Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-27


change for the better.
'"The question of commission charges is
being brought up again." said John C. Nc
Coy yesterday, "and there are certain ship
pers in the country who would fain have
the world believe them too high. and want
the per head charge changed to per cent.
Now, let's see how this would work. The
commission for selling cattle is s12 per car.
or so cents per head for less than a full
car. The owners of cheap Southern cattle
might profit by such change, but the av-
erage cattle coming to market would pay
more, on a per cent commission, than 50
cents head, or So car. Take a car of
Southern CATTLE twenty-three, averaging
800 pounds. and we have 2O.7OO pounds. Now
at $3.50 per cwt, this would give S517.50 for
the value of the car. A commission of 2
per cent on this would be S10.35. Now these
cattle are raised on cheap land, maybe
free pasturage, and the only attention re-
ceived was catching and branding when
calves and rounding up when shipped to
market
Now take the feeder who is fattening
cattle for market. His original investment
is greater than the ranchman's. He has to
raise his corn and roughness with which to
feed, and haul it out to them in the feed
lot, and give them constant care until
ready for market. When ready for market
they will probably average 1900 pounds
and twenty will come to market in a car.
This would make 5000 pounds. AT $3.50
per cwt. their market value would be 81, ,170.
A charge of per cent commission on this
would be $23.40. But, says the ranchman,
these cattle are worth twice as much as
mine. Yours, however, 1t may be urged,
are twice as hard to sell as these. The
truth is, the present commissions are low
ha a al hDt ha
devised
The receipts here the past week have
been large for this season of the year.
There were 1900 more cattle, 5000 more
hogs and $500 more sheep than the Christ
mas week last year. There have, from No
vember l, so far this season been packed
in the West 100000 hogs, against $780, 900
the same time last year.
Another large live stock company has
been formed. Yesterday the Goodnight
Thayer Graded Cattle Company filed arti-
cles of incorporation the capital stock be-
ing S15O,0OO. OF the 1,5O0 shares, ]. w. Mar
tin, of Goodnight, Tex, holds 225: Charles
Goodnight, of the same place, holds $50;
T. F. Rice, of Chicago, holds 412. and Nor
ton Thayer, of this city. holds 40
Phil Kopf, the yardmaster, was kindly
remembered Christmas day by his business
associates at the yards. A diamond ring
was given him in appreciation of his kind
and considerate treatment during the year.
A. Sander and Fred Brnkman, of Hill
Top. Kas.. were here yesterday with good
native steers. The former had twenty
steers that averaged 1,4l4 pounds and sold
at S475, and the latter, twenty steers that
averaged 1883 pounds. and sold at $3.50.
l.. F. Wilson, of Wichita Falls, Tex, is
here to spend the Christmas holidays. He
says there are about as many cattle as
usual in his section, and they are doing
well. All stock cattle are held 40 per cent
higher than last year, and there are peo-
pie that are paying this advance. The beef
market doesn't warrant this increased
price, and no thinks fat cattle must ad-
vance materially to justify it.