CHICAGO’S GREAT STOCKYARDS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2311, 2 December 1925, Page 5

CHICAGO’S GREAT STOCKYARDS

£T -- in i n ,n Colossal Stock Figures (By Herman Seifert.) Chicago Is a great city and has made rapid growth during the past fifty years. In 1900 it had a population of 1,698,575, winch rose steadily until 1924 when the population was no less than 2,925,185. Situated in the centre of a fertile and prosperous valley, at the natural cross roads between the east and west, the oreproducing north and the cotton-pro-ducing south, possessing both water and railway transportation second to nothing on earth, Chicago grew Chicago, situated at the head of Lake Michigan, 190 miles north-west of the centre of population, Is one of the main distributing centres of the United States. It is the centre of the area producing most of the country's agricultural wealth. It is a centre where rail and water traffic meet Fifty million people live within one nights’ train ride of Chicago, or nearly one half the population of the United States. There are thirty-seven States in the union whose population is less than the city of Chicago and only eleven States having a population greater than Chicago. In 1915 the value of Chicago’s manufactured products was 1,482,914,000 dollars, in 1924 it was estimated at not less than 5,000,000,000. Chicago ranks fourth among th( States in production of raw materials These consist of coal, petroleum, copper, iron ore, lead and zinc, limestone, sandstone, gypsum, live stock, wool, hides, grain and milk. Babel of Tongues. » The population of Chicago is very mixed and only 23.80 per cent are American born. It seems surprising that in such a city the native-born population are so few. The following is a list of the Nationalities making up the population: American 626,871 Polish 319,644, German 285,216, Russian 230,668, Swedish 154,051, Irish 145,919, Italian 129,815, Czecho-Slo-vaklan 116,115, Negro 109,458, Austrian 72,531, English 67,907, All others 425,570. The above figures are based on the 1919 census. The World’s Stockyard. In the production of meat and packing house products Chicago leads the world. This had special interest for me, coming, as I did, from a country where live stock is the main industry, and. having an interest in farming. I was interested to learn something about the methods of handling stock at the world’s greatest market.

I paid a visit to the Stock yards and spent most of the day there. To give some idea of the magnitude of the business I give a few figures. The receipts of live stock in Chicago—the country’s largest market—amounted to 313,228 carloads in 1923, consisting of 3,157,100 cattle, 760,751 calves, 11,031,367 hogs, 4, 097,833 sheep and 26,065 horses, valued at 514,545,245 dollars.

Does the reader realise what these figures moan? They mean that the value of the live stock passing through the Chicago stock yards in the year exceeded the total exports and imports combined of New Zealand, during the same time. One of the big packers alone paid for hogs during 1923 169,400,000 dollars; for cattle 164,990,000; for sheep 27,840,000, and for calves 13,225,000 dollars, a total of 375,455,000. The above figures give some idea Of the magnitude of the meat packing industry. This particular firm killed no less than i 6,246,617 head of live stock during the year 1923 at their sixteen killing plants which they had in operation, and employed 40,000 hands. In the Chicago plant alone, of this firm the hog-killing capacity is 1,200 an hour.

One of the first things that strikes the visitor to the Chicago stock yards is the very large proportion that is roofed. He soon notices that the whole of the stock yards devoted tc pigs and sheep are protected from the sun and rain by a roof. Much of the portion devoted to cattle, however, has no roof, cattle being hardier animals and being better able tt stand the heat than pigs or sheep The weather here is much warmer In summer than it is In New Zealand, so that protection from the sun becomes a necessity. Stock Buying Methods,

