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Show PACKER SYSTEM DEFENSE HEARD J. Ogden Armour Declares Low Livestock Prices Hurt All Concerned ST I t"IS. March 30. J. Ogden Armour, president OI the packing com-panv com-panv which bears his name, testifying at the department of agriculture hearing Into charges of monopolistic practice, brought by the Kansas City livestock exchange, gave as his opln- ion that the operation of the Mistletoe I stock yards here, l.y the Armour com-' ran'. ild nt teml to dopfaifl hoK prices on the Kansas City market, and had no effert on the market nationally. from 1 formal series of question and answers. Mr. Armour lapsed into an Informal discussion of peneral mar-fcoting mar-fcoting problems nnd condltionfl with Dr. . Q. Foolf. tttawa. Kansas, head of the National Livestock Producers' association, and J. 11. Mercer, Topeka, ECanaaa, seretnry of the Kansas Livestock Live-stock aaaociatjcin. PfllCE CONTROL The ackers do not control the price of liogs, sheep, or cattle. Mr. Armour declared, and have found it impossible to do so. The price, he said. Is de-tormlned de-tormlned by world market conditions, and particularly by the European export ex-port market. "We have tried buying all the meat there, was In the country, and all the corn there was In the country," Mr. Armour asserted, "and all our money and everything else we had was not worth nnythlnK to us. We wor' wrong." The situation of a system of private marketing, such us is conducted by the Mistletoe yards, Mr. Armour testified, tes-tified, was undesirable from a stand point of public policy, and he asserted hC did not beliave the system would be extended. LOW PRU ES ivn Kli l S It was not to the advantage of the packers, he testified to have the price nf stock exceptionally low, for that very shortly resulted in a cessation of livestock production. Most of the questioning of Mr. Armour Ar-mour was conducted by Howard Oose, head of the division of trade practiees of the federal packers and stockyards administration, who described himself !,a n ;'fllT-t f tmtnr " "It's to our advantage to pay you just as much as we can for hogs, not just as little." he replied to one question. ques-tion. "That's common sense." He declared that if it were not to advantage of shippers to send hogs lire. I . the Mistletoe, yards main t:une, by his company here. thev would ease shipments "Do you un-deratand un-deratand me," he added. "Tea, Mr. Armour," replied Mr. Mer-cer, Mer-cer, who nr&s Questioning the witness. "I understand you, but I do not agree with you I do not believe you understand under-stand th problem of the great mass of producers." ivmra 1 fromfarmbb The Kansas City plant of the Armour Ar-mour company, he declared, and of all other large packing plants, was compelled to buj hogs direct from farmers because the Volume of hog shipments received on the public market mar-ket was not large enough to satisfy packer requirements Figures were quoted by counsel for the plaintiffs for the purpose of showing show-ing that from September to December 19.1, purchases of hogs by shippen had Increased in volume here while Armour purchases had remained prat -tlcally stationary. "You could have bought those hog3 if you had wanted to pay for them, could you not?" the witness was asked. ask-ed. The plaintiffs In their action ask that the Mimletoe yards be closed. hn h would result in all buying for the Armour and Fowler companies bang ba-ng done on the open market here. The Fowler company is an Armour sulsidlary. J Questions as to the added weight of I hoes, which are given B f ' d 01 COTD I and water over those given only wa- ter were asked of Joseph Stewart, a bog salesman, who testified at the late ..ft. rndon session. Three to four l nds per he. ol was gained from feeding corn. Mr Stewurt testified. |