The Forrest City times., 1905-03-24
Big Packers Exonerated by Garfield

The report Of Commissioner Garfield on the methods under which the business of the so-called beef trust is conducted has been published and a closely printed book of over 300 pages IS the result of the examination to which that industry has been subjected. The report is very fuIl and complete, every phase of the business having been investigated with the ::tmost Care and thoroughness, as is shown by exhaustive tables of figures, with authen. ticated facts and statistical data covering almost every detall of the business
 After careful resding of this report 1t Is impossible to arrive at any other con clusion than that for some time past there has been great deal said and writ ten about this great industry that has had no foundation in fact. 1t would ap pear that popular camor has resulted from newspaper comment and the pas sage of many resolutions by those who, as plainly shown by the report, were with. out any definite information. This re port, the result of an inquiry in compli. ance with congressional demand upon the secretary of commerce and labor, is so complete and detailed that, as a whole, it will not of course be read by the pub. lie at large, but the facts and figures, authenticated by government expert cx. aminers, which it contains, show with indisputable certainty that the hue and cry raised during the past year against the packers has been at least unreason able and much of 1t, indeed, has been hysterieal.
 These officially ascertaned facts are a pressed by the denuneiatory language they have read and heard for some time past, for they now find that, instead of the great profits said to be made by western packers, the business Is being conducted upon a smaller margin oi profit than that prevailing in any other industry. Commissioner Garfield himself says: The year 1902, instead of being one of exorbitant profits, as has been commonly supposed, was less profitable than usual, and this will be remembered as the year when the highest prices ruled and the packers were being everywhere accused of extortonate methods. Regard ing this very year when the complaints of injustice were the loudest and the ''ln fact during the months when the prices of beef were the highest, some, at least, of the leading packers were actual ly losing money on every head of cattle slaughtered" for the reason, he con. tinues. it was not possible to advance the prices of beef in full proportion to the great advance in the prices of cattle at that time.
 The report also shows that the public belief that enormous profits are usually characteristic of the beef business is en- tirely erroneous, as 1t proves, after full investigation, that the maximum net re. turn on the several investments was two and three tenths per cent. and che mimi mum one and eight-tenths per cent
 The report IS much too detailed and extensive to attempt any thorough review, but it clearly demonstrates that there has been great deal of unnecessary alarm on the part of the public as to tie meat situation and good deal of loos. denunclatlon ol packers about whose methods and business there has been lit. tie or no real information. The conclu- sions of Commissioner Garfield are all the more valuable as the investigation was by no means commenced in anything like a friendly or partial spirit and that 1t has been full and complete is shown when he says: "All the statistics taken from the books of the companies were checked in the most thorough manner. Totals selected at random were verified by the items. Many typical bnnches of cattle have been traced from the tims of purchase to the time of sale as dressed beef thus obtaining accurate informa- ton from original records of costs. of actual selling prices and of ultimate profits. In many cases the statements of cattle purchased by the companies were compared with accounts of the commits. sion houses through whom the cattle were sold. The various checks shus e1n ployed insure the absolute accuracy oi the hGures."