New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-23
SCORING DRESSED BEEF MEN.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE COMMIT
TEE
BUTCHERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY en-
THEY HAVE BEEN RUINED BY THE CHI
cAGo COMBINATION.


9. ru,s Nov 90 The Senate Cattle Trade In
...,,r.,,rg committee met again IL o'clock this
on,,c The first witness T. L. Leonard, OF
selma county one OF the largest importers OF back
,.,o f. urssour He said cattle markets were
parayzcd by the control the dressed beef men hau Sc
curcd There was no competition In the market Dc
tween buyers.
Senator Manderson-what would be the ehect OF
law passed that no meat should De SOFA lor oon'""p
tIon unless It was inspected on tho hooff
witness-I think that such law would prev on'
roxos mon from sending to market cows that are as
lean as hounds.
scrator Plumb asked the witness II he Thought the
pr,ce 10 tho consumer lower than II was Formerly
when there paching houses.
y,nness-I know that the price we get for our live
heef does not Justify the price which the consumer
pays vou,,
levi samuels, wholesale butcher OF Ne"-i M
formerly exporter testified that inc ca'''o una
f. now deprcsscd He was familiar with the dressed
,oot business If hogan in 1876. with tho exception
NJ ono or two towns in the East, all the beef SOFA
there Is dressed beef The local butchers nave quit
slaugbicrng or buying from wholesale sianshtorers'
senator Vest-why is thisl Arc thcro not live catue
offered for sale those markeis3
Wnness-Yes but the Western dressed beef men
have gone I'm there offered their beef lower than the
local butchers could buy cattle and slaughter mem
In this way the local slaughtcres were forced TO quit
killing and buy the dressed beef from the west "hsh
the Western men had secured control they put up
the price high enough to justify their loss previous
10 obtaining control.
Senator vest-Have the Western dressed beef inter-
csts obtained control Of the New-fork Market
Wlness-Only about 80 per cent
Senator vest-what prices do they get for their
meat in NcwYorki ~
wincss-Just about the same as The local Dutcheis
They arc content to keep us from making money III
thc hone that We will forced out of the buiness al
together or be compelled to handle western aresseu
beef -, .
senator vest-Is there any difference in price be-
tween the prices OF American ureSscu peoi 4" ~
and beef Killed therel
wItpess-Tbere is. The cattle killed in England
command a higher price.
A. W. billiard, of Midland. Texas, stated tha' aoou.
a wear ago he negotiating with the prOpreiorS %
a beef refrigerator I'm FL Paso to supply mem "'n
cattle but negotiations fell through because INC -
paso people were closed out. The Southern Pacific
Railroad refused to supply cars for transportation OF
the dressed beef TO Los Angeles, having contract
with the Chicago people which compelled them to ex
clude the FL Paso people
Richard Gray, general freight agent OF the Pacific
system of the Southern Pacific Railway Company, with
an Office in san Francisco was examined at his own
request. lie wished to get record denial OF the
statement made by Mr. billiard and another witness
refrigerator cars at FL Paso This ctatemeni coul9
not be true, the company never hal any refrigea
tor cars in its equipment. The company had never
refused to furnish box cars W any orc when 1t had
them
George Beck, of Detroit, butcher and cattle dealer
for tie thirty years testified that the dressed
beef organization had been the means Of crushing out
all butchers throughout the East and concentrating
the cattle business at Chicago few years ago at
least fifteen IN his city came West and bought
cattle 10 sell I'm the Fast Now they could not do
that because the Eastern markets were closed up.
His idea was that the butchers Of the East dare not
cut up tho cattle they got hold OF for fear the CON-
blnnn would close down on them and drive them out OF
business.
:, arrn Buclmasier, retail butcher OF Akron.
Ohio testified that 1887 the labor unions Of Akron
psssed a resolution not to buy meats of Armour 4
Co The butchers Of Akron were happy, bat in a
few DAYS Armour sent down a carload OF meat and
undcrsold them all.
John Durf. OF Detroit a butcher, testified that he
was met al Cheboygan six years by Armour meat and
closed ont Of the market there. Al twenfy-siX
places I'm Michigan, outside Of Detroit the Am1ur
meat was one cent per pound higher than I'm Detroit
In those towns the butcher; who, SIX years ago, We're
welltOdO, now bankrupt