El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-10
OPEN MARKET IS
. ALL IMPORTANT
Stockyards Control by Trust
Shuts Out Independent.
Dealer, Says Cattleman.


.r IN, deep1v interested in the con-
troVersy now going on IN TINS CIly
over the setting aside OF a reser
oIong the river east of washington
! mark i'm which all stockyards' pack
( ING houses slaughter pens, 1erIlizeI
faotorfes and kindred industries shau
he established from this time hence
forth . said Andrew COSgans, cattle
nm Of Douglas and Ell Paso, whose
rarcbes lie in the state of Sonora, Mex
Has No Feeling.
HAs between the Norris company and
those who are attempting to nave the
reserved district set aside outside OF
| tbe citv limits, I have no feellnS- III
the very nature of things, as a catlle-
man. I want all stock yards and pack
! inc house men to be numbered among
- friends. am very deeply interest
| ed. however, in the maintenance IN III
| P9eo and for that matter, all through
| tba southwest of what is known as the
omen market Every man who has
cattle to sell, and every Independent
buver of cattle or other forms of live
! stock. should insist that the open
market be maintained
Familiar with Trust Methods.
ct am more or less familiar with the
practices in the stock yards of Kansas
CITY. Chicago, Oklahoma City and other
middle west markets, and am free to
confess LndL WnGLG the Il uoL Is III
control there has been tendency to
shut out the independent buyer and
place the producer wholly at the mercy
of the trust
Forms of ExactiOns.
This control takes form in various
exactions as the charge, We win say,
| of Is cents per head for yardage, or
| $50 to $50 per ton for hay, and often
times a very inferior grade of hay is fur
nished, even at that price; surety bonds
are required from outside dealers,
whether buyers or sellers, and if the
| trust is inclined to shut the independ-
ent dealer, whether buyer or seller, out
of that particular market, it can put
the surety bond so high that he cannot
get it, or if he does get it, at a cost so
great as to cut into his profits.
Makes a Suggestion
'Of course / do not want to ne
placed in position of seeming TO say
to the city council Of Fl Paso what it
shall or shall not do, but I would sug-
gest. that before it grants a franchise
to the Morris Packing company, or any
other concern, for stOcI1yards or pack
ing house privileges in the city Of FL
Paso, or even in the proposed reserved
district, that it throw such safeguards
around the franchise that the open
market of such vital interest to cat
tlemen, be preserved for all time.
Wilson's Interview.
'T note that Thomas E. Wilson, pres
ident of the Morris Packing company,
in an interview in the Morning Times,
says that the union stOckyards his
company proposes to build will be
used by everyone and will be of gen
eral benefit That is all right as far
as it goes Mr.. Wilson did not say
what his charges would be. Under the
'28-hour law all cattle passing through
FL PasO, in any direction, must be I'M
loaded in order to be fed, Watered and
rested, and therefore all will be sub
ject to an unloading, feeding and wa
tering charge.
What Present Charges Are.
Up to this time the Independent
yards in FL Paso have had a uniform
price Of 80 cents per car for unload
ing and so cents per car for reloading.
This charge, of course, is paid by the
railroad companies, in the first in
stance, but is included in the freight,
and therefore, in the last ANALYSIS, paid
by the shipper. The charge for feed
ing has been so cents per bale, or on
the basis of $50 per ton for the best
quality of hay, and owing to the COM
petition between the yards only the
best quality of hay has been used.
Guard Against Monopoly.
However, as said at the outset
my only interest in this controversy is
the maintenance of the open market
and If the city council of Ell PasO sees
fit to establish stOckyards within the
ely 1llulLSs where luey might possibly
come under the absolute control of a
single railroad, rather than force them
10 90 into a reserved district, where
any number of Independent yards
might be established, I believe it is the
councils duty to so safeguard the
FRANCHISE that no monopoly of the cat
tie business may be secured by any
person, firm or corporation"
tUddT Comments on Interview.
I was deeply interested in Mr. Will
n HGH Hsawm
Times" said Thomas p Rudy. I was
very much disappointed that Mr.. Will
SOn did not make himself perfectly
Gear as to the maintenance of the
open market in FL Paso.
on another page Of the same issue
o! the Morning Times I find an inter-
view with George Holmes, in which he
says: We have already secured the
STOCK yards south of the present
slaughter house lin Juarez) between
the lines of the Mexican National and
the Mexico North Western railroads.
The yards will be equipped with
switches, with loading and unloading
pens, and all necessary facilities; in
Iact we contemplate erecting one of
the most complete, modern plants for
handling stock in the southwest, rep
sseSentng the expenditure of at least
lands
'eTrusts in Mexico.
7 have been told that the plant to
which Mr. Holmes refers is to be oper-
ated in the interest Of one of the pow
erIuI members of the beef trust With
TINS plant on the Mexican side of the
river, and the plant of the Morris Pack
ing company on the Ell PasO side of
lhe river, connected by a steel and con-
crete Viaduct as set forth in a story
publfshed in The Herald of Saturday,
nov. Z, it is easy to see by anyone
having an interest in the livestock and
packing house industries of Ell Paso,
now completely in control of the trust
the cattle business, not only of Ell Paso,
but Of all northern Mexico, will be.
Danger Is Apparent.
Ihe danger Of this situation to the
all cattlemen.
The idea that the Morris Packing
company and other members of the
beef trust" do not treat the independ-
ent buyers and sellers with considera-
Llon has been secuted. Let me quote
from the Kansas City Times of Jan. %.
1914, Just a few months after the stock
yards of that city fell into the control