The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-10-28
RAILROADS 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 1t.

Washington Oct. 20.-Filed away in this
department of labor are thousands OF let
tiers from cattle raisers and retail dealers
through the cattle raising sections. writ
ten in reply to Il circular letter from the
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-
atcd the following, all matters OF record
in the department., but none OF which Is
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.
Their expenses are paid from q fund to
which all the packing houses contribute.
controlled by a 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
1t and the squeezing game commences:
1t is first suggested to him that he Will
I have trouble feeding the cattle
I've got that all arranged" the farmer
replies. I've contracted for my cotton
seed meal"
But when the feed grows low he writes.
Il
s,urry 1t along In vain The feed men
make all sorts of excuses. and when they
/ start car the railroads delay 1t some
| times for weeks.
The trusts buyer turns UP again. Inc
| farmer finds his cattle growing thin, ana
| no feed in sight. The price offered has
fallen appreciably and in desperation ne
accepts. There Is no delay In the ship
ment Of the cattle when consigned to the
trust
An illegal Combine.
These agents have discovered evidence
| that the railroads are leagued with the
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 be
sold through broker they are Kept or
the way as long as possible. as every gay
reduces their weight and makes thenn less
marketable The average reduction IN tnt
value of first-class steer through 'iii'
system Is from 81 to 3d.
Again there Is collision between tile
railroads and the packers at the stock
yards. The packers absolutely coh'!o
i the arrival of stock. Contracts with snip
l. pers are ignored. telephone ihessas !.
u from the agent representing the trust Is
J much more potent than the guarantees
! given the shipper. So far as there can Dc
y any advantage to the shipper IN bloairs-
:, which is really not competitive-that al
vantage at The stock yards Is FOUND durlnt
the morning hours. when the prices nNe.
> by the trusts agent are higher than our
ing the aftern Jon, when the days suppl.
; has been secured by the different houses
So 1t happens that when the trusts iear'
that consignment Of unusually me ca.
: tie is due on a certain day the ra,lroao
are notified to hold that shipment outsid
: the city limits until the afternoon. Ther
+ he nj the market mas pee
supplied and here Is no demand, IN
l, price drops and choice cattle go at shame
> fully low prices
e Stock Yards Bidding Farce.
= The bidding in the stock yards Is
. farce. There is not day that the ant
trust law, making 1t illegal to engage !
conspiracy in restraint OF trade. is nc
Z violated In fragrant fashion. The price o
y any particular day is fixed by an ager
. representing the trust houses. who sits
: his office and DEGREES what the cattle rai
= ers shall get. No matter what packe
: goes through the form of bidding, II
house designated to receive certain Il
gets 1t, and there are just f1uctuatlor
enough to give the idea of compettiN
u bidding.
J. These Investigations show that the ave
d age price of cattle on the hoof has bee
8, going down continually for several year
IT while the price Of products have steadi
II risen. Inc EXPENSES Oh tuc paShcis ia
A decreased through Capitalization. Oppre
l. !sion for the cattle grower and extorit
j. for the consumer have been pract.sed
l. the beef trust to swell profits.
d One special agent cited the case of
thriving town in che of the Pacific stat
n where the trust had been shipping ca
.eI. load Of dressed beef every three days a
J. independent butcher started In busine
r. and promised to succeed. The tru
ID promptly began to ship three carloads
meat day on the plea that there was {
e~cess of products and that II not so
r. the meat would spoil. Prices were p
So to such low figure that the meat w
n bought and the Independent forced out
is business. Then the price of meat jump
r. and consumers were once more at t.
le mercy of the trust This incident was
y peated wherever an independent had t
ton, arif ~ To chOn.