440 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Now, Mr. Harris, when we learned you were coming, I took up 

 this matter to get it into concrete form to present to you.- I have 

 got on these pages reports from thirty-six different counties in 

 this state, and from shippers over eight different railroads. This 

 report, which I will hand to you, shows that the shipping time 

 from Iowa points to Chicago has increased from five hours to a 

 week. It shows, almost without exception, that from any point 

 from the central part of Iowa west, the increase has been from ten 

 to thirty-six hours. These are not exceptional cases; they are 

 the usual thing. I have here also the figures showing the in- 

 crease in shrinkage, and I think this presents the situation. 



In addition to this, I have eight or nine pages of specific state- 

 ments of men in their respective localities, in which they tell just 

 what is happening to them. We have cases where men couldn't 

 get cars for a month or six weeks. We have instance after in- 

 stance where men were compelled to hold stock in the local stock 

 yards, and in many instances exposed to the weather. I have no 

 doubt there are plenty of men who can give you points of that sort 

 from their own experience. 



As long as the war lasted — if I correctly interpret the men in 

 this room — we were willing to get along the best we could and 

 bear our share of the burden. But now we are getting adjusted to 

 peace times, and on behalf of the 200,000 farmers of the state of 

 Iowa, we feel this thing has got to stop. This not only on our 

 account, but on account of the people of the state and of the 

 United States. It discourages live stock raising, and increases 

 the robbing of the soil. With us, we have got to the point where 

 it is not a question of why, but it is a question of remedying the 

 situation, and we feel that we have a right to demand from the 

 Railroad Administration a thoro, efficient administration. 



We hope that in the short time you are with us, you will be 

 able to call out enough of these men, and you can go to any part 

 of the room and find men with knowledge of the situation, and so 

 satisfy yourself, and with your very real weight make the people 

 back there feel that something must be done. 



The President : Now, gentlemen, we are going to turn this 

 over into a somewhat informal hearing. Mr. Harris has not come 

 here to listen to petty grievances, and in presenting your griev- 

 ances we want something real and definite, and something worth 

 while. I think I will ask Mr. Eisele to make a statement to Mr. 



