The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1905-05-13
COMMISSIONER CARFisLD's REPORT
II IL Found TO BE Favorable 10 the Great
Packers.

I3ckers.
( Inc report OF Commissioner of Cor
/ porations Garfield on tie beef indus
7 Try. after about eight months inyes.
tlgatIon i'll Chicago and elsewhere
/ shows thar there has been an enormous
amount OF exaggeration in the state
mehts that have appeared for some
tiiHe past IN regard 10 the beef busi-
| ness This Investigate was set on
1907 ny resolution of the House OF
representatives adopted March I. 1901.
ana tile ascertainel facts after a most
rigid examination Of the methods and
general conduct OF the business are
contained in a report covering 3OS
pages. Its figures and tables conclu-
sively show that the popular belief in
enormous profits made by the large
packers, such rs Armour & Co.. Swift
d Co. and Nelson Morris & Co. and
III the exclusive control of the huS,
ness which many think they enjoy, is
really without foundation
The report made to President Roose
Welt by Commissioner Garfield is real.
~ the first official statement of the ac.
tnal conditions of the beef business
'lat mas been made and as all the con
c.'sions arrived at are based. as show,
ny MN, upon data Offir tally obtained
mere seems to be no reason why the,
should not be regarded as reliable ana
IN all respects trustworthy.
This bc,
ooth cattle and beef advanced to tlc
highest level ever known after the
snort corn crop of 1901, and states that /
because of the decrease in number of
'attle and also i'll decreased weight
the high prices of beef which caused
20 much complaint among consumers
It this time were attributable wholly
o these abnormal cattle prices
All the figures Of the live weight and
I'VE cost of all dressed beef cattle were
btained from actual killing records.
nd all information of every kind OBJ
aimed by the Commissioner was volun-
arily and freely offered by the pack
rs, all books of record and pancrs
with the business having
cen placed at his disposal.
10 make certain that the results of
ie investigation should be absolutely
'cllrate. the Commissioner states that !
double method of ascertaining profits
as adopted. and. without going into
'taIl mere. ii is found that the c0nclu-
Oh arrived at shows an average profit
o9 cents per head. The Commits
ohef says the close paraIleism in ,
e results of the two methods of AS
rtalning the profits confirms COM
eteiy the correctness of the general 1
nclllSions. 1t is clearly established
at western packers do not control
orc than half OF the beef supply of
nned States" the conclusion of
Commissioner being that the busi.
IS Gone by them amounts to about
per cert III tIt total slaughter of
e country.
me Whole rcpoI. is extremely inter
ting and well orthy Of careful ne.
sal. AS an offikal report it NAV he
sarded as worthy of confidence and
certainly IeaTs the reader to the Z
a-asion arrived at by the Commits.
ner when he states that ''the capi-
Zation of none OF these concerns is
essivc as compared With its actual
estment,' and that from thorough
rigid examination Of original ell
s in books, and papers to which he
access there vas also indirect evi-
ice that the ptofits of the packers
Her r--,Aeef business are, less than is 4
luentIy supposed" as shown by q
parison between the total profits
the total amount of sales.