The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-06-06
HOG RATES.

The Inter state CouanaissIOn in SeaslOn
~ Kaneas City-Some Interesting
Facts as Told by the Packers.
The Interstate commission consist
ing Messrs Cooley. Morrison and
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, June IL
Bragg began sitting at
Kansas City yesterday to inquire
into the causes of the complaint
made by the Chicago board of trade
against the Chicago s. Alton railroad
and others in the matter of rates |
charged on hogs and hog products. The
rate from Kansas City to Chicago OF
hogs is:twenty five cents, while the rate
on hog products is only twenty cents.
Chicago wants the rates revised and
equalized.
Mr.. Haightly of Chicago was the first
witness. He was asked by Mr.. Cum
mings if he had the agreement of Chi
cago packers revealed by the Chicago
testimony whereby certain packers
agreed to run only a certain number of
OF the other packers. 1t was what Is
known as the Chicago packers trust
agreement. Mr.. Haightly sa id he did
not have it; that he had given it to
Mr.. Botsford and did not really know
just where it was. He believed it was
in existance but refused to answer
| what evidence he had to make him be-
lieve it. He said eighteen Chicago
packers have signed it. He was asked
had not signed it. These questions
| were evaded.
judge Cooley said there was no way
of forcing MIR. Haightly to anwer but
it was of vital Importance that he
| should. Mr.. Bragg of the commission
| said the commission was empowered to
administer oathS to witnesses and he
thought Mr.. Haightly should answer.
| By consent of council Mr.. Haightly
/ was excused for the present.
| KANSAS CITY's PACKING BUSINESS.
Mr.. s. B. Armour, of this city, was
the first Kansas City witness. After
telling that he had been a resident here
since 1871, and how his packing house
except last year, Mr.. Armour gave
| some interesting statistics. He said
there were seven or eight packing
houses here and all but two, he be-
lieved, slaughtered both hogs and
cattle. He said that he believed that
the daily capacity of the combined hog
product of Kansas City was II, 600 to
/
capacity was 5000 daily, but that was
not the average product. MI. Armour
said his firm had from to 10 million
dollars invested in realty and building.
The combined hello employed by the
packers of the city he believed to aver
age 5000 for the entire year, with fire.
Quent extras. MIR. Armour said there
were perhaps two or three packers in a
small way when he came here.
I'm anSUor n Ooin1fR nnQSfiOOG Mr.
Armour showed that the net product
of a hog was from 20 to ~ per cent of
actual meat, while the offal report
brought it up to so per cent. The hogs
killed last year by the Armour firm in
round numbers were 500, 900, at an av-
erage weight of $50 pounds each. This
supply of hogs comes mostly from the
live shipments being 100. About 20O
miles, he thought was the longest ship
ment Of hogs for consumption. He
said hogs never came to his packing
house from points further than fifty
miles.
About two thirds of the Aamour pro-
duct here is shipped south and west
The export shipment was not very
large. Although the product went tC
almost every eastern city of any i'm
| portance. the total eastern shipment
1
was cured and it was rare that any
green meat was shipped and that was
; generally ham to Chicago The firm
! owned 200 refrigerator cars for which
the railroad companies paid from thre'
: fourtbs to one cent a mile when in use
These cars averaged sixty miles da!
. when on the road, and had been in ust
) four years. The railroads had right
} to, and usually do, load the cars to re
turn.
( Mr.. George H. Fowler of Fowler
4 son was the next witness. The capac
9 ity of the Fowler packing house h
!. said was 5000 hogs daily in the win
a ter and $500 daily in the summer
e About twO-thirds of the product is ex
] ported. Not per cent of it goes t
: Chicago. A small percentage is ship
d ped to the Pacific coast. While tn
y FoWlers own absolutely no refrigerato
g cars they have an interest in some. L
d 1888 the firm shipped 400 box cars ant
s ,572 refrigeratOrS cars. OF these Is
L went over the Missouri Pacific. ]
8 costs the firm from 81 to 1925 for labo
I in loading each refrigerator car. Dul
d ing 1888 this firm received in roun
g numbers 80 million pounds of gros
Il freight and shipped 70 millions. II
g said from q to 5million pounds woul
S cover the local sales of meats. Nj
# Fowler stated that the firm had bOugh
g meat at Omaha, Chicago and Kansa
e City for the packing house. None ha
e been bought this year and the purchaE
It es named were exceptions.
The question was asked Mr.. Fowle
o if there was any agreement among tn
l. Kansas City packing houses to kee
down the prices of hogs. He sal
IS he would likely to know it if theI
e was.
# NO KANSAS CITY AGREEMENT.
% On cross-examination Mr.. Monroe {
d Chicago took up the question. Nj
5. Fowler unequiyocally denied there wa
ID any agreement, understanding or PAL
Z tiaI understanding about purchas
price. He told Mr.. Monroe that
) did not believe Chicago prices entere
n into the case here. Mr.. Fowler sal
d last fall the railroads got into a figt
T. and cut rates to Chicago to twelV
Re cents, but it did not last long, nor wa
1T there any such established rates. II
A. said he believed all the houses heI
y were running now. They had been fC
3. four or five years closing OCCASIONAL,
d He said his eastern shipments over tn
e roads involved amounted to so milIIo
2. pounds last year and he had never ha
to demand dollar of damages frOl
a ! any of them
q William Reid, manager for Kinga
& Co., was called. He said the dali
: capacity of the firms Kansas Cit
q house was 8 900 hogs in the winter an
. I 500 in the summer. The plan
y here was but eighteen month
y old. He said two-thirds c
the product was exported {
- Europe, mostly in England. The othe
e third went west and south. The SUI
plies of the house last year in freight
= amounted to twentY-eighT millions {
y pounds. Mr.. Reid said he knew q
= no agreement between Kansas Cit
- packing men about the price of hog
= = While he was not the actual buyer,
there was any agreement about til
prices he would know it. In returnin
to the cut rates last fall, Mr.. Rel
= said it was not permanent agreement
y | He said the firms Indianapolis hOus