The Advocate and news., 1898-07-20

ably be the first sent to the new yards.
Wouldn't other business men that
those now engaged in the packing busl-
ness be ready to take advantage of the
market IL the combine should boycott
the State yards?"
1T Is my opinion that new set Of
yards could not be set up ahead OF the
packing house of some enterprislng man
who would want to take advantage OF
the new conditions. AS to the fat stock,
let 1t once be known by the butchers of
the country that here Is place where
they can have access to a market with
out hindranCe and new element will
be introduced In buying that will have
vastly greater beneficial effect on prices
than all the packing houses that can be
got there. Those butchers want to kill
their own cattle but are excluded from
the markets Of the country, and there
are thousands of them"
What about the cost Of the proposed
yards?"
THAT question is answered by an esti-
mate on the cost of the required land
and improvements, and such an estimate
has been recently made it my sugges-
tion. Land may be had adjoining the
existing yards 1t will have to be con-
demned and prices settled in court. This
particular tract to which / refer Is esti-
mated to be worth about $4,000 per acre,
The tract that the Kansas City company
considered and boughtsOme ten OrtwelVe
years ago is vacant and estimated to be
worth about $1,000 per acre, Another
tract adjoining and nearer to the city
is estimated at $4,000 per acre. Within
a radius Of ten miles from the present
yards are plenty Of vacant locations that
are almost any Of them available for the
purpose and that can be had for from
$100 per acre upward. A prominent ship
per of Greenwood county considers that
it would be economy to take the first
tract referred to at $4,000 per acre. In
the carrying out of the plan many diff
ferent men will need to take hand, and
discussion will bring out the best plan.
"The cost of preparing the present
yards according to the estimate | have
had made should not exceed 5000, 900,
and in this is included the brick for
paving, which should be made at the
penitehtiary, where they have the clay,
coal and labor necessary and are anxious
for the work for the conviCts to do. That
much would be a clear saving to the
people,. II would also reduce the esti-
mate by the amount of the saving, prob
ably from $4,000 to $1,000. There were
sold at the yards last year nearly two
million head of cattle and correspond
} ing number of hogs"
what about the saving to the men
who ship stock?'
1.-The % cents charges alone amounts
to $50O,OOO. Probably hogs and sheep
bring the amount to more than double
that. Divide the amount by Ave, which
should be more than the outside possible
cost of handling the stock and the re-
pairs, and the remainder shows the gain.
Add to this the saving on the feed, and
1t is altogether considerable amount.
A. consideration of greater Importance
by far than this saving is the tremen-
dous advantage given to sellers by the
resulting competition among buyers
Wouldn't the good effect Of this plan
have it's influence outside Of the State?"
Eyes, there would be very great
effect on competing yards to be COnsld-
ered 1t Is possible to imagine that this
plan executed would not absolutely COM
pei neighboring States to adopt 1t also
and would not that entirely destroy the
combinations that now exist, to the
great detriment of our producers Of cat
tie and hogs? More important still than
all this will be the result Of opening the
eyes of the people to the fact that 1t Is
,,o-cfl,Io en- onnly tho nrin nninln ~ oOl-
lectivism to many other branches Of
business in which all are concerned"
I'm general way the idea exists that
it Is impossible to compete with the ex-
isting combination. answer that the
State of Kansas, with its million and a
half of energetic, strong minded people
cannot be resisted by any combination
OF men or money possible to get to-
gether, whenever they see fit to act.
There is no detail possible that cannot