Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-23
Several Witnesses Examined by the Senate
Committee Investigating the Cattle
Trade Of the Country.
How the Railroads Aid the Dressed Beef
Nen--The Joint Convention Between
the Range Association and
Butchers at st. Louis.

| were partially paralyZed by the contfOl
the dressed beef men. There was no com
petition between buyers. He advised
system of local consumption, which, III
said would create innumerabic markets
instead of one, as at present.
Senator Manderson-What would be tht
effect if law was passed that no mea
| should be sold for consumption unless 4
was inspected on the hoof?
Witness-I think that such law would
prevent Texas men from sending to mar
| ket cows That are as lean as hounds
Senator Plumb asked the witness II he
thought the prices to the consumer wa:
| lower than it was formerly when there
were 10 packing houses
Witness-I know that the price we get
for our live beef does not justify the price
which the consumer pays.
| Levi SamuelS, a wholesale butcher OF
! New York. formerly an exporter, testified
| that the cattle market is now depressed
| He was familiar with the dressed beet
I business.
! Senator Vest--When did the business
begin?
Witness-The first refrigerator beef we
| had was in 1876
! Senator Nest-lt has become very large
| business?
| Witness-It has.
| Senator Vest-What has been the effect?
Witness-With the exception of one or
! two towns in the east all the beef sold
there is dressed beef. The local butchers
have quit slaughtering or buying from
| wholesale slaughterers.
Senator Vest-Why is this? Are there
! not live cattle offered for sale on those
markets?
Witness-Yes, but the western dressed
beef men have gone in there and offered
their beef lower than the local butchers
could buy cattle and slaughter them. In
this way the local slaughterers were forced
to quit killing and buy dressed beef from
the west. When the western men had Sc
cured control they put up the prices high
enough to justify their loss previous to OBJ
tanning control.
A. w. Hillard of Midland, Tex, stated
that about year ago he was negotiating
with the proprietors of a beef refrigerator
in Ell Paso to supply them with cattle, but
negotiations fell through because the Ell
Paso people were closed out. The South
ern Pacific refused to supply cars for the
transportation of the dressed beef to Los
Angeles, having a contract with the Chi
cago people which compelled them to eX
clude the Ell Paso people.
Richard Gray, general freight agent of
the Pacific system of the Southern Pacific
Railway company, with offices at San
Francisco, was examined at his own re-
quest He wished to go on record with a
denial of the statement made by MIR. Hill
lard and another witness with reference to
the company's refusal to furnish refriger-
ator cars at Ell Paso.. This
statement could not be true, as the COM
pany never had any refrigerator cars in
its equipment. The company had never
refused to furnish box cars to any one
when it had them.
Senator Cullom thought he had Mr..
Gray cornered when the latter admitted
his company had refused cars from other
companies and compelled shippers to trans
fer goods from the original car to a South
erd Pacific car.
Mr.. Gray. however, qualified this state
ment by saying the Southern Pacific had
only done this when the car offered was
unfit to go over the steep grades and
around the sharp curves of their road
Geo Beck, of Detroit, Mich, a butcher
and cattle dealer for the last thirty years,
testified that the dressed beef organiza-
ton had been the means of crushing out
all the butchers throughout the east and
concentrating the cattle business at Chi
cage. y few years ago at least fifteen men
in his city came out west and bought
cattle to sell in the east. Now
they could not do that because
was that the butchers of the east dare not
cut up the cattle they get hold of for fear
the combine would close down on them
and drive them out of business. The
dressed beef men had been at Detroit with
their meat only one year, consequently the
firm in that city was new. They were &C
CUpying premises owned by one of the
big four Mr. Hammond, who ordered
them to remove the Objectionable placards
promising to keep Swift and Amour out
of Detroit, but saying that he could not
keep Nels Morris out because he was al
ready established there. That was what
indicated to witness the existence of a
IA Nc
butchers east of Chicago had been crushed
out of the killing business by the Chicago
dressed beef men and compelled to take
the dressed beef.
Senator Henderson and witness here
INDUCED IN lengthy colloquy
as TO the methods FOR preventing
the big four from rolling up more mil
lions of money and allowing profits to go
To the small dealers and for the benefit of
consumers. Witness thought the state in
specton would accomplish the purpose.
Continuing witness said that whenever
the butchers were crushed out dressed
meats were sold at higher price than it
had been when supplied by butchers.
About 80 to 70 per cent OF cattle sold osten-
sibly for canning purposes went to the
people for beef. Simply the very poorest
cuts went into the cans. Beef ran from i
to IS cents per pound retail in Detroit.
Warren Buckmaster, retail butcher Of
Akron, O, testified that IN 1887 the labor I
unions of Akron passed a resolution to (
not buy meats of Armour & Co. The /
butchers of Akron were happy, but in |
q few days Armour sent down q carload of |
meat and undersold them all. The Armour /
concern opened two stores in the heart OF 4
Akron and actually gave away the best /
meat in the land The result was the /
signing Of an agreement by the butchers
association 10 give preference TO the house I
Of Armour * Co, they agreeing to close /
their retail establishments. Armour s. ,
Co. then placed local agant IN Akron,
but instead OF closing their two stores they
sold them 10 local butchers to be run, 10
the great detriment of the trade. Prior 10
this forced arrangement cattle slaughtered
in Akroa We're purchased in the country
the city, where the farmers
laiSed very fine cattle Witness bought
now from Armour q Co. At present
consumers got their meat much cheaper
than before Armour x Co. came in. Diff
.erent parts of same city had different
prices for the same meat.
Senator Cu)lom-ATe you in correspond
ance with Mr. Morris, agent al Akron.
lows
Witness-Yes; wrote him telling him
vas coming here to testify before this
committee.
Senator Cullom-Why did you think il
10 do thaJs
Witness-Well. he wrote me asking me
lot TO do 1t. I'm not here in Arn7ours In
crest.
John Gof. OF Detroit. testified lie Was
net az Chebcygan six years ago by Ar
nour meat anu closed out OF the market
here. AT twenty-siN places in Michigan I
'utslde OF Detroit the Armour meat was lc
,er pound higher than in Detroit. In