TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V 461 



there was a close personal relationship between the local buyer and the 

 commission man. The business relationship usually grew out of a former 

 friendship or commenced because of reputation for salesmansnip or dem- 

 onstrated ability as such. The local shipper was a market expert whose 

 success depended upon his knowledge of market quotations, shipping 

 costs and best markets. He came often to market and saw his stock sold, 

 judged of the ability of the salesman by comparing his results with those 

 of others, knew market methods and had a financial interest in getting 

 highest prices and the maximum of service. 



With the shipping associations, this personal relation has largely dis- 

 appeared. The managers, who are too frequently changed, have no finan- 

 cial interest in the outcome of the shipments and the actual owners are 

 mere names on the invoices. Many of the managers are not competent 

 judges of livestock and do not undertake to keep themselves informed as 

 to market values and changes and hence are not fitted to judge as to 

 whether prices received are in line with the market or not. The same 

 can be said of the numerous small producers whose stock goes to make 

 up the shipments; and as they do not come in contact with a buyer as 

 they did in dealing with the former local shippers, there is less incentive 

 for them to keep posted on market values and they do not know whether 

 a given price received is a fair one or not. 



Hence at the market many of the old incentives to effort and service 

 have disappeared, together with the feeling of responsibility to an inter- 

 ested shipper who is personally known and who, it is felt, knows the mar- 

 ket and who will react quickly to any failures or shortcomings. And this 

 changed attitude is too often reflected in the interest taken and the 

 service rendered. And to too great extent patronage is now dependent 

 upon personal accommodations and favors to the local managers rather 

 than to actual results obtained in the selling of the stock. 



And the changed methods in the country have brought about changed 

 methods at the market. Because each shipper wants his stock sold on 

 its merits, and because of the diversity of owners and the lessened uni- 

 formity of the shipments, the tendency has grown to change what was 

 essentially a wholesale market into a retail or jobbing one. In order that 

 more frequent shipments can be made, there are more cars of mixed 

 stock, and little attempt is made to assemble carloads of similar kinds or 

 grades. With cattle, this necessitates sale in smaller lots, more sorting, 

 more draughts at the scales, more tickets, and more accounting; the 

 same results are found in the hog house to less extent, but with consid- 

 erable added office work in adjusting selling price between owners of 

 different grades. All this extra yard work tends to congest the alleys 

 and the scales and to reduce the efficiency of the yards equipment. 



From these changes in relationship and in method, have come some 

 defects in operation and practice. On the whole, it is probable that coop- 

 erative shipments are not so well handled, or as advantageously sold, as 

 are carloads of similar stock having one owner. The reasons for this 

 have been touched upon partly before. Besides the lack of personal 

 responsibility to an individual shipper who is also an acquaintance and 

 a judge of sales, the extra work involved in identifying, sorting and weigh- 



