The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-18
THE PACKING BUSINESS.
The Contest Between Dressed Beef and
Cattle-NIanipuiati by the
Beef Trust.

In the closely allied industry of meat
packing. the two cities again are lead
ers. In both Kansas City and Omaha
are branches of the great packing in
terests-Arnour, Swift, Cudahy, Nell
SON Morris, etc."shipping every year
tons upon tons of dressed meat to
every state in the union and every
country on the globe. The problem Of
the ratio and the relation between
freight rates upon the dressed pro
duet and the raw material, cattle, it
may be called, has been a source of
great complaint throughout the entire
section, but, especially from the Mis-
souri, river to Chicago Quite a few
years ago Mr.. Fink and Judge Cooley,
acting as arbitTHtors, said that the ra-
| ito between Chicago and New York
would be properly tWenty-eight cents
| per hundred pounds for live cattle, and
forty-f1ve cents for the dressed carcass
/ The interstate commerce commission,
although not recommending any fixed
ratio, yet decided that the rates upon
the dressed product should be higher
/ than upon the live cattle. How did
the railroads meet this obviously Just
and reasonable order? They reversed
/ 1t and not only have the two comm obi
/ ties most of the time taken the sam g
published rate, which was ffagrantly
! departed from in favor of the packers,
/ but, in the territory east of the Mis-
souri, the published rate for many
years now has been more on live cat
! tie than that on packing house pro-
1 ducts. Let me illustrate. Through
cut rates the packers for many years
were enabled to ship fresh meat and
other packing house products from
| Missouri river points to Chicago at
1874 cents per 100 while the published
/ rate was % Il cents. But, in 1901, the
Beef Trust made a seven year contract
with the Chicago, Great Western road
| to haul the products at 1914 cents.
| Then began a great scramble for the
! zlf5 5.T-
! left and the end of the whole matter
was that all the roads from the Mis-
! souri, river points put in a published
/ tariff on packing products of 1914
cents per 100 to Chicago.
Now let US take any town within a
radius of 125 miles east of the Mis-
souri, river upon any road leading to
| Chicago, except the Santa Fe, such as
Fort Dodge, Ia. The rate on live stock
from Fort Dodge to Chicago is % a
cents per 100, a clear discrimination
in favor of the packer and the finished
product of 5 cents per 100. Thus,
/ upon the finished and more valuable
product, the packers get a lower rate
than the shipper of live stock in the
states of Iowa, or Missouri, although
/ 1875 miles nearer Chicago and in addi-
| ton one cent per mile on refrigerator
cars. both ways. which are generally
returned empty on fast schedules
while the stock cars are returned at
the convenience Of the carrier and
loaded with coal lum Der, machinery,
etc. This undue preference in many
points of Iowa results so that the
packer on the Missouri river can buy
cattle at Fort Dodge, ship it back to
Kansas City and Omaha, kill and dress
1t. then ship the dressed carcass back
to Chicago, through Fort Dodge
cheaper than the livestock owner can
ship the live animal from Fort Dodge
direct to Chicago.
What the Railroad Men Say.
Just a few words more upon this
subject and ] shall pass on I talked
with a general freight agent in one OF
these cities and he got very enthusi-
astic in his condemnation of the meth
DDS Of the packing interests He said
! that no traffic man would dare oppose
them, but that many of their demands
were pure and simple hold ups" For
instance, a car of freight is never
shipped for them that there is not q
claim for overweight or damage to car
which they charge to the negligent in
spection of the railroad. He told me
that there is one packing house in the
trust which keeps about 10000 claims
/ which they could never collect at law
on their books, and BY threatening tc
sue for them, they force the roads tC
meet their demands for rates. etc