480 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 



men who are designated to carry out the various regulations of packer 

 and stockyards administration. While all of our troubles have not been 

 eliminated, I am frank to say that the packer and stockyards adminis- 

 tration act has been of great help in getting these organizations started. 



The Chicago Producers' Commission Association started, as you know, 

 June 19. We are now what you would call a six months old baby. Dur- 

 ing that six months period we have had consigned to us and sold 3,700 

 cars of stock, representing, in round numbers, 235,000 head of live stock, 

 and in value, $5,199,548. The commissions received for handling this 

 stock, in round numbers, amount to approximately $70,000. That is a 

 brief summary of the business of that organization to date. 



In talking of the Chicago Producers' Commission Association, I am 

 afraid I am about in the position of Pat, who had something weighing 

 heavily upon his mind and went to confession. There he said, "Father, 

 I have got something that is bothering me. I want to confess." "Ail 

 right," the father said. He said: "Father, the other day I was working 

 in the back yard, and I kissed Mike's wife over the fence." "Well," the 

 father said, "how many times did you kiss her?" "Father," he said, "I 

 came to confess, not to brag." Now it is not to brag about the commis- 

 sion business here at all; it is just to tell you some of the facts about 

 the organization and some of the* things that we have been up against. 



Mr. Sykes told you he was present during the setting up of the or- 

 ganization. We ran up against many rough spots, and in fact we have 

 not ridden over all of the rough spots yet. We are about in the position 

 of the Ford — it rambles along and gets there just the same. 



Our first problem was to get men, salesmen, to handle this live stock 

 whom you men could have confidence in, who had the ability and who 

 could get the idea of the co-operative business. That was not an easy 

 thing to do. A great many of them — of course, their first thought was to 

 hold us up — demand large salaries. Mr. Sykes and I adopted the policy 

 at the outset that the best was none too good for the Producers in the 

 way of salesmanship at the Chicago yards. 



Of course, as has been the history of co-operative selling agencies, 

 their business has run largely to hogs. We anticipated that from the 

 outset. We knew that it was going to be more difficult to influence the 

 cattle men of the country to break away from their old ties and patron- 

 ize their own organization, so we were not disappointed, although we felt 

 at the same time if we ever were going to get that cattle business it was 

 necessary to have the right kind of men. Naturally our salesmen — you 

 have probably heard criticisms or talk about the country; you can hear 

 anything you want to — that they are a lot of high paid men. But, men, 

 I want to tell you that there is not a man in the organization who is 

 receiving a salary but what he could receive from other commission firms 

 there. They are right in line, and I know not as high as many of the 

 firms are paying their better salesmen. So you can eliminate that from 

 your thoughts. 



I am not going to try to load you down with figures or anything 

 like that, but I have a few here which I think will be rather interesting. 

 Naturally, our business has been largely from co-operative associations. 

 They are the people who have given us the support from the outset. To 



