The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-09-01
THE MEAT-PAckINe ROBBERS.


The Ranch does not believe generally in knock
ing. The Ranch believes that it is better policy
to boost and this policy is strictly adhered to
wherever and whenever it is possible. But The
Ranch is paper for the farmer. 1t represents
the farmers interests boosts for the farmers
interests and when the occasion calls, it will fight
for the farmers interests, because primarily, it
believes in square DEAL and, secondarily, it is
farm paper read and supported by the farmers
In the instance in hand, the farmers of the
Pacific northwest not only being imposed upon
but robbed, and The Ranch purposes to fight
until it finds out not only why, but until the pres
ent system of robbery is entirely exposed Then
if the perpetrators of this robbery shame
less that they will continue their holdup games
in the face of this exposure, The Ranch intends
to continue the fight until few things will hap
pen that will be disadvantageous to the aforesaid
robbers.
The consumers of meat, of beef, pork and NUT
ton, in the Pacific northwest, are paying the high
est price for these meats that they ever paid in
the history of the country. They are paying con-
sideraby more than they are in the cities of the
east and middle west The logical conclusion de-
rived from such conditions would be that the
packers of these meats are forced to charge such
prices because of the increased cost of raw ma
terial; that they forced to get higher prices
because the farmers of the Pacific northwest
getting so much for their beef and 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.
All through the Mississippi valley at the pres
ent time, farmers receiving big price for
their cattle. The stock-raising industry as a con-
sequence is booming But farmers in the Pacific
northwest are not getting these prices. In fact
the northwestern farmers are not getting one
half as much for their cattle the stockmen in
the middle west getting. At the present time
they only getting from two to four cents
pound for their beef This is said to be not more
than half what it costs the stockmen to raise the
stock. They are actually forced, under present
conditions to sell out their stock at big loss
or not market it at all. And yet the meat eaters
in Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and other cities of
the Pacific northwest paying unheard of prices
for this beef in the markets.
Does it seem right just that when beef is
costing the consumers exOrbitant prices, the
should be actually compelled to sell their
cattle to the meat packers at price which is not
half the cost of raising them. Is it an equitable
condition which means unheard of prices for the
consumers at end and starvation prices to
the cattleraiser at the other end? 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 in the
Mississippi valley, and yet the consumers of beef
are paying from 25 to 80 and even 40 per cent
more? Who comes in for the swag that is pocket
ed between the time when the farmer sells his
DooI at an unprOHCdDlo, nedTIDT0dhluS price anu
the consumer buys it at price which makes
meat a luxury in every household that is not
blessed with actual wealth?
Not long ago a cattle raiser over in eastern
Washington slaughtered twenty head of cattle
and saved only the hides feeding the carcasses
to the hogs and the vultures because he couldn't
get enough for the meat on the hoof to warrant
his shipping it to the market Another cattle
grower killed 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 packers for those cattle the fol-
lowing spring to make it worth while to pay the
cost of wntering them.
Setting aside the great injustice to the
sumer to every man. woman and child who eats
meat in the Pacific northwest-and that means