The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-17
MONTGOMERY IS AFFECTED
Local Meat Dealers Make
Affidavits Against Packers.
Making Careful Investi-
cation of Methods Employed by
So-Called Trust-Poor People
Forced to Quit Purchasing.

BY direction of the United States De-
partment Of Justice Hon. Warren ..
District of Alabama. is having an in.
vestigation made into the sale OF peer
and other fresh meats in Montgomery
and other cities in this district by the So
called beef trust.
This Investigation Is the result of
petition for an injunction. sweeping IN
its character. filed against the alleged
trust on May 10 by 8. c. Bethea, United
States District Attorney in Chicago. The
petition was filed with the full consent
of the Attorney General Of the United
States, and Mr.. Bethea gave notice to
the court in which the petition was filed
that he would on May 20 ask for a tenn
porary injunction against the alleged
trust which the petition coneends has
entered into a conspiracy against retail
dealers and consumers Of fresh meats IN
this country.
The instructions to District Attorney
Reese of Montgomery came from the At
torney General in Washington. He was
directed to secure affidavits from Mont
gomery dealers in fresh meats concern
ing prices paid to Western packing
Alabama business The affidavits secured
by the District Attorney and his report
are to be sent in duplicate to Attorney
General Knox AMI to District Attorney
Bethea in Chicago. not later than May
90 when Mr.. Bethea expects to apply
| for a temporary injunction.
The matter of making the invest!ga-
| ton was referred to Julius Sternfeid, AS
| sstant District Attorney for the Middle
| District of Alabama, and Mr.. Sternfeld
| Is busily engaged in securing and COM
| piling testimony against the Western
| packers.
| Mr.. Sternfeld discussed the matter re-
luctantly yesterday. He said the only
| foreign packers doing business in Mont
| gomery are the Cudahy Packing Com
| pany, she Armour Packing Company and
| A e, n no la n
does not handle fresh meats. Swift & Co..
| Mr.. Sternfeiu said, began business in
| Montgomery in February of this year,
but did not continue in business here but
/ six weeks yhen the Office of the company
/ was closed and the company retired
| from the field
Mr. Sternfeld said he had secured num-
| erous affdavits from Montgomery deal
ers in fresh meats, who seemed very will
ing to aid the government in its investi-
| CATION.
He produced an affidavit from a local
| butcher who swore that during the time
| Swift & Co., did business in Montgomery
| he purchased fresh meats from that COM
4 pany at one-half cent per pound under
\ the price charged by the other packing
| houses before Swift 81 Co., entered the
| field. After Swift & Co., located here this
dealer said. the other packing houses re
duced their prices 10 meet those of Swift
| & Co.. He swore that he had reason to
| believe that when the Cudahy Packing
| Company and the Armour Packing Com
pany discovered that Swift & Co., was
underselling them that an arrangement
| was made whereby Swift g. Co were
made to retire from Montgomery. At any
| rate Swift & Co. reduced the price of
fresh meat in Montgomery one-half a
| can't per pound during their six weeks
in Montgomery. After they retired from
Montgomery the price of fresh meat was
increased to its former price.
Another retail dealer made affidavit
| that the great increase in the price OF
fresh meat had a1most completely de-
stroyed his business. He' said he had a
| large trade from the poorer classes of
| people in Montgomery and that he pur-
| chased exclusively from the Western
| packers: that the prices had been raised
| SO much that .the poorer classes Of peo-
| pie could not buy meats and were forced
| to do without them. He also swore that
| the Western packers do not purchase any
cattle or live animals in Alabama, and
| that all of the fresh meats sold in Ala
| bama are shipped here in cars from the
Western markets.
The petition filed in Chicago alleges
| that the so-called trust claims to charge
| high prices because of railroad freight
rates. but that the packers secure rebates
| from the railroad companies. 1t Is also
! charged that she packers conspire to in
| fla tie the market value Of live stock, there
| by causing cattlemen to ship stock to the
| Western markets and that when the cat
| tie reach these cities the market value is
materially reduced and the cattlemen are
| forced to sell the animals at losing prices.
| Mr.. Sternfeld said the agents and en-
| ploycs of the Western packers in Mont
Romery will not be examined. The an
davits and report on the conditions IN
| Montgomery will be forwarded on May 70
Investigating in Birmingham.
Birmingham. May 15.-United States
| District Attorney Vaughan. of the North
ern District of Alabama, has received in
structlons to investigate the so-called
beef trust. so far as Birmingham dealers
are concerned, and the investigation is
proceeding. Representatives of all of the
packing houses have been notified to APP
| pear and testify.
| rTrn Tn THE STATE