Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1904-10-20
WORK
WITH MEAT TRUST
Cooperation OF Interests
Makes Stock Cheap and
Meat Expensive.
GATHERING THE FACTS
No Real Competition in Bidding At the
Markets While the Railroads Get
Stuff There When Trust
Wants II.

Washington Oct. 20.-Filed away in this
department of labor are thousands OF LETT
tiers from cattle raisers and retail dealers
through the cattle raising sections. writ
ten In reply to circular letter from tho
department asking for opinions as TO what
has caused the high price of beef and low
price of cattle
Abstracts from such evidence have been
prepared, ready to be sprung upon con
gress after election.
Upwards of twenty agents have been
in the field for months, and among the.
results of their inquiries may be enumer-
ated the following, all matters OF RECORD
IN the department. but none OF which -
permitted to go to the public:
Buyers for the trust VISIT farmers and
cattle raisers personally in their EFFORTS
to get the choice products. These buyers
are not employed by any particular house.
Thar expenses are paid from a fund to
which all the packing houses contribute
controlled by special agent When
raiser of especially fine cattle is APP
preached he is offered the price fixed by
the trust. The grower refuses to accept
it and the squeezing game commences.
1t is first suggested to him that he Will
have trouble feeding the cattle.
rive got that all arranged" the farmer
replies. I've contracted for my cotton
seed meal.
But when the feed grows low he writes.
then telgraphs the cottonseed men to
hurry it along. In vain. The feed men
make all sorts of excuses. and when they
start car the railroads delay 1t son1e-
times for weeks.
The trusts buyer turns up again the
farmer finds his cattle growing thin, and
no feed In sight. The price offered has
fallen appreciably and in desperation he
accepts There is no delay in the snip
ment of the cattle when consigned to tho
trust.
An illegal Combine.
These agents have discovered evidence
that the railroads are leagued with tne
cattle trust to force the price OF cattle
on the hoof to the lowest notch. Cattle
consigned to the stock yards as the prop
erty of the trust are promptly put through.
When the raiser sends his cattle to DO
sold through a broker they are kept on
the way as long as possible. as every Gay
reduces their weight and makes them less
marketa ble The average reduction in the
value of a frst-class steer through shlS
system is from 81 to So
Again, there is collision between the
railroads and the packers at the stock
yards. The packers absolutely control.
the arrival of stock. Contracts with ship
pers are ignored. A telephone message
from the agent representing the trust 10
much more potent than the guarantees
given the shipper. So far as there can be
any advantage TO the shipper IN biddins-
which is really not competitive-that ad-
vantage at the stock yards is found during
the morning hours. when the prices nxed
by the trusts agent are higher than dur
ing the afternoon, when the days supply
has been secured by the different houses.
So 1t happens that when the trusts learn
that consignment of unusually hne cat
tie Is due on a certain day the railroads
are notified to hold that shipment outside
\ the city limits until the afternoon. Then.
on the plea that the market mas been
| supplied and here Ia no demand. the
| price drops and choice cattle go at shame
fully low prices.
Stock Yards Bidding Farce.
The bidding in the stock yards is Z
farce There is not day that the anti
trust law. making 1t Illegal to engage In
a conspiracy in restraint OF trade, Is not
violated in fragrant fashion. The price on
any particular day is fixed by an agent
representing the trust houses. who sits in
his office and DEGREES what the cal tile rails
ers shall get. No matter what packer
goes through the form of bidding. the
house designated to receive certain lot
gets 1t. and there are just fluctuations
enough to give the idea OF competitive
| bidding.
These Investigations show that the aver
age price of cattle on the hoof has been
going down continually for several years.
| while the price of products have steadily
risen. The expenses OF the packers have
decreased through Capitalization. Oppres-
| sion for the cattle grower and extortion
for the consumer have been practised by
the beef trust to swell profits.
One special agent cited the case of q
| thriving town In che Of the Pacific states
where the trust had been shipping a car
4 load of dressed beef every three days An
| independent butcher started in business
| and promised to succeed. The trust
promptly began to ship three carloads Of
! meat day on the plea that there was an
evcess of products and that If not sold
the meat would spoil. Prices were put
| to such low figure that the meat was
bought and the independent forced out OF
business. Then the price Of meat jumped
| and consumers were once more at the
| mercy of the trust. THIS incident was re.
/ peated wherever an independent had the
temerity to open a shop.