The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-29

yardage and feed. would leave a ner
profit of S2S.75. Why then, should stock
raisers talk OF hard times, when they
mako SO much out of small invest
ment?"
To corerct these evils We would sug-
gest that the legislature Of the state of
Kansas enact a law to help the farmers
and shippers of stock 10 this marker,
which can be done.
First, We believe the state should ap-
point an inspector OF feed, TO be station
ed a. the Kansas City stock yards.
whose business should be 10 inspect the
quality OF hay. corn and oats and the
weight of the same as fed to the stock
Second. the yardage should be reduc-
ed al least half.
Third. law should be passed putting
a stop 10 the wholesale robbery which Is
now practiced in the buying Of dead
STOCK At the present time there Is a
desiccatin and refining company which
is an offshot OF the Stock Yards COM
pany which has a monopoly OF the en-
tire dead animal business in the yards
and no one else is allowed chance 10
buy or take dead animals from the
yards This company now pays the mu-
nificent sum Of one-duarter or a cent per
pound for hogs weighing over 100 pounds
and nothing for hogs Weighing less tnan
100 pounds. The weight Is generally
guessed a. and is not always correct. Ine
commission men and owners OF the stock
do no. seem 10 have any voice IN the dis-
position OF these animals and the refin-
ing company takes them at prices hxed
by themselves For dead cattle they pay
from one to three dollars per head and
these profits go to swell the enormous
profits heretofore described or else into
the pockets of the favored few who have
this monopoly of the dead animal busi-
ness.
In this same connection We desire to
call your attention to the Live Stock Ex-
change operated in connection with the
yards. This is the association which
Judge Carver of our own appellate court
describes, in an opinion just handed
down. as follows:
These parties have by their volutary
acts created an organization which the
law condemns and one with which no
man can be connected without being an
swerable to the laws of the state as
criminal
The associat ton now numbers about
three hundred members and the fees FOR
membership, which were first placed at
$40, have been raised 10 $500, which
makes them practically prohloltive,
shuts out competition, limits the num-
Der Of commission firms and compels the
stock-raising public 10 do business with
the members of the trust. By reason
of the red tape used and the cast iron
rules adopted by this association, the
yards are no longer an open market and
shippers are no longer able 10 do busi-
ness except through the medium of the
I,o.- e trf,c
are not allowed to conduct their business
in their own way, but are hampered by
the rules and regulations of the associa-
ton. They are prohibited from having
more than three solicitors in the field,
or. of furnishing their customers in the
country With stock quotations, unless
these messages are sent at the expense
of the shipper. Any member violating
any OF these rules is expelled from the
association and other members are for
hidden, under penalty of suspension,
from transacting business with them.
The greatest power in the hands of the
association of enforcing these rules and
to bar out competition is in the system
of dockage on hogs, which has been es-
tablished. The lockers employed at the
different scales are selected and hired
by the executive committee of the Live
Stock exchange. which at the present is
composed of four buyers Cor packing
houses, one Stock Yards company man
and two commission men. The suspend
ed or non-member of the Live Stock ex-
change is debarred from the privilege OF
having his hogs locked and the packers
will not buy hogs unless they are locked
by the exchange lockers, which practi-
cally shuts out of the hog yards all but
the members of this gigantic trust.
The directory of the association shows
the names OF James w. Martin. head hog
buyer for the Fowler Packing company;
L. A. Beggs. head hog buyer for the
Armour Packing company, and E. j.
Kicks, head hog buyer for the Swift
Packing company, as being three OF
these seven directors, so that their con-
troll OF this dockage system absolutely
prohibits any but members OF the asso-
cia ton from doing business in the yards.
Many of the members O fyour body are
shippers OF stock and as such know that
this dockage of hogs in the Kansas City
markets is an absolute steal. If a car
load of stock contains stuff that is liable
to be locked, the buyers take this fact
into consideration in making their offers
and quote a price below the ruling mar
ket price of that date. In consequence,
when this stuff is afterwards driven on
10 the scales and locked forty or eighty
pounds. as the case may be, the amount
of the dockage is simply that much clear
gain to the buyer and loss to the ship
per. because these defects were taken
into consideration when the price was
made.
We believe the legislature ought t.
pass the bill now before it and allow
hogs to be sold on their merits and not
subject 10 the steal that Is now practic-
ed. We would also recommend that the
legislature enact laws 10 compel commits
sion firms doing business in the stock
yards TO furnish good and sufficient
bonds 10 indemnify stock shippers and
raiseTS for the proceeds OF stock con-
signed TO commission firms. as at the
present time the stock exchange does not
do this in any way or manner and the
failures OF the various commission
houses during the last FIVE years have
entailed srea; losses upon the Kansas
shippers. We would also recommend
that the legislature enact laws throwing
the yards open 10 competition and pro-
viding for a penalty 10 enter into any
agreement or combine 10 charge GER
tain commission. We believe that the
interests Of the stock raisers OF Kansas
demand legislation along this line. This
is one OF the interests that effect the Vi
tally OF q great majority Of our peo-
Die and II they can get relief it viii show
10 them conciusively THAI your body not
only stands pledged. but embraces the
opportunity. 10 furnish the reforms
promised during the last campaign.
Very respectfully yours.
(Signedl JNO. W. PRUDENTIAL.
J. NJ. ALLEN
GRANT HARRINGTON
p II. DOLAN-
T. c. JOHNSON.
fLE LEI THAT eAtt En-