PROCEEDINGS CORN BELT MEAT PRODUCERS' ASSN. 481 



give you some idea of the amount of co-operative shipments received at 

 the yards at Chicago, and what we have received of them, I want to give 

 you a few figures which were obtained from Mr. Harlan's department. 



In July, there were 3,703 cars of co-operative shipment received at the 

 yards; August, 3,696; September, 3,060; October, 3,968, and November, 

 5,106 cars of stock from co-operative organizations. In November our 

 total business was 800 cars of stock. We had 172 straight loads — that is, 

 loads from individuals — one owner, making a total of 628 loads from co- 

 operative organizations. Those 628 loads represent 12.3 per cent of the 

 total co-operative shipments received at the yards. 



To go still further and give you some idea of the work necessary 

 to handle this business for co-operative shipments, in those 628 loads they 

 averaged 8.4 owners per car, making a total of 5,447 individuals that we 

 did business for during the month of November. Now our business as 

 compared with the total receipts at the yards for the month of November 

 was 3 per cent of the total receipts. Our total receipts represented 3 per 

 cent of the total cars received at the yards; and we received 5.7 per cent 

 of the hogs for the month of November. In brief, that is a little analysis 

 of the business to date. 



Just a little line as to our outlet. At the outset I am frank to say all 

 we had was the packers to buy our stock, and it made it very difficult 

 to operate at certain times. I feel that most days the packers paid us 

 as much for that stock as they paid anybody else; but, generally speak- 

 ing, the shippers and yard traders go out and buy stuff, particularly dur- 

 ing the summer, at higher prices than the packers will pay; and some 

 days, of course, it made our sales look bad. But it was not due to any- 

 thing in the organization which could be helped at the time. 



On August 10, through the efforts of the packer and stockyards ad- 

 ministration discriminatory practices were declared off, and the market 

 was declared open. To be sure, it was not 100 per cent at the outset, but 

 every little bit helped, and our September business showed that 40 per 

 cent of our hogs went to shippers and yard traders, and since that time 

 there has been a gradual letting down of the bars until at the present 

 time shippers, yard traders, large and small packers are dealing with us 

 freely. 



I am frank to say that while the impetus was given originally through 

 the packer and stockyards administration, a great deal of — well, more 

 than any other one thing, that can be laid to the personnel of your sales- 

 men that we have there toward other buyers in the yard. They were 

 anxious to trade with us just as soon as they possibly could, and they did, 

 and some of them went so far as to be ostracized from stockyard society 

 in order to trade with the Producers. 



Now, men, you understand we are not members of the Exchange. 

 We have absolutely no ill feeling toward the Live Stock Exchange. On 

 the contrary, I, for one, am willing to acknowledge that they have done a 

 great deal of good in the past in the way of helping to keep down bad 

 practices at the yards. Our policy has been to follow out the rules and 

 methods of trading practice as outlined by the Exchange just as far as 

 we possibly can — in other words, give those fellows absolutely clean, 

 honest competition. That is what they have had every inch of the way. 



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