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Show HOG SHIPPERS SQUEEZE BUYER Farmers in U. S. Investigation Investiga-tion Tell How They Got More of Profits KANSAS CITY. Mo. April 1. Farmers told at Thursday's department depart-ment of agriculture hearing on bog marketing practices how they succeeded suc-ceeded In fretting lancer share uf tlu- pil. e Ii.m tio'iKht on the Kansas IM) market. Farmers shipping according accord-ing to two witnpseeja, cut into the "margin'' between the price pu!d the farmers and the price paid on the Kansas City market. FARMERS ORGANIZE Lyda Flosford, a farmer of Hickory, Mo, testified that 160 farmers formed a co-operate e shipping association in November 190, "because we folt wo were not geting enough for our stock." At that time. Hosford said, farmers who sold t. shippers in the country, were getting from $1 50 to $" per hundred pounds less than the top market price of bogs in Kans.as City lor the (lav. N'ow the "martin" has been cut by the same shippers until it is fixed .at 7T cents below the Kansas Kan-sas City price, he said, "and sometimes bei tor." J. M. Travis, a farmer of Clio. Ia.. offered similar testimony. Ho is in charge of the Farmers Onion Shipping Ship-ping association at Clio. The price paid for the shippers for the Fowler Packing company at that point, he testified, was formerly $1 50 per hundred hun-dred below the Kansas City rpices. Now. he said it ranges from 53 cents to 80 cents Former shippers to the Fowler racking company here which with Armour and company, is accused of unfair marketing practices," tending to depress the prices on the open market," mar-ket," testified In the afternoon. SHRINK 1GE IN HOGS All the witnesses questioned on the shrinkage of hogs shipped direct to (he Fowler Packing company, agreed that it was greater than In the case of hogs shipped to the open market. J. C. McCombs. Cameron, Mo., said the shrinkage In hogs shipped to the com panv, was regularly 200 to 400 pounds greater per carload, and sometimes as much as f,uo pounds. McCombs testified, as did C. R. Wells. Allerton. Iowa, a former shipper ship-per that when there was competition In the fields they bid up the prices paid farmers for hogs and that when the competition was eliminated lowered low-ered prices. oo |