The St. Johns herald., 1886-12-02
WHOLE NUMBER 99

| worthy oi some consideration, and
 many of them would aid material ly in producing competition in the purchase of range cattle, which is the great want in the business The Chicago Syndicate,as you are aware,
 have managed to control both the purchase and sale of the beef pro- duet; that both branches of the business are at their mercy. The
 cattle producer is getting $10 to $15
 a head less than they are worth,
 and the consumer is paying about
 the same price for beef as when the producer received the $10 to $15
 more for his product. In my judg
 ment, there is but one present rem
 edy for this condition, and that is
 for all producers of beef to sell
 their cattle at home, where they
 may be heard in determining price
 for their cattle. Shipments bypro-
 ducers must be entirely stopped
 and compel the buyers to go to the
 producers to buy. This would be
 radical change, and perhaps some
 parties might think 1t could not be
 carried out; but 1t surely can, for
 the reason that the Chicago slaugh-
 ters have broken down the compe
 titionz ot local butchers all over the
 country and especially in the East,
 and are compelled to have large
 product every day to supply them,
 and they would not dare to.attempt
 to break up combination among
 producers not to ship, as it would ot once develop into life all the To-
 cal butchers all over the country,
 which they are now supplying, and
 would in that way lose their custo-
 mers, and at once advance the price
 of beet cattle largely, both of which
 the slaughterers want to prevent.
 So they could not afford to attempt
 to break down the producers com
 bination. In fact, the slaughter
 CTS would be thorouslly imsthe
 power of the producers if they
 would stop shipments tfan tEle
 shippers are now in their power, as they would be compelled to have a large number of cattle every day p lorder to run their immense estab-
 lishments. The result of stopping
 shipments would at once force the
 slaughterers to send their purehas-
 ing agents to all shipping points to
 make purchases, which would soon
 take such shape as to enable all
 parties to be reached who had cat
 tie for sale by these purchasing
 agents. Any attempt to pool or control shipments would fail to have the desired effect, even il they could be controlled, as the syndi- cate would still exist, and, knowing
 that the cattle could not be held, and must be sold immediately when , in the Chicago yard, would still dictate the price. The fact that the r Chicago syndicate, as now arranged must have the cattle in supply of I 5000 to 5000 head a day is the inn h portant fact for the producers. to :. compel the slaughterers to come to I them to purchase. They cannot I avoid it. Another important con II sideration is to avoid the out o rageous charges for care, yardagc and feed which Is now practlced
 under the present methods amount ing to abont $1 head, which IS a n very important item. An agree q ment entered into by the cattle pro- ,e ducers to stop shipments would re- d suit in an advance of $5 to $1O g o head within ten days, and could Dc III held as long as the supply IS no ol greater than the demand, which al c statistics seem to show is not thu
 case at present, supply and demand V. having mo bearing in determining u- prices. The fact that the entir es supply is taken daily is the bes C evidence that no over supply eS of ists. But the fact that the price in being constantly hammered dow