510 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



"7. If a caretaker accompanies the stock, have him keep notes in 

 writing as to places where car is delayed or roughly handled, and also 

 names of witnesses on the same train. If animals are lost or killed, you 

 must be able to show where and how such happened. You can't recover 

 unless you can produce some evidence on these points. This applies 

 only where a caretaker accompanies the shipment. 



"8. Unless you have had a lot of experience in handling railroad 

 claims, don't think of filing the claim yourself. The chances are that 

 you will fail, and will get the matter tied up in such shape that no one 

 can help you later. Place in the hands of someone, regardless of who he 

 may be, who makes a specialty of this work. 



"9. Live stock commission men are now turning claims over to out- 

 side parties to be filed, without the consent and authority of the ship- 

 per. Some of these parties are not reputable and honest, and others are 

 not efficient, and take six months and longer to get results. Many claims 

 are now filed without any knowledge on the part of the shipper at all. 

 Play safe on this matter. Instruct your commission man not to file a 

 claim until you so instruct him. Instruct him to return the account sales 

 to you, and you can then select whatever agent you desire to handle the 

 matter for you, and pick out the best and most efficient. 



"10. If other parties are allowed to file the claim for you with your 

 consent, you can not later select another. The party with whom the 

 claim is first filed has the authority to handle it to the end. So select 

 your agent to handle the claim with care. 



"11. Never allow any outside party to handle a claim for you except 

 on the understanding that the voucher in settlement is to be taken to your 

 order, and sent to you with a separate check from you later to cover the 

 collection charge. Then, if there is a compromise, you know that you 

 received every cent that was paid. If the voucher from the railroad is 

 taken to the order of the person handling the claim and cashed by him, 

 and the proceeds sent to you by his personal check, you have no way of 

 knowing whether you received all that was paid by the railroad. Play 

 safe. 



"12. For us to handle your claim, simply send (a) the account sales 

 and (b) a copy of the live stock contract that can be obtained from your 

 local railroad agent. We will make up the claim for you and obtain 

 whatever other information is necessary without trouble to you. Claims 

 should be sent to Owen L. Coon, Railroad Claim Attorney, Transportation 

 Building, Chicago, Illinois." 



Work of Representative at Union Stock Yards. 



As most of you are aware, at the holding of your last annual meeting 

 it was definitely decided to place a representative of this association in 

 the Union Stock Yards at Chicago. In this we also secured the co-opera- 

 tion and assistance of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Mr. C. L. 

 Harlan was employed and located at the Chicago markets to represent 

 both organizations, about March 1. 



