or Ti;r 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



^r.^B BULLETIN No. 403 i 



^ SLlA ^Jya*^ Contribution from the Office of Markets and Rural Organization "^ 

 J^^'^^U CHARLES J. BRAND, Chief SlJ^'"^^U 



Washington, D. C. 



September 21, 1916 



A SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR LIVE-STOCK 

 SHIPPING ASSOCIATIONS. 



By John R. Humphrey and W. H. Kerr, Investigators in Market Business Practice. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



Types of shipping agencies 2 



Financing shipping associations 3 



Account sales 3 



Description of system 4 



Cash Journal 5 



Shipment record envelopes 5 



Description of system— Continued. 



Member's receipt and account sales S 



Manifest 10- 



Sales ticket and cash receipt 10' 



Entering accounts in cash journal 12. 



Posting to the ledger 13 



Conclusion la 



INTRODUCTION. 



The increase in the volume of business of individual cooperative 

 live-stock sMpping associations, as well as the growth in number of 

 such associations, has made it generally practicable and in some cases 

 urgent that a simple method of accounting be made available for 

 their use. 



The simphcity in operation of associations organized for the 

 exclusive purpose of shipping hve stock cooperatively has tended 

 toward producing lax methods of accounting which give no general 

 idea of the financial condition of the associations. It is possible 

 in some instances to make a complete and final settlement to members 

 after returns have been made by the commission merchant for each 

 shipment; nevertheless it is important that these transactions be 

 kept in an orderly way if for no other reasons than for the detection 

 of errors and the furnishing of a permanent consecutive record of the 

 business. 



Note.— This bulletin is of interest to live-stock shipping associations and persons contemplating the 

 organization of such associations. 

 5'J915'— Bull. 403—16 



