The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-17

For two or three days there has been
an agitation at the stock yards and the
packing houses OF this city among sell
ers and buyers who are trying to comply
with the new law on dockage. One prom
inent dealer in stock said to an Eagle
representative yesterday that the law
was unsatisfactory TO everybody. The
stockman hesitated to say that il was un-
satisfactory to the stock commission men
except in the delay it occasioned in ham
ding stock. Il required three hours the
day previous 10 do the business that
should have been done in one hour. This
gentleman said:
Under the former law differences be-
tween owner and buyer We're settled by
a board of arbitration. The board Of di-
rectors Of the Live Stock exchange ap-
pointed an executive committee of three
Of its members from the buying interests
three from the selling interests and one
representing the Stock Yards company.
This executive committee appointed five
lockers" experts in the business. whose
| merchantable and what were not. 1t was
the rule to dock piggy sows 40 pounds a
head and stays 80 pounds head. The
new law prohibits this dockage.
In order to evade it the Live Stock ex-
change has discharged the lockers and
has employed instead inspectors. whose
duties, however, are substantially the
same. They look over the hogs that are
offered for sale and cut out all the piggy
sows and stays. The main bunch is per-
mitted to be weighed in and sold at the
market price but the "cutouts" are sold
separately for Just what the buyer may
choose to pay for them. This Jumping
off" system of selling rejected animals
is very unsatisfactory TO the owners, as
the price they receive is usually
heavy discount. from what they would
have received under the dockage system.
The element of arbitration is done away
with. There IS no disinterested party to
mediate between the buyer and seller,
which leaves a possibility for gross
abuses.
The intent OF the anti-dockage law
evidently was 10 benefit the farmer and
stock feeder by permitting him to sell his
unmerchantable animals for the same
price as his higher class stock. The
packers naturally decline to take inferior
stock at top prices They have anneunc-
ed that they can not be compelled 10
buy stock they do not want, and they
will, hereafter, make selection. The new
system does not work as well as the cd
"dockage" system for the sellers"
The gentleman said that IL an extra
session of the legislature should be called
the first thing they should do would be
the repeal of the anti-dockage law. He
declared that it initiated against the
stock man. against the country buyers,
and their losses eventually came back
like boomerang against the hog raisers.
This gentleman said that if the law re-
manned on the statute books il would en-
tail the loss of hundreds Of thousands of
dollars on hog raisers in the state.
The Eagle reporter then found a hog
raiser from Keehi township. After sub
hitting the question to him he said:
NOW here this legislature was aiming
to do the good thing by the fellows who
raise hogs. 1 believe the legislature
meant well. and what seems 10 be hard
ship right now may be all right after
while l understand that country buyers
are instructed not TO purchase piggy
scws or lumpy stays. This is as it should
be- No unmarketable meat should be run
into the packing houses and deaalt out
10 the people. There is another good fea-
ture of the new law. and that is in regard
10 the feed charges at stock yards. IN
der the old law, a shipper stopping with
his stock paid for feed furnished by the