Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-08
FARMERS FORCE
HOG FEED DOWN
Union Stock Yards Company to
Furnish Corn at Lower
Price.
COMPROMISE DOES

4 1t is understood that the Union
Stock Yards company is willing to
compromise to raise the price OF corn
fed to shippers hogs in the South
Side yards to $l.25 bushel, instead
OF to $l.50, which is the figure il
asked when it went before the
State Railway commission with its
case some weeks ago.
Farmers organizations protested
the increase and conference was
held few days ago at Lincoln
While the case is not yet settled, it
is pretty we'll understood now that
the Stock Yards company will be
satisfied with half a Loaf" If indeed
it will be able to get that by the
time the farmers organizations get
through making their protests.
H. c. L. for Pigs.
The Stock Yards company pleads
the high price it has to pay for corn
at present, and the service that goes
with the delivery and feeding it in
pens, -.
The farmers call attention, or will
call attention when the time comes
before the state commission, to the
days when the yard company was
buying corn for rs and 80 cents a
bushel and charging the farmers rs
cents for it when fed in pens. They
will also call attention to the days,
shortly after, when the yard COM
pany had to pay 40 and so cents a
bushel for corn, and was charging
the farmer 81 bushel.
The farmers will ask that the profit
made then be allowed to absorb the
loss now, if indeed there be any loss
at the present prices.
Today the yard company has to
pay about 90 cents for corn. A few
weeks ago corn went as high as
$l04. There is no argument here.
1t was a straight loss to the yard
company to feed this corn to the
hogs and get but "a dollar a bushel
for it. But as the boys of 'o8 shouted
Remember the Maine" so the farm
ers of the state are now crying, Re
member the days when you sold us
Accent corn for ST."
A Real Debate.
There arc two sides to the question
and it is admitted that the only real
problem for the State Railway COM
mission to solve is what per cent of
the price charged for corn at the
yards is consumed as overhead ex-
pense in feeding it--in service, as it is
called.
The yard company is compelled to
maintain a big elevator. 1t must main
tainja force OF men to handle the ele-
vator. 1t keeps force of men and
sturdy teams to haul this corn from
block to block in the great area of hog
pens, where it is shoveled into giant
hoppers, or reservoirs. The company
also employs a number of men with
bushels baskets who run from pen to
nen ali day long and feed corn as L
is demanded by the farmer or the
commission man who is handling the
stock for the farmer.
Como, CONDOR is the famil-
lar shout that may be heard echoing
up and down the hog alleys all fore
noon any busy day.
Then Chatter, clatter," one can hear
the corn man coming on the run to
serve corn to some Den as he is d.
rected by a commission man who has
under his care a hungry pen of hogs.
s.-v;o. Caste Much
Vac 49,. =.
Az tnis service IN connect,on win
the 1eeoihg OF corn al the yards means
considerable payroii and overhead
expense 10 the yara company. =,
fioW much OF thls expense shonlo
logically De charged 10 the corn aG-
count, ana now mucn 10 tne Dig yard