Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-06
FEEDERS 70 BLAME
NORTH IOWA sTockMAN IN Los.
ING DEAL DEFENDS
PACKERS.
NOT IN COMBINE
TO CONTROL PRICES
Says Farmer Is Wholly Responsible
For Losses Because Of Willingness to
ray A:sh 9-:4=S !e7 Feeae"s-Ac-
cepts $1,000 Loss as One Of Risks OF
Business-WiIson's Observations.


Steamboat Rock, April 6-One nearS
and reads a good deal these days OF the
unfairness of big business concerns
with whom they deal. Along with 9TH
er institutions that have come under
the displeasure of those who see
things that ought 10 be different are the
packers who take SO large part OF
the live stock marketed from the farms.
When conditions arise that make the
business OF feeding for the market I'M
profitable, if popular explanation is to
be credited, it is generally the pack
err that is to blame or at least takes ad-
vantage Of a situation where the feed
er is helpless.
The other day one of the big feeders
of northern Iowa returned from
stock shipping trip about $4,000 short
as the result OF his latest feeding ex-
perience Speaking OF the matter he
said in substance: Our family has
been feeding and shipping stock for a
quarter of a century. We nave maze
money in the business and We have
lost. just the same as other persistent
feeders have done. This time it was
lcSlHS utdl bul WI cAoiiiS etAS fS>->NN'
He doesn't control the conditions that
make the outlet for his product free or
restricted. and really what would we
do if il wasn't for the big packing
concerns anyway? There wouldn't be
any steady market at all in such times
as these without them. They have
great investments at stake, we can
expect them to remain in business for
-, no
the purpose of making the feeders VEN
lures profitable regardless of conse-
quences further on. l honestly think
the packers have done remarkably we'll
by the shippers in the trying times we
have been passing thru. We feeders
are a good deal to blame ourselves for
the outcome this time. We paid too
much for our stuff in the first place.
When men become so careless OF prop
able consequences that they will pay
artificial prices for the stock they feed
they ought TO shoulder the blame
themselves for their losses and keep
still about the packers. I think the
feeders as a class ought to realize that
there will always be larger or small
er supply OF stock raised for the pur-
pose of being sold 10 cattle feeders for
what IHty are dSl0diiS 80 s<A4N -
course if the feeder can be persuaded
to pay more than that it is the business
OF the producer to take the money.
Feeding stock for the market is like
other kinds of business, it requires the
exercise of common sense to make 1t
pay and sometimes it isn't any too
profitable at that"
~ Tt11rnOnf
and Hampton there is lard clearing
performance being prosecuted that
would do credit TO some of the old-time
forest regions in the north that are De-
ing converted from tangled wilder
nesses into valuable farms. Mr.. W. H.
Allen recently acquired possession Of
a hundred acre tract of burr oak tim
Der land and it is said that as many
a fifty men at one time have been
a work on the place. some choppins
for wood others making pests at SO
much per- and still others working
by the day. Three stump pulling ma
chimes are taking care of the under
ground obstruction and when they get
thru with the job it will De the same
as if Franklin county's area by some
method were to be increased to the
extent of 100 acres so far as farm pur-
production is concerned.
"a late spring prospect That is
the general expressed opinion all over
the country A good fruit indication,
good thing maybe, in soma other ways,
but field work will be delayed never
theless. The old snowbanks have been
converted into almost solid ice and
they don't melt at once. Spring will
come Of course but it will not be long
from oats seeding to corn planting
time-a congestion of farm work oc-
casioned by the peculiari.ies Of the
season.
A man hardly of middle age walked
into the depot this place, looked
around and exclaimed Steamboat
Rock, Ell? at one time the terminus Of
the Iowa Central. l wonder how many
of the present inhabitants Of the town
remember it as such. Seems hardly
possible now yet even can remember
the time when this was the end Of the
line."
One Of the Oldest business men, Of
Steamboat Rock, possibly the oldest.
ceased 10 exist as such Wednesday,,
March 81. Postmaster Luiken, twenty.
two years in the business" resigned.
or tried to do so last June and B. F.
Morse, his successor took on the job
April L. On the morning Of the I'd a
patron of tn office inquired, Are you
sure there is no letter for me today? l
expected one yesterday but didn't get
it and I thought there might just be
a mistake c, f. WILSON.
e.