Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-02-03
IOWA FARMERS
LOSING MILLIONS
Representative Good Declares $3j,-
100000 Will be Dropped on
Cattle and Hogs.
URGES AN INVESTIGATION
By DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Belle: e Live Stock Market is Bein.
Manipulated in Interest OF
Packers.

Representative Good in a speech in
the house Thursday, supporting the
Anderson resolution for an investi-
cation by the department of justice
into the prices of live stock, meats
and farm products, declared Iowa
farmers would suffer this year a loss
Of 5,OO0.0O0 on cattle and hogs.
Good made it plain he believed the
market for fat cattle and hogs was
manipulated in the interest of the
packers and while live stock prices
were being depressed prices of meats
were showed up; meantime, the ex-
ecutive officials did nothing.
He declared that as a matter Of
fact Iowa farmers would receive lit
tie benefit from the increased prices
of food stuffs due to the war.
Cattle Prices Down.
He pointed out most of the cerc-
ais of Iowa and the hay were fed to
the live stock. But he also pointed
out that in the past six months fat
cattle have gone down in the princi-
pal live stock markets $1.2O per hun
dred and fat hogs $2.2O per hun
drsd. He gave detailed figures to
show that the present prices for Eat
stock were Improbable.
Fat cattle and hogs are selling
today in the principal stock yards of
the country" said Good, for con-
siderably less than the actual cost OF
the corn to produce them. - -
f. He set forth exhaustive figures to
prove this assertion. He said of the
losses to the Iowa farmers on hogs:
Cites Prices Of Hogs.
| Take the losses which the farm
ers Of Iowa will sustain this year on
their hogs alone. They raised last
year 6,976,000 head. II three
fourths of them were matured to
weight of $50 pounds each and mar
keted this year at the average price
paid on the Chicago market Thurs
day, the loss to the Iowa farmers
alone on the corn which was consum-
ed in maturing these hogs woufd TO-
tai $5,O0G,OOO. -i!.tS
Fortunately for the farmers of
Iowa they have not all sold their
hogs at the prevailing price of yester-
day, but they have all sold their hogs
at much lower price than they
should have received for them.
Instead of sustaining a loss, il
they had received the same percent
age Of profit which they realized in
1913 Of 1896 per 100 pounds, on the
corn cost to produce their hogs, they
would have realized on the same
sales a profit of more than $4,000
900.
Loss Will Total 25.OOO,OOO
Considering the profit which
should have gone to the farmers AMI
stock raisers Of Iowa by reason Of
the advanced prices in beef and pork,
which the farmers did not receive, L
believe that loss Of the Iowa farmers
on cattle and hogs this year will to-
tai $25,O0O,G0O.
| Mr.. Good criticised the executive
officers of the government for NOT
lifting finger to investigate wheth-
er the Sherman law was being vio-
lated. He made it plain he thought
the packers operations ought to be
lprobed.
He used Iowa as an illustration of
the general situation. He pointed
out that in such situation the farm
er was helpless, whereas great
transportation companies, similarly
situated, would have redress by in
teresting the president of the United
States as they have already done, and
have him appoint men on the inter
state commerce commission who fa.
vored the granting of increased
freight rates.