Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-07-20
TO ENJO|N B. AND 0
Cattle Dealers Complain of the
Charges for Feeding Stock.
SAY LAW is BEING VIOLATED.
Court is Asked to Prevent Discrimination Be
tween Stock Fed at Union Yards and
Those Fed Elsewhere,

tween Stock Fed at Union Yards and
Those Fed Elsewhere.
Baltimore, July lin bill Of
complaint filed in the United States
Circuit Court yesterday Myers and
Houseman, the well-known cattle
dealers. allege that the Interstate
Commercially is being violated by tie
Baltimore. and Ohio Railroad Com
panv in connection with the Union
Stock Yards. They also allegc that
officials of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company are stockholders
of the Union Stock Company and that
the stock wards are being managed
against the interests of the railroad.
Lewis Myers and William 4. House
man are the members of the firm, and
Isidor Rayner is their attorney. They
ask an injunction restraining the rail
road company from continuing the al
legged violations of the Interstate
Commerce law
oI OoMI LAIN
| The bill of complaint which is vol
luminous, tells this story of the case:
Myers and Houseman are cattle and
live stock dealers and do.a business Of
81, 600, 900 year. Their cattle are
shipped principally over the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad for which
they pay the railroad company about
$75, 900 freight annually. The cattle
are sold here or are carried by the
railroad to other cities or to Locust
Point for export
When they arrive in Baltimore the
cattle and other live stock are un-
loaded at the Union Stock Yards,
where they are quartered and fed.
Those intended for Baltimore are sold
at the yards The others are reloaded
on the cars at the stock yards and
sent to other points under the original
bill of lading.
The complainants pay 500 car for
cattle shipped from Chicago to Phila
delphia and $50 car from Chicago to
Jersey City. These rates only prevail
when the cattle are reloaded at the
Union Stock Yards.
If the cattle are unloaded and fed
at other stock yards than the Union
the advantages of the through bills
OF lading and through transportation
rates are lost. In such cases local
or additional rates are charged be-
tween the stock yards and other
points, amounting to $40 car TO
Locust Point, $40 car to Philadel-
phia and $50 a car to Jersey City
The complainants are thereby pre-
vented from feeding their cattle at
their own expense while IN transit.
DECLARE CHARGES OPPRES-
SIVE.
Myers ~ Hoseman complain that
they are victimized by oppressi We
charges for feeding their cattle at the
Union Stock Yards. They say thew
are charged $40 ton for hay, when
the market price is only $l5, and 81
bushel for corn, when the market
price is only 45 cents. They aksed
to be allowed to feed their cattle at
their own stock yards under the same
transportation rates as when the, cat
tie are fed at the Union Stock Yards,
but were refused the privilege byathe
railroad officials.
II the complainants should feed
their cattle at their own stock yards
the local rates they would have 10 pay
would amount to $25, 600 year. IL
they We're allowed to feed their own
cattle and were charged the through
rates only they would save $4,000
year.
There are other stock yards on the
line of the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road Immediately adjoining the Union
Stock YardsN at which cattle could
be delivered at the small expense
necessary for constructing siding
and chute, or platform. This ex-
pense Myers and Houseman offer to
bear. SO as to escape the excessive
charges they are now paying. The
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad officials
refused to enter into any such ar
rangement.
ALLEGED EXCUSES.
The trifiing excuses made bv the
railroad officials for declining the
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