Since that time, however, there have 

 been some changes in the situation covered by the report. Some 

 things have happened that were not contemplated then, and some 

 of the things covered in this report, because of changed condi- 

 tions, may not seem quite up to date. However, I have made 

 some corrections in it, but I did not consider it necessary, nor 

 did I have time, to rewrite it in full, and so we have got it in this 

 form, and I make this explanation so you may understand it as 

 I go through with it. 



It seems that we have been exceedingly unfortunate with our 

 annual meeting. We had planned to hold it in December, but 

 the coal shortage at that time was at its worst and conditions 

 were so acute that the fuel administration would not permit pub- 

 lic meetings of this kind to be held in the city of Des Moines. 



At that time we thought that we would be able to hold the 

 meeting the latter part of January, but we found that there were 

 so many conventions and other things of that kind on that in- 

 terfered with our speakers that we were unable to secure suit- 

 able dates up to the present time. And now that we are here 

 we are combatting the flu, which is raging throughout the state. 

 So that it seems to me we are exceedingly unfortunate in what 

 arrangements we have been able to make for our annual 

 meeting. 



