Work of the Market Committee
A (Id row Delivertil by K. I,, liurku nt Annual Convention of
Nebraska Stock (irowiTs Aiot iat ion, at Alliance, June 21
It certainly Is a privilege and at
pleasure to have this opportunity to
talk to an audience of Nebraska
stockmen. It seems mighty good to
pet Into a friendly, atmosphere and to
meet with men with whom you have
common cause, who understand your
motives and whose interests are the
same as yours.
As a member of the Market Com
mittee, for a Rood many months it
has been my lot to take an attitude
of criticism toward many practices as
they exist at the live stock markets.
We members of the Market Commit
tee have felt It our duty to criticise
many of the methods of the big pack
ers, the attitude of the live stock
Journals, the inertia of the commis
sion men, and In fact to find fault
with a great many features of the
system, under which live stock is
marketed and distributed In this
country. It has not been a pleasant
1nh T nnHiiro vnn unil it lias involved
much hard work, personal sacrifice
and some financial loss to those who
have given their time and energy to
this work. There is no glory. The
reward must come from the satisfac
tion of having benefitted an industry
for which we all have a deep-seated
affection, and an undying interest, an
industry which for years has in many
respects been suffering because of a
lack of the effective co-operation of
Its membership.
I want you to understand the pur
pose for which the Market Committee
was appointed, what progress it has
already made, and what it hopes to
accomplish, so that you may decide
intelligently whether you are in sym
pathy with our aims and can give us
the stamp of your approval. No
small set of men, no matter how dis
interested their motives or how earn
estly they work, can hope to succeed
in such an undertaking as we have
set our hands to, without the cordial
support of the great majority of the
stock men behind them, and this sup
port must be more than a mere ac
quiescence and a mild applause. It
must consist of active moral and
financial aid, and with that in view,
I shall do my best to lay the situation
before you. I shall call your atten
tion first to some fundamental ques
tions which apply to the general in
dustrinl development of this country
and then take up our industry in de
tail In the last twenty years develop
ments have been rapid in our indus
try. The most striking feature of
that development has been on the one
hand rapid concentration of the buy
ing into a few large units, world
wide in scope atid power, and on the
other the tendency toward smaller
and weaker units among the produc
ers. Tlease bear this in mind, as it
is fundamental, and the basis of what
I have to say. Your attitude toward
this aspect of the question will decide
your policy regarding questions of
the utmost importance in your own
industry. The tendency toward con
centration of the buying and manu
facturing and of the live stock busi
i not confined to that Industry.
by any means. It is a world-wide
tendency, and by many has been re
garded as the inevitable result, or
modern economic conditions. It in
volves trusting a few men with very
groat power, and the elimination of
many individuals, thinking and act
ing independently. Its principal jus
tification is on the ground of efficien
cy , which has become a by-word
around the world. It is not confined
to industrial affairs. Tho system
which places efficiency first in every
department of life must be directed
by a centralized power an autocra
cy, derma ny furnishes the best il
lustration. Contrariwise is the dem
ocratic Idea with individual initiative
at the bottom. Today those two sys
tems are engaged In a life and death
struggle in Europe. Are we in this
great land of liberty willing to accept
less efficiency, less power in tho
hand of a few, for the sake of more
individual freedom and democracy?
Your answer to that question, gentle
men, will determine your position in
this first real struggle for emancipa
tion for all of us from the control of
the forces whose principal justifica
tion of their methods is that magic
word 'efficiency."
At this time you may well ask the
question. "Where is the benefit of
this efficiency, if all or nearly all the
advantages which result therefrom
are to be absorbed by tho few?"
The mass of the people of this
country are Just waking up to the
fact that If these large units are al
lowed to develop unrestrained in the
future at the same rate they have In
the past, it will only be a short time
until their control over the industry
will be practically complete, and
neither the producers, commission
men, the retailers nor the public will
have much to say regarding it. Many
of us believe that the time has come
to call a halt and take our bearings.
We are willing to sacrifice something
of elllciency for the sake of more in
dividuality and a more equitable dis
tribution of the profits. It is time
for plain and frank speech if results
are to be obtained. It Js one of those
critical times in our industry when
selfish and personal considerations
must be laid aside, and the common
welfare and safety placed first. Near
ly all of us who have spent our lives
in some branch of the live stock in
dustry, whether it be as breeders
feeders, commission men or packers
owe most of what we have to it, ami
just as every man in this world crisis
caused by the great European war
owes it to his country to do what lit
tle he can to help solve the tremen
dous problems which threaten our
civilization and the welfare of the
race, so now it is the plain duty of
every man in tho live Btock business
to study honestly, diligently and free
from personal prejudice, the prob
lems which confront our Industry,
and having mado up his mind where
the right and the light lies, declare
himself and contribute his mite to
ward their proper solution.
