The state herald., 1905-03-17
COMMISSIONERS GARFiELD's RE.
PORT ON BEEF INDUSTRY.

The report OF Commissioner Gar
field on the beef industry has at last
been published. II must be some.
what of surprise to those who have
been indulging In wholesale adverse
criticism upon the methods of the
Chicago packers, as It dlscloses facts
and figures which clearly show that
the great food producers have been
innocent of the serious offenses with
which they have been charged. They
have been for long time accused by
newspapers all over the country of
extortlonate prices demanded, and OBJ
tained, of depression OF values of cat
Tie at the various stockyards where
their business is conducted, OF enor.
nous profits wholly disproportionate
to the capital employed. and. In gen
eral, Of so carrying on their business
that the public, under an organized
system OF spoliatlon. were being
robbed for their exclusive beneft.
We fnd now, however, that not a
single one OF these charges has been
sustained but. on the contrary, that
rigid and searching Investigation, of
ffcially made. has resulted In COM
plete acQuittal.
Instead OF eNtortion II is shown that
DO industry can DO found whero so
harrow q margin OF profit prevails
he actual records and original en-
rics, to which the commissioner had
ree access, showing that the high
est net profit any of the packers
made on their sales OF beef was two
md three-tenths per cent In 1902 and
n one Instance that the profit realized
10 1904 was one and elght.tenths per
lent.
The variations In the market prices
lor cattle are eXhaustiyely treated
| and no evidence of any kind was dis.
covered. or even hinted at, tending to
show that values Of cattle are In the
slightest degree improperly affected
or controlled by packers at any OF
the chief centers OF the industry,
On the whole, the report completely
dissipates the prevalent idea that
great fortunes are being amassed by
Illegal and improper methods en-
ployed by western packers, showing
that notwithstanding the high prices
for beef prevailing in 1902 the bust
ness was less remuneratiye than In
years characterized by normal values.
both for cattle and product. He says
"that the year 1902, Instead OF being
one OF e1orbitnnt profits. at has been
commonly supposed. was less profit
able than usual. In fact. during the
months when the prices OF beef were
the highest. some, Mt least, OF the
leading packers were losing money
on every head Of cattle slaughtered,
| II was not possible TO advance iha
prices OF beef In full proportion to he
great advance in the prices OF cattle
at that time"
After all that has been written re
flecting upon the great business In
tercst engaged In the marketing and
distribution OF the product OF one ol
the greatest OF our national Indus
tries, II Is gratifying TO nll fair minded
people that the preJudiced attack
upon II have failed OF yerihcation
and the great western packers may ID
congratulated for having passed
through such searching and thoil
ough Official Investigation unsmirchet'
The results OF this Investigation
based as II Is upon exhaustive data
officially obtained and verified bI
United States government experts
must be accepted without hcsitatloi|
as the investigation was made und,
circumstances that guaranteed cout
plete accuracy with n possible dispi
rIiIon indeed. to arrive NJ entire
different results