532 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



With the intention, then, of trying to establish a basis for the work 

 of such a committee or at least to find out whether it was possible that 

 such a basis could be established, and if not, to be in a position to op- 

 pose any attempts to inaugurate it on the uncertainties of the former 

 packer-producer committee, it was decided to draw up a memorandum to 

 be submitted to the heads of the larger packing organizations for their 

 consideration, which would be a statement of what was deemed a fair 

 understanding under which such joint activity should be undertaken. This 

 memorandum was sent to the heads of the four large Chicago packing 

 houses by the president of the American Farm Bureau, with the request 

 that they consider it and give an unequivocal reply as to whether they 

 were willing to subscribe to the propositions of the memorandum as a 

 basis for future joint committee activity, and if they were v/illing to give 

 the information asked for and such similar information as might be asked 

 for in the future. Replies acknowledging the receipt of the communica- 

 tion were received from the various heads with promises that the matter 

 would be given careful study and the decisions reached would be for- 

 warded later. In the meantime the matter of calling a conference of all 

 the live stock interests came up and the conference was finally held. 

 It resulted in a recommendation that the president of the American Farm 

 Bureau appoint a committee of fifteen to consider all matters of interest 

 to the live stock industry. No further communications having been re- 

 ceived from the packing house heads, it was thought that it might be well 

 to let the matter rest where it is and bring it all before the committee 

 of fifteen when it has been appointed and ask that the committee endorse 

 the memorandum or one similar to it and establish its acceptance as a 

 pre-requisite to a recommendation of the appointment of a joint producer- 

 packer committee. 



As to his own attitude in this matter, and it is a subject in which 

 he is very greatly interested, the position of the speaker is something 

 like this: From his own study of the situation and a fairly wide knowl- 

 edge of both the technical and theoretical sides of the live stock and live 

 siock products industries, he is convinced that a very great deal of good 

 can come out of the organization of such a joint producer-packer com- 

 mittee, if the work is established on the right basis and is undertaken 

 in the right spirit. In fact, he is convinced that the success of any and 

 all movements toward putting the whole live stock industry on a better 

 basis will depend to a very large extent upon the amount of practical co- 

 operation and help that may be afforded by the packing interests. But 

 at the same time he has witnessed or has been informed of the futility 

 of so many similar undertakings, which have mostly developed into an 

 outpouring of words and opinions and ended in a passing of resolutions, 

 that he is rather skeptical as to what may come out of aiiy such under- 

 taking. And as much as he thinks such co-operation is needed, yet he 

 would be opposed to the producing interests involving themselves in any 

 such project until they shall have received specific assurances from the 

 packing interests similar to those contained in the above memorandum. 

 And then the success of the undertaking will depend very largely upon 

 the character of the men who make up the committee — whether they have 

 the knowledge and training needed, whether they come as partisans with 



