The Opelousas courier., 1905-05-06
COMMISSIONER CARFIElo's REPORT
1t Is Found to Be Favorable to the Great


Packers.
The report Of Commissioner of Cor
porations Garfield OH the beef indus
try, after about eight months inyes-
tigation in Chicago and elsewhere,
shows that there has been an enormou
amount Of exaggeration in tue state
ments that have appeared for some
time past in regard to the beef bust
ness. This investigation was set OIL
foot by a resolution Of the House of
Representatives adopted March {, 1901,
and the ascertained 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 as Armour & Co., Swift
& Co. and Nelson Morris & Co., and
in the exclusive control of the bust
ness which many think they enjoy, is
really without foundation.
The report made to President Roose-
Welt by Commissioner Garfield is real
ly the first official statement Of the ac-
tual conditions Of the beef business
that has been made, and as all the con-
illusions arrived at are based, as shown
by him, upon data officially obtained,
there seems to be no reason why they
should not be regarded as reliable and
in all respects trustworthy.
This report shows why the price of
both cattle and beef advanced to the
highest level ever known after the
short corn crop of 1901, and states that
because of the decrease in number of
cattle and also in decreased weight,
"the high prices of beef which caused
so much complaint among consumers
at this time were attributable wholly
to these abnormal cattle prices"
All the figures of the live weight and
live cost of all dressed beef cattle were
obtained from actual killing records,
and all information of every kind OBJ
tanned by the Commissioner was yolun-
tarily and freely offered by the pack
ers, all books of record and papers
connected with the business having
been placed at his disposal.
To make certain that the results of
the investigation should be absolutely
accurate, the Commissioner states that
n double method of ascertaining profits
was adopted, and, without going into
detail here, it is found that the conclu-
sion arrived at shows an average profit
of 80 cents per head. The Commits
sioner says "the close parallelism in
the results Of the two methods Of as
certaining the profits confirms com
pletely the correctness Of the general
conclusions" 1t is clearly established
that western packers do not control
more than half of the beef supply of
the United States" the conclusion of
the Commissioner being that the bust
ness done by them amounts TO about
As per cent" of the total slaughter of
the country.
The whole report is extremely inter
esting and well worthy of careful Pc
rusal. AS an official report it may be
regarded as worthy of confidence, and
it certainly leads the reader to the
conclusion arrived at by the Commits
sioner when he states that 1.-The capt.
t~alization of none Of these concerns is
excessive as compared with Its actual
Investment" and that from thorough
and rigid examination Of original Ell
tries in books and papers to which he
had access there was also indirect evil
dence that the profits of the packers
in their beef business are less than is
frequently supposed" as shown by
comparison between the total profits
an. the total amount Of sales.