THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV 121 



The minimum live stock car case had progressed about as far as the 

 case just referred to during the fall of 1911, and at the time of our 

 last meeting was waiting for the printed briefs and arguments to be 

 presented to the commission. On account of numerous unavoidable de- 

 lays the final arguments were not made in the case until May 7th, and 

 the commission did not render its decision until September. It provides 

 that the standard minimum shall be 22,000 pounds on fat cattle, 20,000 

 on stocker and feeder cattle, 16,000 on hogs, 20,000' on sheep in double- 

 deck cars, and 10,000 on sheep in single-deck cars; these minimums 

 to apply regardless of the size of the car ordered. It is therefore not 

 necessary to order small cars for shipment within the state in order to 

 be protected on the low minimum. 



This case has had quite a history, and the rule that was promul- 

 gated and kept in force, which protected the farmers from overcharges 

 on light loads of stock by ordering small cars, was the direct result 

 of the work of the officers of this association, who appeared year after 

 year for six years before the railroad commission and fought out the 

 case with the railroad attorneys. But now we have an order from the 

 commission that does away with this necessity and fixes the minimums 

 on the different kinds of live stock as before stated, regardless of the 

 size of the car ordered. This is certainly a great saving to the farmers 

 who ship in one or two loads of feeders at a time, and who ship out 

 light loads of stock to our home markets; and it is safe to say that this 

 decision will save the farmers and shippers of Iowa from $50,000 to 

 $75,000 per annum in excess weights. 



Judge Henderson, commerce counsel, prepared the brief and made the 

 argument in the last case, and his work has been highly satisfactory 

 throughout. 



I am glad to be able to report to you at this time that the question 

 of the rate on fat sheep, when loaded for interstate shipment in single- 

 deck cars, when double-deck cars had been ordered, has at last been 

 settled, and the rate on such sheep shall be the double-deck rate; pro- 

 vided, however, that the shipper gives the railroad five days' notice 

 when ordering double-deck cars. You should therefore order your double- 

 deck cars five days in advance in order to secure the double-deck rate 

 when single-deck cars are furnished by the railroads. It will be remem- 

 bered that this matter was taken up at the annual meeting, and a com- 

 mittee was appointed to recommend the length of time that should be 

 given railroads to furnish double-deck cars. This committee reported 

 that in their judgment three days was sufficient time, and this report 

 was at once sent to the Interstate Commerce Commission. But in their 

 deliberations they thought that time too short, and extended it to five 

 days. 



During the fall of 1911, the railroads made application to the Railroad 

 Commission for an advance of 12 1^ per cent in rates on all kinds of 

 live stock shipped within the state. This case was never pushed, and 

 I understand the railroads never requested a hearing on the applica- 

 tion, and that just recently they dismissed the case. This was certainly 



