Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-10-02
Packing Combine.

Unmistakable evidence is pre-
sented day by day at the stock yards
that the beef trust is operating un-
der an agreement governing the
purchases of all live stock by the
terms Of which no packer can come
into the pens and buy without the
concurrent action of the combine.
Under this agreement in restraint
OF tnde there was bought and sold
in the yards last year q total of
$345, 100000 of cattle sheep and
hogs.
The market of the past week de-
yeloped to the public what had long
bcen known to the stock people, the
buyers and the habitues of the ward
that lid was part of the equip
(ment OF the packing business. This
lid" is taken off and put on at the
Command of the packers chief with
as much obedience as any gambling
lid was ever manipulated at the
order Of the police.
The order for the putting on and
taking off the lid" comes from a
mysterious parsonage by telephone.
That mysterious parsonage is sup
posed to be located in the Rookery.
building, La Sale and Adams
streets and his orders are trnsmitted
to the superintendent of the plants
at the yards, who, in turn, have prii-
yate telephone lines located in the
pens over which they call the buy
ers to give their orders for the day.
These orders not only include the
price at which purchases are to be
made, but they at times indicate the
buyers who shall be allowed to
make the purchases. If, for in
stance, Armour wants 5000 heavy
hogs next Thursday the other buy
ers will be instructed to keep off of
heavy hogs and let Armour have
the market. If it isSwift's turn at
the mill the other buyers content
themselves with looking after snch
other purchases as may be parceled
out to them.
Where there is day in which
there is no instruction save as to
price the buyers must watch their
P's and Q's or hurried order will
come from their individual superin-
tendents inquiring why they are
violating the days orders. In wit.
ness whereof this happened to a
leading buyer:
Orders came for the purchase of
heavy hogs at given price. With
in thirty minutes after the buying
began this buyer got a call over his
private telephone line saying:
Complaint is made that you are
buying light hogs at a higher rate
than the order of the day."
I'm not doing any sach thing"
replied the buyer.
Blanks man reported the fact,
said the voice at the other end.
well, he's q blank, blank, blank
ETY., blank" came back the buyer.
Il am buying nothing except heavy
hogs and my weights will be up in
a few minutes showing them to be
all over 250 to 26O pounds"
Under this system it is impossible
for the buyers to buy for their
plants any more stock, or at any
greater prices than the trust has
agreed to be the proper figure for
the day. If the market is full of
stock and the picking is good, the
lid" comes down with bang and
the owners must carry their stock
over until the next day or until such
time as the trust price looks good
to them.
The operation is principally ap-
parent in the hog house, although
the same principle applies to cattle
and sheep. The reason for this
was thus stated yesterday:
There are classes and classes of
cattle and that market runs all dur
ing the day, but hog is a hog and
the hog market all goes in bunch" /"
The signal for taking off the "lid"
at the yards in the hog market
comes at various times of the dav.
When there is need for the trust to
wait and see what is required for
the order for the buyers is held up
for hours, and it is sometimes al
most noon before the motley throng
that gathers about the big house
shouts:
"The lids off,
There they sit and wait, Owners
Of hogs, commission men who
handle hogs for others, country
buyers who scatter through the
section and buy from farmers and
then sell for themselves, drovers and
boys who help at the work, all sit
or stroll about the house. On the