The control over the markets by a
few concerns, including a dominating
influence over many of the facilities
and accessories at those markets, viz,
stock yards, loan companies, banks,
live stock journals, rendering com
panies, etc., has been so thoroughly
discussed that a repetition of it
would be superfluous. We all recog
nize it, and the question is, what are
we going to do about it? Most of us
are overwhelmed by the magnitude
of the problem and throw up our
hands. On the other hand, the edit
or of one of our leading live stock
journals In Chicago seems to think
that the trouble can easily becwd
by co-operation. It is no cucli sim
ple matter. Co-operation Is Just one
of the things which will help. Ve
believe the first step is a careful econ
omic study of the whole question, to
be followed later by co-operation,
governmental regulation, publicity
and more competition. Government
ownership of packing houses has
been suggested, but that Is far In the
future, If It ever comes.
The very recent disposition on the
part of leading packers to co-operate
with producers is a very hopeful Hlgn
and Is welcomed. If at last these
gentlemen have awakened to a real
izing sense of their responsibilities In
connection with the other branches of
the Industry, our labors have not
been In vain. It Is altogether too
early to tell whether this unpreced
ented Interest is only temporary or
permanent.
From generalities let us go Into
detail. You all know the history of
the recent movement on the part of
the producers to secure better and
fairer conditions at the markets.
First, at the solicitation of the pro
ducers, the Hrand Hearing was held
in Chicago last November, where the
packers failed to appear, showing
plainly no desire to co-operate. At
that time the efforts of the producers
were not taken seriously by the pack
ers, the live stock journals, and, I
think I may truthfully say, the com
mission men. Few men were aware
of the wide-spread sentiment that
something drastic must be done to
improve conditions. This Is best
shown by the light, not to say con
temptuous way in which the Hearing
was afterwards referred to. In the
common parlance of the Chicago
Stock Yards, "No great harm has
been done."
Next came the annual meetings of
the various live stock associations,
where the sentiment among produc
ers was practically unanimous that
the hour had struck, the time had
come when the producers and those
interested in their behalf must find
some way of protecting themselves.
lor else their Industry would be ruin
j ed. The resolutions, passed by these
' great associations were all of a sim
ilar tenor. All were vigorous, and
showed a deep-seated feeling of dis
satisfaction with and distrust in the
methods of the packers. The Amer
ican National Association at El Paso
put their Ideas Into practical shape
by appointing a committee of five
men and raising funds to temporar
ily support them in the first real at
tempt on the part of the producers to
ascertain and enforce a line of Jus
tice and fairness between the produc
ers and the few men who buy their
products. Since the American Nat
ional Association took this action,
events have moved rapidly. Wide
spread interest has been shown
throughout the country. The pro
ducers seem to feel that they have
found a standard under which they
can rally. There is a general con-
1 1 Stacker and Feeder Market for Nebraska Cattle
.
RANCHMEN ARE INTERESTED, WHETHER WANTING TO BUY STOCKERS OR SELL
FEEDER BUYER AND SOLICITOR
MR. FRANK HOWE, Feeder buyer for
the Inter-State Live Stock Commission
Company and solicitor, stands very high
in this position. Everybody likes him,
and all know that when they have made
his acquaintance, they have met a man of
WORD and one they can depend on. He,
at all times, works hard for the feeder in
selecting cattle that will make money
picking them over for quality and cheap
ness. Mr. Howe was born at Hebron,
Thayer County, Nebr., thirty years ago,
and has been actively engaged at Omaha
yards for fifteen years.
ill Bur sov?
RIGHT
i r
rr,N t
r iff.
FIFTEEN YEARS AT IT
Good feeder and stocker buyers are a
help to a live stock market. They bring
the buyers to the market and that helps
the sellers by creating a demand for their
stuff, making one hand wash the other, as
you might say. You will notice that the
nu mbers and employees of the Inter-State
Live Stock Coin. Co. work in the interests
of their customers, whether selling or buy
ing. If you want cattle for stockers or
feeders, tell it to Frank Howe, ne'll sel
ect the right kind, buy you what you want
and get them for you at right prices.
The Inter-State Live Stock Commission Company, South Omaha
A Series of Cartoons full of Human Interest. Number 5. Watch for No. 6 Next Week