People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-10-13
@. What is the stock yards law?

A. Ii Is law pdSSeu ny Tie last LIS
islature defining public stock yard
and regulating the yardage and feed
ing charges in the same.
G. Who passed this law?
A. The Populist party in the 1897 Leg
Iislature.
@. Are there any public stock yards
in the State to which this law applies?
A. Yes, the one at Kansas City.
4. What reduction did the law make
in yardage charges?
A. 1t reduced the charges for cattle
from % to Is cents a head, calves from
10 to cents per head, hogs from to
cents per head and sheep from 5 to
cents per head.
NJ @. What reduction did it make in feed
charges?
II A 1t eliminated the charge of 81 per
bushel for corn and 81 per hundred for
Il hay and provided that the company
4 should not charge to exceed 100 per cent
4 above the market price.
@. Did the Kansas City stock yards
company comply with the provision of
the law?
A. Il did not, but went to the Federal
courts and secured a temporary injunc-
i ton against Attorney General Boyle en-
joining him from prosecuting it for its
4 refnsa! to obey the law.
@. What reason did it assign for not
= complying with the law?
Z A. It alleged that the rates were not
compensatory and that it would ruin its
business.
@. What did Judge Foster do in the
matter?
A. He appointed Judge Geo. W. Clark
as special master to take testimony as
4 to the cost and value of the Kansas City
! stock yards, and as to the reasonable
ness of the rates fixed by law
@. What did the special master do?
A. He proceeded to take testimony for
4 twenty-five days and made a report
4 which was accepted and adopted by the
\ court
Il @. What does this special masters re-
q port show?
A. First, that the Kansas City stock
q yards company started out in 1871 with
4 a capital stock of $4,000 paid in cash;
4 second, that up to February /, 1884, it
& had expended upon the plant cash to the
4 amount of $2,4S4,5OO; third, that dur
! ing this time it had drawn out cash to
4 the amount of $4,66O,9 fourth, that it
4 had watered its stock from time to time
until it had outstanding stock to the
amount Of S7,36S,65O; fifth, that its pres
ent value is $685. 0325.
Q. Does the report Of the master show
that from an investment of only $4,000
the company, out of the earnings of the
j plant. has expended $2,4S4,5O0, divided
4 in cash nearly two millions and half
4 and still has property worth over S5,-
q 000,00O upon which it is asking the stock
raisers to pay revenue?
A. 1t certainly does.
i q. Whose money built up this tremen-
4 dous business?
A. The money of the men who ship to
4 the Kansas City stock yards
Q. What does the masters report
show in regard to the profits of the bust
ness for 1896?
A. First, that the total receipts were
4 T,012,271.22; second, that the total dis
4 bursements were 1855, 71249, leaving a
4 act income for the year of $64655S.73.
O. What per cent. of profit would this
be on the capital stock?
A. The masters report finds that it
q would be 1886 per cent, but as nearly
$5,OOO,OOO of this stock represents moth
ing but water, the actual return is about
40 per cent.
Q. What does the master find that the
4 profits OF the concern would have been
In the year 1896 had the legislative rates
been III force?
A. $S45 $685. A rate per cent. of S.9S.
Q. How much Of saving would this
be for the year?
A. $S00,65177
G. To whom would this saving be
made?
A. To the stock raisers who ship to
the Kansas City stock yards.
Q. How would the business for 1897
compare with that of 1895?
a. The twenty-seventh annual report
i of the company, for the year ending De-
cember 81, 1897, shows that more cat
4 tie, more hogs, more calves and more
sheep were handled in the yards in 1897
than ever before, and that the business
OF the yards is growing. So that this
7 one saving made by the Legislature will
annually exceed 100000.
Z. What per cent of the stock han
j died in the Kansas City stock yar0s
comes from Kansas?
A. About 60 per cent.
q. What has been the result of the lit
i jgation so far?
A. Judge Foster sustained the law in
every particular. The company then
carried the matter before Judge Thayer
i who also sustained the law in every par
4 ticular, and it has now taken an ap-
peal to the Supreme Court of the United
States where it will probably be heard
! next January.
Y. What provision has been made tC
protect the interests of the shipper in
the meantime?
A The court, at the request of Attor.
ney General Boyle, has required the
stock yards company to enter into bond:
to return to every shipper the exces:
charges over and above the law that hs
may be required to pay during the pend
ancy Of the suit, provided, Of course, thu
law il upheld by the Supreme court o.
the United States.
Q. What does this mean to the ship
per?
a. 1t means that the company will b,
required to refund upwards of s60O,OOO
excess charges taken during the year
1897 and 1898 from the shippers, ant
that nearly 100000 of this will com
TO the shippers of Kansas.
@. What are some Of the results tina
HAVE olroodv oonruod IN tho cb;pnare