The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-02-10
SYNOPSIS.

Tke indictment contains SO printed
pages, but in its last analysis il comes to
: two things
FLsl: That the defendants, by daily
asIeauents among themselves, have fix
ed ana controlled the prices, which are
pad Jy all of them, for the live stock,
al ,4e stock yards; and that this fixed
pr4ce IS much lower than they would
otherwise have been.
Second: That tire defendants have fixed
and controlled, by their weekly agree
ments, the price Il fresh meats, sold by
all o. them in the various markets in the
country, and that these prices have been
the same in each market as to ALL the
corporations of the defendants, and that
these fixed prizes have been inflated, ex-
cessiye, and higher than would other
wise have been the case.
he necessary inference is, that in be-
tween the low fixed purchase price of
cattle, and the high and inflated fixed
sale price of meat, the defendants have
reaped the enormous difference, as their
profit and that the public has according
ly suffered,
That the stock grower has been the
the meat consumer has been the victim
of inflated prices at the other, and that
in between, the packers have exacted an
enormous profit. These in essence, are
the ultimate allegations. THESE AL
LEGATIONS ARE SPECIFICALLY DE-
MED.
The defendants do not fix the purchase
price of cattle by agreement. The pur
chase price is fixed by the market con-
tlitions which neither these defendants
I1pr any one controls or can control, and
thar purchase price has steadily risen
during lhe years. The defendants do not
fix alnd control the sale prices of fresh
meats in the markets. Those meats are
sold Uno,r competitive conditions, in
the markets, in direct competition with
y 10 and hundreds of competitors,
which make such thing impossible, and
1t is not in fact done. Nor are sale
prices Of meats by the packers. to the
lmeat dealers, inflated or excessive. Nei-
ther DO the packers reap enormous or in
fat2d profits.
On the contrary, fresh meats during
the period covered by the Indictment,
'haT2 seen sold by the defendants, on
to them, and actual sale price, that ST. 80
Will much exceed the average profit per
head on cattle, and II of one cent per
pound, will exceed the average profit on
dressed beef sold And this profit is
REAL. 1t gives to the dressed beef, the
whole profit arising on each beef animal
including the by product profits.
We will show that the defendants, by
the best business methods, and greatest
economies, have in fact earned less than
10 per cent per year on their actual
money investment. We will SHOW that
the publ" has not suffered an injury
out has rcaped great benefit by the
business operations of the defendants
ana We vii! disproYe the indictment al
legations, Of fixing low buying prices, fix
taE Inflated sale prices. ana njuring the
public al both ends.
First. Taking up eacn OF the subjects
in the Indictment, he pointed out the
enormous number of cattle bought in
each stock yard, the great number of
buyers employed by each concern, (Swift
a. Go having no less than 1907, and the
great nun Der of buyers buying for con-
Germs other than the defendants, which
he said, numbered over 1900, all of whom
are in direct competition with the big
packers. The buying and selling is on a
purtely competitive basis, and is so con-
Quoted that it is impossible to effective
ny agree upon cattle buying prices.
Second. beef animal which weighs
1.Vlo pounds, will dress out" in beef
about 80 pounds; the fresh beef in every
animal brings the packer less in money,
than The packer pays for the live animal.
The difference is made up In the by-pro-
ducts such as hide, fat. tongue, hoof,
horns, tai! and other portions of the
carcass which in all make up IS per cent
ol the live weight. These by-products
must be handled to bring them to \
stage, where they can be sold to advan-
tage. This takes time, and the packer