NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 435 



member of Mr. McAdoo's board — now Mr. Hines' board. I take 

 pleasure in introducing Mr. Harris. 



Mr. Harris: Mr. President and Gentlemen: I am glad to be 

 with you today, especially in view of the fact that you represent 

 and live in the state which produces more meat and more corn 

 than any other state in the world. 



I am not going to endeavor to make a speech. I am going to 

 tell you a few little things, and then I would like to proceed with 

 the complaints you perhaps have against the transportation com- 

 panies. Our very good friend, Mr. Thorne, is responsible for my 

 being here, and I want to thank him for his efforts in bringing 

 me out here. 



The railroads were taken over largely, as we understand it, to 

 win the war. We have won the war. But while they were taken 

 over for the purpose of winning the war, moving the traffic, I 

 realize the schedules for handling live stock and other perish- 

 ables were lengthened and reduced from 18 to 20 miles an hour 

 to 12.5 miles per hour. And by reducing these schedules, you 

 would be 24 hours late from your station to the market, thus 

 increasing your expense in wastage and shrink. 



Now that the war is over, it seems that better service might be 

 offered. I might say that the revenue of the railroads has de- 

 creased since the armistice from 12 to 20 per cent. The live stock 

 markets have increased during the past year very materially. As 

 a matter of information, I want to say that the increase at Kansas 

 City, Chicago, Omaha, St. Louis, St. Joseph, Fort Worth, Okla- 

 homa City, Wichita and Denver, in cattle, has been 1,490,000 head, 

 or 10 per cent ; the increase in hogs was 3,902,000 head, or 20 per 

 cent; in sheep, 1,243,000 head, or 10.5 per cent; in cars, 106,474, 

 or 13.31 per cent. As a whole, the increase in heads, not counting 

 calves, has been a little over 6,000,000. 



So you can readily see the heavy live stock moving to help win 

 the war last year was quite a burden upon the railroads. It also 

 burdened the stock yards at various points, and I think I can 

 truthfully say, after speaking personally with a great many of the 

 railroad agents and employes, it was due to the lack of the old- 

 time spirit of competition. Due to the territory, it has been most 

 important to keep from bunching live stock, which ordinarily has 

 been responsible for depressed markets, and yet we all feel like 

 shipping on the day we have been accustomed to. I have studied 



