EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VII 377 



to gather information as to the conditions and trend of the dressed 

 meat trade in the great consuming centers of the east, which conditions 

 have an important bearing on the live stock trade on tlie markets of the 

 west. Offices were also opened, as j^ou know, at Chicago, Omaha and 

 Kansas City, and direct telegraphic connections centering at Washing- 

 ton have put all of these offices, and others since established at St. Paul, 

 Port Worth, Portland and elsewhere, in closest possible touch with each 

 other, so that it is possible, early each day, to receive and distribute 

 authentic information regarding eastern conditions to the patrons and 

 traders on the western markets. The tendency of this service is to place 

 the grower, shipper, dealer and packer more on an even basis in trading 

 on the markets, and, also, to help shippers who study the reports to de- 

 cide when conditions for marketing stock are most likely to prove favor- 

 able. Realizing that there is yet much opportunity for improvement in 

 this as well as other phases of the market news service, it has been en- 

 couraging to have many identified with the live stock industry in various 

 ways inform us that the reports have been distinctly helpful to them, 

 and to receive daily numerous requests from stockmen to be placed on 

 the mailing list. 



Yesterday's mail to our Omaha office, for instance, brought in ninety- 

 one requests from stockmen, farmers, bankers and others in Iowa, Ne- 

 braska, South Dakota and other states in our territory asking for this 

 and other reports issued from field stations. It is hoped that this serv- 

 ice will increase in value as experience tells us more definitely what is 

 needed, and as suggestions from such organizations as yours enables us 

 to perfect it. A weekly summary, with price range daily on each market, 

 now supplements this report. 



A second feature of the service, which many stockmen and traders 

 state they are finding helpful, is the daily report of live stock loadings 

 for every stock yards center in the United States. Arrangements have 

 been made by which railroads in all the territory west of the Allegheny 

 mountains report each night at midnight to our Washington office the 

 number of cars of each class of stock loaded on each division, giving 

 also the market destinations. A night clerical force immediately tab- 

 ulates these figures, and relays them to all field stations at six o'clock 

 central time, every morning of the week. For the principal markets in 

 the west these reports as issued from field stations, show also tiie num- 

 ber of cars originating in each state every twenty-four hours. The state 

 origins have made it possible for those receiving the reports to keep close 

 tab on the volume of marketing from each state, and especially during 

 the western shipping season have furnished information as to the quan- 

 tity of range stock moving marketward at any given time. 



Once each month since a year ago, the Bureau of Markets has re- 

 leased a report showing the cold storage holdings of various classes of 

 meats, poultry, dairy and other products, with comparisons showing 

 holdings throut the country, at corresponding seasons in the past. A 

 very considerable demand has developed also for these reports. 



Statistics are also now being released monthly, giving details of the 

 receipts and shipments of all classes of live stock at each stock yards 



