Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-02
GIANT PACKERS LOCK HORNS
Armour and Swift in Struggle for Control
Of Traffic.
SENDS PRICE OF HOGS STEADILY UP
Local Receipts GREATS Increase
over Those of Last Year, While
Price Mounts Day After Day
with Regularity.

Hogs sold in South Omaha yesterday at
the average price OF s7.64iz per 100 pounds.
This Is S2.63h per 100 pounds higher than
the average price on July l. 1900. AMI
1881 higher than the average price on
July /, 1901. In the meantime the receipts
Of hogs at the South Omaha yards are
more than III 900 greater for the FIRST six
months Of 1902 than for the first six months
Of 1901. On the increase in receipts alone
the increase in price amounts to nearly
$500, 900, while on the total receipts for
the six months 1t amounts to almost S4,-
900, 900.
In a measure this extra price for hogs
Is accounted for by the added cost Of feed,
but not ell. stockmen say a very tidy
figure Of profit Is going to the farmers
pockets. In the old days of cheap corn 1t
was a common saying that 81 hogs meant
5O-cent corn. II that were true hogs at
$3.50 means corn at about 90 cents. so the
armers' profit even with corn selling al
90 cents is fair. What the real cause for
the steady rise in the price Of hogs and
the continued demand for all that come
to market is not apparent on the surface.
Well informed men who do business at the
stockyards say it lie the result Of a war
that has broken out between the swif5s
and the Armours for control Of the provi-
sion trafhc.
Fight Between Giants.
whatever the cause. a lot Of expensive
pork is being packed just at present. Mess
pork is the only feature that shows high
in the market quotations just now. ribs
and lard being down around normal.
Somebody is getting his neck wrung."
said one mar who Is in close touch all
the time with the livestock market, but
whether It is Armour or Swift is mighty
hard 20 say. One thing Is sure, they are
putting up q mighty lively fight" What
the outcome will be is not even limited at
by the watchers, but It seems hardly pos
sible that the price Of hogs can be main
tanned at the present figures after the new
feed crop comes in.
In connection with the struggle for SUI
premacy between the giant packing arms
is the story told by the Chicago Tribune
Of Tuesday anent the purchase OF control
OF the Omaha company by the Armours:
Another important change in the packing
aeid was made PUPILS yes ibaf rw wner Z
Co. had secured the Omaha Packing COM
pany after a sharp tilt with the Swifts'
1t was further informally ~nounce that
Armour had practically secured the Inter
national Packing eompsnys chicago plants
~ Nht nav
the result of the rivalry between the Swift
and Armour interests.
The Omaha Packing company has been
on the market since early in May. when
Ira M. CODE OF CODE & McKinnon, and for
mer president Of the Chicago Title and
ton. He bid at that time S2,OoO.OOo for its
preferred stock and 81 100000 for It's COM
mon stock, and the deal with the Armour
COMPANY Il supposed to have been for
slightly larger totals.
The sale OF the company to the swifts in
.AaaA ~ 80 ARrnntr uy0a N0Lan aa q fnFaRnnA
conclusion for some time, as the Omaha
company VAS formerly, controlled by the
Anglo-American to Swift
According to a member Of the Omaha
company both of the large firms made bids
Just purchased the Anglo-American, which
gave II all OF the Fowler foreign trade. and
reports have IT that the Armour interests
Omaha company, which has plants in sew
eral Of the large .%centers, includes here the
was through this firm that the sale is sup
posed to have been effected. II will not go
out a rG eSisIen oSsIb put tu wti as Se iGbSy' a RS sFs III
have become parts Of swift.
ness is concerned, gives to Armour a new
dressed beef business of large proportions,
and a hog house with a capacity Of 5000
hogs q day.
Report of Sale.
II was acknowledged IN the once OF Nlle5
& Robbins yesterday that the sale had
taken place and that Armour was the pur-
"Tt was made as an investment by Mr..
Armour said a member OF the stan OF
the Viles & Robbins company. The Omaha
Packing company will not go out OF eX-
istence, but Armour will have a big share
Of its stock. There was but little trouble
in getting him 70 take II. II was an in
vestment, and the firm is on q splendid
paying basis. / do not know the exact sum
paid for the interests sold and would not
tell II I knew"
With the news OF the sale of the Omaha
company came rumors OF the purchase OF
the Continental and Upton companies, the
only two smaller concerns that are now
doing business in competition with Armour,
Swift, Cudahy. Schwarzschild & Sllzberger
and the companies. At the
ofices OF the Continental company II was
said that nothing was known Of such a
deal, but that 7. E. Wells. who controls
Europe. N. q. Conybear, the local repre-
sentative of Sir Thomas Upton. denied that
such a consolidation was contemplated, or
that approaches had been made on the
I'VE do not believe that Armour is-after
the Hammond company" was said by a
packer yesterday. FOR the reason that II
would be OF no value TO him. II such a
deal goes through IL shows that Swift and
Armour have at last locked horns in a
bitter struggle"