My first visit was to the cattle pens. I called at the live stock office oi Swift and Co., and was introduced to one of their cattle buyers. He obtained a saddle horse for me and invited me to go with him through the cattle pens and see their method of buying. Stock sales are not carried on the same manner in Chicago as in New Zealand. There are no auctioneers or auction sales there to dispose of stock. The farmer desiring to sell may be located one or two hundred miles away and does not desire a trip to Chicago to sell, perhaps one car load of cattle. So he puts his cattle, sheep or pigs on a car and consigns them to an agent in Chicago. There are many such agents, many of them long established and of excellent standing. These agents receiv* the stock, on Its arrival, unload cars, take it to the pens, clean it, feed it and make it look as attractive as possible. All through the yards there is plenty of water, each pen having a supply so that stock may drink when they feel like it. Feed i« stored at a central part and sold to stock men at lowest prices. All stock is therefore provided with abundance of Eeed and water at all times. There is a very good reason for this as will appear, later, when you learn the system of selling animals at the yards

The cattle buyer, whom I accompanied, commenced his day’s work by riding into the cattle portion of the yards where the agents were waiting alongside their respective lota of stock anxious to sell. Of course agents and buyers are well known to each other, and as the buyer passes along each agents tries to attract him to his particular pens. The buyer is

not interested in every pen that is for sale as there are many varieties. He may ,for that day, want only prime bullocks or vealers. As he fore interested In old cows, aged prime bullocks or vealers. As he passes along he stops at any pen containing the class he requires, the gate is opened by the agent who states his price for the line at per lOOlbs. live weight. The reader will now understand why plenty of water and feed is the rule for stock. All successful agents must have a good knowledge of stock and values. If he obtains prices lower than other agents he would lose his connection The pressure is always towards making him get the highest possible price, while the buyer wants the lowest possible, so that much depends on the keenness and judgment of both buyer and seller. However, I feel sure that the farmer loses nothing by leaving the sale of his stock In the hands of agents. On the whole, they earn their commission. Those I came in contact with appeared to be keen business men out to do their best for their clients.

The buyer I was with rode into the different pens of cattle and examined the stock, asked the agent tNe price ho was asking and took the line if he thought the price reasonable, or offered a little less than the agents price •where he thought there was a chance of making a deal. Sometimes the agent would reduce his price a few cents per lOOlbs. and sometimes he would not do so. During the time I was with the buyer he purchased about 80 head of steers. On the average, he did not purchase Half that he looked at. The agents arc very keen, and at several pens ho passed they would try to get him to look at their lines. He explained to me, that he was not interested in those lines that day, for he was looking for prime young beef and was in a position to pay a price that would enable him to do business for that class only.

As soon as he bought a line his men following would see the animals weighed and immediately forward them to their final destination. Some of the animals purchased were intended for New York and were at once placed on the railway and forwarded. Others were for the packing plant. The prices paid for young prime steers ranged from 10 dollars to 11.25 dollars for prime steers per lOOlbs live weight. Good and choice 8.50 dollars to 10 dollars.

The buyer has to meet the keen competition of the buyers of other packers, speculators and feeders. All animals are handled in a humane manner, this policy being enforced in both a humanitarian and economic basis. Bruised animals would result in the loss of millions of dollars in food value annually.

Among the distinguished visitors to tho yards during the past year waa the Prince of Wales. He came to Chicago on October 13, 1924, as the guest of Mr Louis F. Swift, Presldem of the Swift Company. During his visit to the yards he mounted a horse and rode through the cattle pens, went over the visitors’ route through the plant and inspected the office from the top floor to the bottom floor.

But one does not need to be a prince to visit the stock yards or packing plants. The plants are open to all, and uniformed guides escort visitors through, showing the most important and striking features. Farmers and school children from the grades and high schools come in troops under the supervision of the school authorities. The American people consume over 45,000,000 pounds of meat per day. More than two thirds of the meat animals in the country are raised west of the Mississippi river, and more than two-thirds of tho meaT is consumed oast of the Mississippi. This accounts for the large packing companies who could take tho live stock in producing centres, manufacture it into tho finished meat products and distribute it to the consuming centres.

The following are the rates of wages paid by packers to some of the employees: —Stickers one dollar, openers up ninety cents, skinners seven-ty-five cents, labourers 42i to 624 cents, killers 90 cents.. The hours are 10 per day, hut when short of stock they may work only five.