The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-08
Evidence that Prices TO st. Louis Re-
~taiIers Are Fixed Mt n Meeting of
Cooler
SECRET REBATES ALLOWED
LITTLE INDEPENDENT BUYING IN
EAST ST. LOUIS YARDS,
ecaus Big Packers Are Alleged TO
Intimidate CattIemen-Writ of
Custer to BE Asked

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo-, May 7.-Quo
w%arranto proceedings or an application for
a writ of custer against the meat packing
companies composing the Big Four" will
be the next step in the fight of the State
Of Missouri on the beef trust. The result
of the proceedings, if successful, will be to
debar the companies from carrying on bus
mess in the State. Attorney General +. c.
Crow considers the testimony OF the St.
Joseph butchers on rebates and conces-
sions, at Tuesdays session OF the Supreme
Court inquiry, conclusive evidence Of the
existence and supremacy Of the trust in
Missouri.
The existence in st. Louis OF uniform
and fixed meat prices n the secret rebate
in addition to the c. o. d. list was shown
by testimony taken at to-day's session of
the inquiry. Attorney General Crow said
to-day that the objections raised by the
packers attorneys at yesterdays session
does not pertain TO the validity of the anti
trust law, but only TO the law authorizing
the inquiry. The two statutes are separate.
THE antitrust law has been tested twice
in the Supreme Court and is unassailable,'
said he.
Maurice Prendiville. a st. Louis meat
dealer, was the first witness to-day. In
answer TO questions by the attorney gen
eral Prendiville testified that Armour.
Swift, Nelson Morris and Cudahy had a
fixed agreement regarding prices. 1.-The
packers buy cattle on successive days"
said he, $50 that each can buy at his own
price. There is very little independent buy
ing in the East st. Louis stockyards. The
big packers keep others out by telling the
Cottlannen that ~ they sell anV cattle TO
the independent buyers they must sell all
to them. A better grade OF cattle is sent
East than that sold in st. Louis. The or
binary retail butchers cannot get high-class
beef. The best beef is sold TO butchers at
IL cents on the carcasses."
Did you ever get a rebate" was asked.
-Four or five months ago / got rebates
on pork from Nelson Morris. At one time
the cooler managers said 10 me that they
had an agreement not to sell at less than
agreement by selling some cents lower"
us there an arbitrator in st. Louis?
asked Attorney General Crow.
The cooler managers meet every We'd
nesday and form a c. O. d. list and on
Saturday they hold another meeting. / do
not know who likes the prices for them.
but they are fixed the last of each week
not sell his cattle in East st. Louis con-
tinued the witness, land ships them else
where. the packers send a dispatch ahead
of him, instructing the buyers to offer only
~ lALACh. hCo Nho JNo 10 "a ~
to that sold last year. The number OF cat
tie sold and killed in East St. Louis this
season has been unusually large. Most OF
the meat has been placed in storage"
William Tamme, of St. Louis, formerly
city salesman for Swift, testified to a uni
form price at which salesman of all com
panies were instructed 10 SELL Attorney
Ernest G. Dodge has charge of the c. O
d. list, which is made uD every week, the
witness declared. Tamme said the in,
creased price of meat was out of pro
portion to the increase in the price OF
cattle. He said one hundred butchers in
St. Louis had gone out of business and tina
the Mound City Packing Company and the
North ST. Louis Packing Company had alsC
retired.
At the afternoon session there was add
tional testimony as TO the combination OF
packers, the giving of rebates and the fix.
ing of uniform prices in st. Louis. Severa
of the witnesses told of the sale of con
demned meats, some of which were made
into sausage.
7. u. Wirts, a Frisco Railroad man a
Monet. was the last witness. He grew III
in the packing business under his father a
Quincy, H., and up TO a year ago was fol
several years manager of a branch hous'
at Topeka. Kan. He told of the existenc,
of a combination between the various pack
ing companies to fix the price of meats anC
related the incident in which he lost hi
position for selling lard at half a cent les
per pound than the combinations prices.