East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-08-16

Seattle, Aug 16.-The Seattle farm
paper, The Ranch, in its issue Of to-
day states that farmers of the north
west, as well as the consumers are
robbed by the beef trust. The Ranch
says:
The farmers of the Pacific north
west are not only imposed upon, but
robbed. The consumers Of beef,
pork and mutton in the Pacific
northwest are paying the highest
price for these meats that they ever
paid in the history of the country.
They are paying considerably more
than they are in the cities of the east
and middle west. The logical conclu-
sion derived from such conditions
would be that the packers of these
meats are forced to charge such
prices because of the increased cost
of raw material; that they are forced
to get higher prices because the far
mers of the Pacific northwest are
! getting so much more for their beef,
pork and mutton on the hoof than
the farmers in the east and middle
west are getting. But this is not so.
| They are not.
Trust Takes the Profits.
All through the Mississippi valley
at the present time farmers are re-
ceiving big price for their cattle. The
stockaiaing industry as a conse-
! ouence is booming. But farmers in
/ ~
| these prices. In fact, the northwest
ern farmers are not getting one half
as much for their cattle as the stock
men of the middle west are getting.
At the present time they are only
getting from to cents pound for
their beef. This is said to be not
more than half what it costs the
stockman to raise the stock They
are actually forced under present con-
ditions to sell out their stock at
big loss or not market it at all. And
vet the meat eaters in Seattle, Ia
coma, Portland and other cities of
the Pacific northwest are paying un-
heard of prices for this same beef in
the markets.
Doesn't it look as though there Is
something wrong somewhere when
producers of cattle in the Pacific
northwest are only receiving half OF
what they are paying in the Missis-
sippi valley, and yet the consumers OF
beef are paying from 20 TO 20 per
cent more? who comes in for the
swag that is pocketed between the
time when the farmer sells his beer
at an Improbable. Misunderstanding
nrice and the consumer buys it at
price that makes meat luxury in
every household that is not blessed
with actual wealth?
Injustice to All.
Not long ago cattle raiser over
in eastern Washington slaughtered
20 head of cattle and saved only the
hides, feeding the carcasses to the
hogs and vultures, because he could
not get enough for the meat on hoof
to warrant his shipping it to market.
Another cattle grower killed more
than a score of cattle last December
and kept only enough meat for his
own family use, because he knew he
couldn't get enough from the pack
ers for those cattle the following
spring TO make it worth while to pay
the cost of wintering them.
A Case for Heney.
1t may be good business to pay a
farmer from to 4 cents pound for
his beef and sell the same beef after
comparatively inexpensive packing
process, at a profit of from 500 to
600, per cent, but 1t isn't very good
ethics, and, moreover, it's mighty
poor business for the consumers who
must eat meat.
The farmers of the Mississippi val
ley are getting twice as much for
their beef as the farmers OF the Pa
; cfic northwest; and yet the mea'
packers there are content with
profit which allows beef to be sold
to consumers at from 90 to 80 pei
cent less than It is sold in Seattle and
Tacoma.
The meat trust people of the mid
, die west have already been branded
, robbers Of the worst sort.
) What must the meat paskers o
1 the Pacific northwest be?