FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IX. 609 



that none of these rate advances directly aifect ns, except the 

 rate on grain, which, of course, is a direct advance on our prod- 

 ucts here at home, and while we understand the increase in the 

 live stock rates, the increased rates on dressed meat and pack- 

 ing house products, do not come directly on Iowa products, we 

 must bear in mind that these increases affect us indirectly, and 

 in all probability if they are allowed to go into effect, the next 

 move will be to make a general increase on the whole Mississippi 

 valley. 



If you men have criticisms to make in regard to the way this 

 organization has been handled by its officers, I want you to be 

 perfectly frank and free to tell it. If things are being done 

 that should not be, or that can be improved upon, or changed 

 in any way, tell us. Be as free to tell us that as you would to 

 extol the work of the association. 



Mr. Rittgers: You are all aware that the minimum weights 

 have been increased on hogs and cattle. It is impossible now to 

 get a car for hogs under 17,000, or 32,000 for cattle; yet I un- 

 derstand that east of the Mississippi river, the minimum is 

 15,000 on hogs and 22,000 on cattle. They claim they can get 

 forty-foot cars if they want them. Why the discrimination against 

 the Iowa shipper on minimum weight? I can't understand it, 

 but it seems we haven't influence enough. The large per cent 

 of the cattle that leave Chicago go through the packers' hands 

 and are shipped to New York or other eastern points; and 

 whether they have leverage enough with the railroads to hole 

 that minimum weight down, I do not know, but they seem to 

 have. Overloading stock cars, in my estimation, is the great- 

 est cause of loss we have. If I load my cars light, and give 

 plenty of room, my shrinkage is low ; if I have to crowd the cars 

 to get the minimum weight, it is heavy. I don't think the asso- 

 ciation can do anything with that, but it seems to me the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission could eventually remedy that; 

 whether it could be done through the state commission or our 

 organization, I don't know. This raise went into effect the first 

 of October. I have heard of some men that had been getting the 

 old rate, but the railroads found it had been overlooked, and 

 they sent one man a bill for $200, and they are going to col- 

 lect it. 



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