TWENTIETH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 561 



ANNUAL ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT SYKES. 



Recalling the eve»ts and conditions that prevailed at the holding of 

 your last annual meeting, you will doubtless remember that your train 

 service to Chicago on live stock was most deplorable, and that it was 

 not only difficult to secure cars, but after having loaded his stock, the 

 shipper would hardly dare venture a guess as to when it would arrive on 

 the market, and it is needless for me to add that on account of these in- 

 excusable delays shippers were losing thousands of dollars daily, in extra 

 shrink and feed bills. 



So on account of this very serious situation, complaints were made 

 by your officers to Mr. Chambers, director of traffic at Washington, and 

 he decided to send to your annual meeting J. L. Harris, chairman of the 

 live stock committee of the railroad administration, to conduct hearings, 

 make investigations and if possible locate the trouble and to see to it 

 that the service and accommodations were improved, so accordingly, the 

 afternoon of the last day of your annual meeting was consumed in sub- 

 mitting to Mr. Harris both oral and written statements from farmers and 

 stock men, concerning the very unsatisfactory service and the tremen- 

 dous losses caused by same. At the conclusion of this hearing, Mr. Har- 

 ris stated frankly that we had just grounds for complaint, and that some- 

 thing must be done to improve the service and deliver the stock to the 

 market on time. After a brief consultation with your officers it was de- 

 cided to hold another hearing in Chicago a little later on, so accordingly, 

 about February 12th, Mr. Harris called together the regional directors, 

 the general superintendents, and the operating departments of the various 

 railroads of the middle west, together with the stock men, to finish 

 the job begun at your annual meeting in Des Moines. 



There was gathered together at this hearing some fifty to sixty 

 railroad representatives of the various lines, besides a large number of 

 stock men and members of the live stock exchange. 



This was indeed a most interesting and profitable hearing as every 

 phase of the live stock service from the time the live stock enters the 

 loading pens, until it is unloaded at the Chicago yards, including also the 

 accommodations provided for stock men, was gone into in a very thoro 

 and practical way, and when it closed all parties connected with the 

 transportation and delivery of live stock pledged themselves to a pro- 

 gram that, when carried out, would mean a greatly improved service, and 

 on the following day a conference was held with the operating depart- 

 ment and regional directors and a schedule of train service was worked 

 out and put into operation as rapidly as possible, which delivered the 

 stock to the Union Stock Yards during the spring and summer in good 

 time for the market. The tabulated reports on arrivals show that from 

 80 to '5 per cent of the cars arrived at the unloading chutes before eight 

 o'clock in the morning; the facts are, there has not been a greater revo- 

 lution in the live stock service in delivering the stock to the Chicago 

 market than was brought about thru this work which your association 

 was responsible for. We wish to express our most hearty commendation 

 and to assure both Mr. Chambers and Mr. Harris that as an association 

 we appreciate their united efforts in bringing this about. 



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