Manager D. L. Swanson (right) of Chicago 

 Producers Conunission Association makes 

 annual report at meeting in Chicago. 



Others are Secretary-Treasurer Henry 

 Wieland (left). Beloit. Wis., and President 

 H. H. Parke of DeKalb county. 



Chicago Producers Officials Condemn 



Government's Marketing Controls 



p. O. WUson 



A PLAN for redistricting the territory 

 represented by the board Of directors 

 was appro\ed by delegates to the annual 

 meeting of the Chi- 

 cago Producers Com- 

 mission Association 

 in Chicago, March 7. 



The change in- 

 creased the number 

 of directors in Il- 

 linois from five to 

 six and reduced the 

 number west of the 

 Mississippi river 

 from three to two. 

 All states east of the 

 Mississippi except Il- 

 linois are now classed as District 9. 



Because no annual meeting was held 

 last year, six directors were elected in- 

 stead of the usual three. Three were 

 elected for three years and three for two 

 years. 



Those elected from Illinois were: W. 

 Frank Reid, Rockford, Winnebago Coun- 

 ty District 2, reelected for three years; 

 La Verne Johnson, Millington, Kendall 

 County District 5, three-year term ; Wil- 

 liam Temple, LaSalle County, President 

 of the Illinois Wool Marketing Associ- 

 ation, Serena, District 3, two-year term ; 

 and E. R. Gehring, Galesburg, Knox 

 County District 4, reelected for two years. 



Others elected were: Seth Little, Low- 

 ell, Ind., District 9, three-year term, and 

 J. A. Entz, Waterloo, la., reelected for 

 two-year term. 



The three other directors who make up 

 the nine-man board and whose terms 



expire in March 1947 are H. H. Parke, 

 Genoa, DeKalb County, District 1 ; Theo- 

 dore Funk, Shirley, McLean County, Dis- 

 trict 6; and C. W. Martin, Jefferson, la.. 

 District 8. 



In his report to producers at the annual 

 meeting. President Parke reported that 

 during the year 1945 the organization 

 handled 15,560 carloads of livestock; 

 9,182 cars of cattle and calves, 4,792 cars 

 of hogs, and 1,586 cars of sheep. This 

 represented 12.69 per cent of the total 

 receipts on the Chicago market as against 

 13.92 per cent in 1944. 



The total value of livestock sold was 

 $49,733,943.32 and the net loss in opera- 

 tions for the year amounted to $59,- 

 978.79. 



"This loss," Parke .said, "was occa- 

 sioned by the drastic reduction in total 

 receipts on the market, largely in hogs; 

 by the large increa,se in the country buying 



of hogs, accentuated by ill-advised OPA 

 price regulations. Also by extensive 

 black markets which attracted many hogs 

 away from the market." 



With volume and bargaining power, 

 Parke said he expected that many of our 

 present problems would disappear, and 

 he looked to more intensive work in the 

 field to build up the prestige and service 

 of the Chicago Producers. 



In his report on the association's opera- 

 tions for 1945, Manager Dave Swanson 

 explained the year's losses as caused by 

 market restrictions which lowered volume 

 while operation costs rose with the higher 

 cost of living. Manager Swanson asked 

 for more support from the members, say- 

 ing: "You members have the power to 

 make or break your cooperative. With 

 support it can succeed ; without sufficient 

 support it may fail." 



Swanson expected improvement in 

 present conditions with restrictions easing 

 and the return of experienced men from 

 the services. He stressed the importance 

 of livestock producers maintaining their 

 bargaining position on the market. This, 

 he said, can be done by supporting co- 

 operative marketing to the fullest extent. 



Discussing the national livestock mar- 

 keting situation at the afternoon session, 

 P. O. Wilson, secretary-manager of the 

 National Live Stock Producers Associ- 

 ation, said that if he could describe it in 

 one statement, it would be that it is de- 

 plorable. 



Wilson condemned the government's 

 control policies and pointed out that al- 

 though we are saddled with a tremendous 

 national debt and that although the 

 people have more money and there is 

 more meat available than ever before, 

 subsidies continue to plague and peril the 

 national economy. 



He also declared that it "is time for 

 us to say to Mr. Bowles and to the Con- 

 gress of the United States that we have 

 reached a place where we should put an 

 end to both subsidies and price ceilings 

 and let the consumer pay his grocery 

 bill at a level of prices which will en- 

 courage needed production." 



Above is one oi the luncheon groups at .Chicago Producers annual meeting. 



COI 



608 SOU 



26 



I. A. A. RECORD 



