Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29

far from satisfactory. the bureau
thinks, and Il IL with an idea to help
undertaken this work to see what It
can accomplish.
4 4
Experts Of the Department Of Agri-
culture are just completing a very ex-
haustive study OF
S+udv;,r <h> the meat situation
in this country. and
Meat Industry. during the course
of their work they have tabulated some
interesting matters in this connection.
One Of the things that is Of particu-
lar interest is the marked variation
which they found in the methods OF
marketing meat animals In different
sections Of the United States. Shipping
to the large centralized markets, selling
to local butchers and packers. and the
sale Of farm prepared meats TO dealers
or consumers were the three genera
methods of marketing found to pc In
most common use. The officials 1ouno
that the bulk Of the animals from the
central states is sold through the cen
tralized markets, while some form OF
local marketing predominates In the
extreme eastern, western and southern
sections.
The report Of the experts shows that
cooperative associations of cattle rails
ers are becoming an important factor
in marketing. Seven hundred and nfty
organizations which market cattle IN a
cooperative way are now In exlstence
in fifteen states. Four hundred and
thirty Of these are primarily livestock
shipping associations. The greatest &C
tivity Of this sort was found in Mime
sofa, where els cooperative lvestock
shipping associations are located. The
department specialists state that these
the farmers because of the reduction OF
marketing expenses and the realisation
Of the prevailing prices at the central
ICED markets. and that they are also
valuable because Of their educational
features.
During the course Of the investiga-
tons the experts gave considerable
time to the study Of the transit of ami
mails Great variations were found to
exist in the losses OF and damage to
roads. On one road the claims paid
amounted to 10 per cent Of the revenue
during certain period. \and on an
other to less than per cent. The
total claims for such loss and damage
in 1s13-1s14 on twenty-seven railroads
were s1.245.477.s1. The average rates
on live stock for the years 1911 to 1913
were found to be 10 cents per 100
pounds Tor eastern or omc1al territory
11.9 cents for southern territory and
14S cents for western territory.
Another interesting feature of the
work Of the officials in this study was
the tracing of several typical lots OF
beef cattle from producer to consumer
to secure information as to the relative
cost of the different factors or steps In
the processes of marketing animals
and the proportions of the final price
reaching the farmer and other parties
to the transactions. This was done
both through centralized markets and
where the animals were disposed Of
locally. In the former case the farmer
share of the gross returns were found
to range from 81 per cent to 8b per
cent. while from per cent to per
cent went to pay market expenses, 2
per cent to 8 per cent was received by
the packers and 8 per cent to SO per
cent by the retailers. In the local sales
from 62 per cent to "a per cent of the
gross returns was received by the
farmer and from Is per cent to 38 per
cent by the retailer. The detailed fig
ures indicate. however. that even when
account is taken of the fact that lower
grade stock is sold locally the returns
from such sales are not as great rela-
lively as those from sales through CEN
tralized markets
* X