The Advocate and news., 1898-07-20

LlG GbldDlADnlAGub VI a 0ldAg
stock yards as an open market in which
the shipper and buyer alike find fair
public market. Mr.. Munger carefully
studied out every point in the plan and
every objection to it before he proposed
his plan. He attended the convention
fortified with arguments from his own
rich experiences and from that Of his
neighbOrs and other stOckmen. He came
to Topeka to plead a righteous cause,
and therefore won over all opposition.
When asked by an Advocate and News
reporter about the origin of the stock
yards plank Mr.. Munger said:
Having before me the knowledge that
the existing yards, with which we are
familiar, are comparatively new in the
plan of operation, and remembering my
personal experiences in the cattle busi-
ness, which cost me considerable money,
I conceived the idea that a good way
to begin with our fundamental demands
for public ownership Of public utilities
would be by putting into operation
system of State stock yards. The pres
'ent yards at Kansas City have been the
means Of attracting much attention to
NLI6 HldLJGIs luIOu5u gMD dSlAOh VI SAO
Legislature in attempting to regulate
some Of the abuses in the conduct Of the
yards and by the suit against the COM
pany in the State attempting to enforce
the law"
What abuses do the shippers COM
plain off" Mr.. Munger was asked.
There are good many on which
they have a rightful complaint, and q
few of them are as follows: The cost Of
feed is so great and a sale Is so entirely
controlled by the COmpany-thus pre-
venting dealers from selling to cOnsum-
ers-that the shippers are forced to sell
promptly on arriving with their stock.
In cases where there is superabundance
OF stock the buyers naturally take ad-
vantage of the necessities of sellers and
Invariably make their bids below actual
values. AS an instance, l have been
forced to sell thin stock that is classed
as Gamers at price not over one-haf
of it's actual value to the buyer. Thin
cattle in such cases have been sold as
low as cent per pound and the product
has been canned and put on sale with
similar products that had cost the packer
twice as much or even more.
"It has been a common experience
among shippers who have offered stock
at Kansas City, received a bid and re-
fused, who have then shipped on to Chi
cagO, to find that particular lot of stock
was seriously objected to by Chicago
buyers so that the value was materially
reduced. l once shipped lot Of 200 fat
steers of about 1900 pounds weight to
Kansas City. | received a bid OF $375
a hundred pounds and refused it. Ship
ping them on to Chicago sold them for
S2.75 per hundred, without there having
been any material change in values. The
experience has been very common one
among shippers and l can easily get
together a large number Of just as ex-
pliCit instances without going outside
of my own county. In view Of the fact
that buyer for packing house would
receive his discharge promptly should
he make a mistake Of as much as 10
cents per hundred pounds in the value
of bunch of cattle, it is not cOnceiv-
able that such cases are caused by errors
of judgment.
"Do not combinations of some sort
exist among the large buyers and those
for the packing houses?
"They certainly do. What form this
agreement is in none of us knows.
Butchers have been driven from their
business in many of the smaller cities
of the country and in all of the larger
ones. The fact is also applicable to
many OF the villages Of the country.
They are met by a condition that so far
has been insurmountable. In the first
place they have been asked by an agent
of the packer and slaughterer to buy his
meats in place of killing for himself.
Refusing to do this the butcher has had
a market located close to him where the
meats have been sold by the packer di-
rect to consumers until the obstinate
country butcher is brought to terms.
Again, when he has gone to any Of the
Western markets for carload or two
or less of cattle for his use he has been