THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8160, 16 June 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 1906.

Between the Chicago packers, now being held up to the soorn of the world, and the Western farmer, who the paokers say is threatened with ruin on account of the loss of trade due to the exposures, stand the Union Stockyards, a marvel of in dustrial organisation. The formation of the Union Stookyarda was, aooording to a writer in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, the [first step in the "hustle" by which Chicago outdistanced other towns. Prior to the great civil war, Chicago was an unassuming sort of plaoe, far in-

ferior in size and importance to St. Louis, Ginoinatti, and other towns, bat the war showed its value aa a distributing centre. A company was formed to provide facilities in one central place for the yarding and sale of stock. An aiea of 320 acres of land was secured for the sum of 100,000 dollars—to-day it would sell for something like 100,000,000 dollars—and this has developed Jnto the present yards of 500 aores, of whioh 450 Bores are covered with pens. An idea of the hugeness of i the concern may be obtained from the fact that the Company , owns 300 miles of railways in and 'around the yards. "The r system is really splendid, and however one may be ahooked by recent revelations, one cannot but admire the organising capacity of the people who are responsible for the carrying out of this vast scheme. What it means may be better understood, perhaps/, when it is slated that last year 286,000 cars of stock were received over the railways into Ohioago for slaughter or distribution. Think what is involved in the reception and distribution u'f nearly 800 great cars—-generally much larger than those we use—loaded with animals on every day of the year. Think of the foresight and arrangement required to bring these oars safely to their destination, their aggregation on ouh centre of -the yards of the company, and again, their distribution throughout the pons on arrival- Then picture to yourself what is involved in the loading and unloading of the stock into the oars and the pens, the hosts of men employed, i the checking to prevent errors, *.he clerical work, and the thousand and one details which have daily to be gone through." The yards have an aotual oarrying capaoity of 75,000 cattle, 300,000 hogs, 50,000 sheep and 5,000 horses. There is bewildering aotivity in the yards, but with it an air of perfect regularity. Everything goes like clockwork in the woiking of an army of 1,800 men. It is* interesting to note, in view of the recent revelations, that in the yards the cattle appeared to the writer to be well treated. They are well supplied with food and water, and have plenty of room to lie down, while the pens are cleaned out daily. To keep the plaoo clean on hot days no less than 7,000,000 gallons of water are used in a day, over one-fourth of that required for the City, of Sydney with its half a million of inhabitants.