Wichita eagle., 1889-08-20
THE WICHITA HOG MARKET.
A Few Points which Show that Money
Can be Saved by Shi piping to
this Market,

| this Market,
The hog market at this point has, since
the first of August, increased IN prices un-
til 1t is now on a par with Kansas City.
Before that Date the Dold packing house
was the only place where hogs could be
| disposed of, but since the Whitaker pack
ing plant began operations the market has
had the benefit of their competition, until
at the present time the advantages of this
market over that of Kansas City can
readily be seen by the hog shippers of
| Kansas. In this connection a few facts
can be stated which will bear on this sub
| ject.
In the first place prices have gradually
| risen on this market, while in other mar
kets there has been slight decrease. For
| the past two weeks the Wichita market
| has kept increasing in price and enthu-
siasm until it has reached and in some
respects left older markets behind. We
will take the past week for an example
| and what do we find? Simply that Wich-
ita has paid more money for hogs than has
been paid in Kansas City.
From the Drovers' Telegram of last Fri
day we find the following: Hogs averag-
ing 254 pounds sold at 3.S5; one car of hogs
averaging 264 pounds sold for $3.50. The
dockage on the two cars were $50 pounds
EACH" The same day on the Wichita mar
ket hogs of the same class and weight sold
at 81 05, with only a 40-pound dockage.
Another point to be taken into considers
ton is the shrinkage, difference in yardage,
and also difference in commission. In Kan
bar inn oh 80
car, while on this market it is 81 less.
Shrinkage on hogs when they are weighed
heIe has never run over 100 pounds, while
in Kansas City it always runs from 200 to
$50 pounds. Dockage in the latter mar
ket is a matter of important consideration
for the shipper. Hogs are locked on the
Kansas City market at never less than
eighty pounds and in the majority of cases
il is close on to 200 pounds, and sometimes
as high as $50 pounds. In this market
hogs have never been locked higher than
eighty pounds, and in nine cases out of
ten there is no dockage to enter against
the shipper.
In looking over the shipping book Of a
commission firm yesterday thirty entries
were taken as they appeared on the book,
and in only four was there dockage, three
of forty POUNDS and one of eighty pounds
Can any market show like statement?
Among the shippers Of Kansas there is
at present feeling to the effect that if this
market receives 1000 hogs per day that
there is danger of overstocking and a
break in prices. This is false impression.
The packing houses located here can ham
die 1900 hogs per day and then they would
L. ~ e,,1
present they have to ship hogs from other
markets to keep business going. Hogs
are now very scarce IN the country and
this is the dullest season of the year. This
is accepted as true for hogs have not been
coming here in quantities large enough to
keep one house in operation.
The buyers have helped and are doing
all that is in their power to draw the
hogs here and constant cry with them
is, more hogs" Shippers would do well
to look after good mixed packing hogs, AS
Kansas City prices are always paid on this
market for that class of stock.
That Wichita as a stock market is surely
forging ahead is a fact that no one will
now attempt to deny. Every day new
songs of praise are being sung about her;
every day one sees new consignments and
new shippers coming here from former
loves; every day brings requests from new
addresses asking that the state OF the
market be sent to them SO they can judge
where to ship, and coming here they have
never gone with aught but words of praise
for the market and expressions of wonder
at its extent.
To these may be added many other facts
that all tend to help Wichita as a packing
center, but as this has merely to deal with
the relation this market bears to Kansas
City, TO that point il must be confined.
The market here has a territory to draw
from than which none richer exists. Pack
ing houses are as large as any in the coun-
try and their buyers are paying prices
equal to any market. The commission
firms are known as honest, upright bust
ness men whose sole aim and object is to
look after the interests of their shippers,
treat them in an honest way and build up
market at this point. In fact, many OF
them have for years been spending money
with that object ahead; continuing the
outlay of funds when they were not real
izing any returns and did not know when
such a time would come.
In completion we would again say to
shippers TO send hogs to the Wichita mar
ket, receive for them as much, if not more,
than would be received IN Kansas City,
thus helding to build up a live stock mar
ket in Kansas, and do not be afraid OF
Cutting the market or breaking prices.