Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-10
THE MEAT INDUSTRY.
Dressed Beef Inquiry at
Kansas City.
TESTIMONY OF CATTLE SELLERS.
The Stock RaiSers and Meat Pack
ers Both Claim to be Suffer-
ing Hardships.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
KANSAS CRY, September 9.-The
dressed beef Senatorial investigation be-
gan here this morning by the examine
ton of G. w. Click, of Atchison, ex-Gov-
ernor of Kansas, and Charles burst, Of
Atchison. Both are stockmen. Click
testified that he had been in the cattle
raising business thirty years, during
which time the prices of cattle depreci-
ated 80 or 40 per cent. The cause of this,
witness said, was the establishment in
Kansas City of great packing interests,
which developed at first great competi-
ton among the sellers of cattle, and
afterwards combination among pack
ers, which was soon so powerful that its
members could buy cattle at it's own
prices.
"Have you any direct knowledge of
workings of this combine?" asked
Senator Vest.
eyes, have shipped cattle to Kansas
City and placed them on the market at
the market price. The packers buyers
protested that the price was too high and
assured me if I did not want to sell at
their price l could reship my cattle to
Chicago. did that several times, and
found each time that the Armour. Swift
Morris combination controlled that end
of the route too. was forced in the end
to sell at their price,"
Witness teetifying further, said that
the effect had been to drive many cattle
raisers of Kansas out of business. The
packers also controlled rates on railroads
to great extent, and the packers of
Kansas City had almost ruined the
butcher business of Atchison, and would
have done 80 entirely had not the City
Council passed an ordinance requiring
the inspection of beef on the hoof.
In the afternoon Ex-Governor Click, of
Kansas, was called and asked regarding
the sanitary regulations of the Kansas
City stock yards. He said so far as he
knew there was practically no sanitary
supervision of the yards.
John J. Roe, of Saline county, testified
that the prices of cattle had deprecated
fully 80 or 40 per cent. within the past
five years. This had been caused, he
said, by lack of competition, which he
believed was due to a combination be-
tween a select few of the packers, who
determined the price to be paid for cattle.
Before this combination was formed
competition was good.
Michael Lynch, OF Saline county, said
that this year he had not sold cattle at
sufficient advance over the purchase
price to pay for the corn he had fed to
hem. In relating his experience on the
Shicago market, he said that two men
came to his place at the same time and
made bids exactly alike. He was told
that they were agents of the "big four"
He could find no other bidders and had
to sell to t ese men at their own price or
ship his cattle home.
Several other witnesses testified to
practically the same effect, some of them
asserting that the railroads favored the
packers. The prices Of beef to the con-
sumner are just rs high as ever.
A. J. Morris, of the packing firm OF
Morris, Butts & Company, asserted that
the dressed beef business was going to
the dogs quite as fast as the cattle bust
ness. There was too much com petition
in it. None of the packers were making
money
Mr.. Plumb asked if the packers are
not attempting to drive the Strengthening
butchers out Of business, and witness re-
luctantly admitted that his customers
had received threatening letters from
one of the packers in the COM
bine. Witness firm was not in
the combination. He had personal
knowledge of a com bination between
Armour, Swift, Morris and Hammond,
by which the territory east of the Missis-
sippi was divided among them in such a
manner that neither would encroach on
tho territOrv of the other