The Holt County sentinel. (Oregon, Mo.) 1883-1980, 1912-08-02
A SELLING CITY.
An Incorporated City That Exists
Simply to Sell Live Stock.

National city, 'iinu!s, Is city
created for ono sole purpose. II Is
"A selling city" for live stock It's in.
corporated because 1t was necessary
to have government to handle the
1000 people who ar ~ the 81 Louis
National stock yards and packing
houses every week day and also pro.
vide police and fire protection for the
many million dollars worth of prop.
crty there, not to- mention the hun.
dred and fifty million dollars worth
Of live stock that Ia sent in there
every year to be sold
Tie total area OF National City is
six hundred acres. Half Of this is &C.
cupied by the stock yards. They are
divided into cattle. sheep. hog, horse
and mule divisions. Each division In
handled Independently OF the rest as
far az the selling is concerned, but is
part OF the 81. Louis National Stock
Yards system by which all receipts
are promptly unlOadcd. yarded. dely.
cred to til. selling pens, fed If re-.
puired. weighed. driven "a the ship.
ping Platforms II they are to BE- nont
slaughtered locally.
The United Strtes Government pro.
vidcs a large stan of inspectors who
have an Office In the st. Louis Live
stock Exchange Building IN the cen.
ter OF the National Yards. All the
principal railroads which bring stock
to or carry II from the yards have
hnt nI hnir
pprts H. live stock traffic matters.
The Exchange itself. the 81. Louis
National stock Yards Company. aud
the National Stock Yards National
Bank. have offices IN the same build
Ing and work In coop ration foi til"
entire liv. stock selling system that
crnters thore-yery much as IN" head
Offices OF a big department, store op.
Crat' Tor the benefit Of each depart.
ment in it's general affairs and Tor the
good of the whole store. Billing Ic.
counting. weighing, paying Tor stock
ss fast as II is sold checking up
claims apans, railroads. deducling
animals tina, died in transit. cripplcs.
locked animals. keeping track Oi ~
c"ipts from various sections. etc, are
all done by III. general offices. and
the presence at the railroad a ,"nls to
help handle claims is an important
thing. They try to facilitate settle.
mcnis on an equitable basis. under
the new plan the majority OF roads
hav" adopted Of tr! ing to be popular
by trea Ing their customers as we'll M
they can.
And yet each fran that does bust
ness on this market IL independent OF
the rest. u store IN itself where the
goods displayed each day are the bait
that attracts trade. Trade comes from
buyers. just as II does In any store.
The buyers represent local butchers
twenty-five or thirty 81. Louis and
East 81. Louis packing houses. aud
ether packers In Eastern cities who
prefer 10 buy at 81. l.Onis on account
cf Its location saving time and money
In shipment and also because ST.
Louis live stock has a high reputation
for quality.
Competition between these buyers
II what makes the prices high az 81
Louis. Competition between commits.
sion firms In what makes trade brisk
with them. each s,iiying to attract In
creased receipts through superior
craftsmanship. Thus the firms which
command the largest business are the
ones which have shown the beet sales
manship. the same as In n department
store the departments that do tn"
most business are the ones that ar.