Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-29

Farmers in Marshall county or else
where, for that matter, who have
brought their chickens to the Mar
shalltoWn market for sale, have all of
this fall been disappointed and sur
prsed at the very low price they have
been compelled to sell them at. From
> Y to 6 y cents per pound has been the
prevailing price. live weight. The
consumer all this time has been pay
ing not less than 10 cents per pound,
dressed and drawn, with heads Off.
The great disparity between the price
received by the producer and the price
paid by the consumer led me into an
investigation of the situation. l found
that there was but one buyer outside
of our local consumption, viz: Swift
g. Co. of Chicago. In other localities
] learn Armour & Co is the solitary
buyer The local consumption is small
as compared to the volume of chickens
offered and it seems, whether by
agreement or otherwise. our local mar
ket is permitted to pay u cent per
pound more.
AS local demand would be supplied
at any price 1t is considered better
probably by Swift & Co. to let them
take what they want at the nc per
pound advance l look at other mar
kets, Chicago, ST. Louis. Boston and
New York, and find the general whole
sale price Of dressed chickens to have
been at Chicago and st. Louis from
121a to lac per pound, mostly the lat
ter price, and in the eastern cities, from
IA to Ice per pound. This would bring
the retail price from 10 to 20 cents.
To accurately determine the difference
between live and dressed weight, l
went thru with very careful demon
stration. l selected from my own
chickens two dozen of about an aver
age The chickens were large, but
all very early Matched spring chickens
The two dozen weighed alive 99k
pounds. One man dry picked and drew
them easily in day. An expert could
probably do much more in day. They
were put away in cool place. and the
next day weighed. Their dressed
weight. drawn and with heads off, was
81 pounds. / weighed them twenty
four hours later and there was no APP
probable shrinkage ] was now pre-
pared to do little figuring. I found
the shrinkage to be about 1914 per
cent when ready for market.
The account then would stand thus:
"a chickens 991s lbs at 51 per
pound ............... $o.4l
man 1 day dressing ........... 1.50
Total cash .................... S6.97
Deducting 1914 per cent shrinkage
would be equivalent to cents per
pound dressed ready for market.
Suppose Swift & Co. had been the
purchaser OF these chickens at SIC
per pound, the price they are now pay
Ing, their shrinkage would have been
less for they do not draw them. They
would have had another small adyan-
tage in the value Of the feathers. They
would have picked them for less. AL
together 1t would be a safe statement
to make that the would have bought,
picked, packed and delivered them for
shipment at not to exceed S12c per
pound. The rate on dressed poultry
to Chicago for instance in car lots is
40 cents per hundred less than car
lots. 63 cents per hundred, would make
their cost on the Chicago market COM
missions, packing and everything paid,
not to exceed SIC per pound, even II
they shipped in small lots. Their net
profits if sold at 15c would yield them
81 per cent profit Suppose 1t costs
them for use Of capital and Of pack
ing and picking, house clerical work,
and all other expenses, II per cent,
high estimate, they would still be to
the good 40 per cent net profit l
suppose the local dealer had bought
them at &c per pound. They would
have cost him viz:
991a lbs. at 6s ...................$ o.9t
Dressing the same .............. l.5O
Total cash ................ ..$l.4o
On about &c per pound on his coun-
ter ready for sale. By these figures
his profit when sold for 15c per pound
would be a little over so per cent. In
either case maintain that the profit
is most unreasonably large. I have
gone over my figures carefully, car
ried out my practical demonstration
under my own eve and am satisfied
as to the reasons why the difference in
price between the consumer and the
producer is so great and just who gets
this difference. The trouble does not
lie with our retailer for rather than
reduce his profit say one-half to 30
per cent he had better ship to some
eastern market. And right here the
question would naturally suggest it
self why don't our dealers buy and