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Show -., ., , i nTfALivestpclc SituatioaJ Los Angeles, July 15, 1935 Rough handling of livestock en-route en-route to market is causing losses . of millions of dollars to owners and to livestock and meat packing industry in general, according to reports compiled by National Livestock Loss Prevention board. Many of these losses could be avoided by more careful handling while stock is Hfcing loaded in cars and in transit, it is believed. Actual losses suffered by livestock live-stock owners through death loss and apparent crippling of animals is only a part of the total loss, the survey reveals. Many bruises that are not apparent when livestock live-stock is unloaded at the slaughtering slaughter-ing plant cut heavily into the carcasses car-casses and often cause a reduction in the grade and quality of cuts and carcasses. The survey shows that of 87 million animals shipped for commercial com-mercial slaughter in 1933, more than 72,000 died in transit and nearly 109,000 were crippled, which means that at least two animals in every thousand received re-ceived serious injuries, not including includ-ing the additional thousands damaged dam-aged through bruising. The year 1933 was taken as the last typical year because in 1934 losses were abnormally high becausle of the large number of. drouth-weakened animals. Injuries to hogs were the most frequent and those to cattle, the least frequent. One of the principal princi-pal reasons given for losses is the practice of loading as many animals ani-mals as possible into a train or truck, when freight rates are based upon a minimum weight. Many instances are cited where sheep are smothered to death because be-cause of overloading in trucks, while in other cases, sheep and hogs were injuried because in unloading un-loading trucks, animals were permitted per-mitted to jump to the ground. Lack of cleats on truck floors permits per-mits a certain amount of sliding, which causes injuries. The National Livestock Loss Prevention board was organized last December in the interest of stockmen, railroads, insurance companies, packers, stock yard companies and others involved in the transportation of livestock. The writer is a director representing represent-ing the Pacific coast in the work that is being done by the board to help cut down unnecessary losses in transporting livestock. The problem of the board personnel per-sonnel at this time is to study causes of livestock losses in transit tran-sit and make suggestions that will go towards reducing such losses. For many years, stock yard companies com-panies have exercised care in handling livestock, insisting that employees and yard handlers generally desist from the use of clubs and sticks in driving animals ani-mals through the alleys a3 a means of preventing bruises. Successful Suc-cessful efforts have been made in the yards to prevent yardmen from hurrying stock through the ! alleys as animals may fall and became be-came crippled or bruised. The j Ixs Angeles yards was one of the i first large markets to eliminate j rough corners in alleys and to re-I re-I move all obstructions which might ! cause bruises. Stockmen themselves might eliminate eli-minate many bruises and losses from crippling by greater care in j loading trucks and slock cars. |