Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-04-06
COMMISSIONER cARFiELO's REPORT
1t 10 Found to Be Favorable to the Great
Packers.

The report of Commissioner of Cor
porations Garfield on the beef indus
try, after about eight months inves-
tigation in Chicago and elsewhere,
shows that there has been an enormous
amount of ~exaggeration in the state
ments hat have appeared for some
time past in regard to the beef bust
ness. This investigation was set on
foot by a resolution of the House Of
Representatives adopted March Z, 1904,
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
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
" the first official statement of the ac-
tual conditions of the beef business
that has been made, and as all the on
illusions arrived at are based, as shown
by him, upon data officially obtained,
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 we're 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 volun-
tarily ana 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
. deNbse method of a~scertafnfng 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.
siomer 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" lit is clearly established
THAT "Westerm packers do not contro
more than half Of the beef supply OIL
the United States" the conclusion OIL
the Commissioner being that the bust
ness done by them amounts to "ahout
As per cent of the total slaughter O.
the country.
The whole report is extremely inter
esting and well worthy of careful pc
rusal. AS an official report it may b,
regarded rs worthy Of confidence, an
it certainly leads the reader to til,
conclusion arrived at by the Commits
sioner when he states that 'the CAPT
~talization fof none of these concerns i
excessive as compared with its actua
investment" and that from thorougl
4 and rigid examination OF original er
tries in books and papers to which b
had access there was also indirect ev
4 dence that the profits Of the packer
I In their beef business are less than
frequently supposed" as shown b
\ comparison between the total profit
and the total amount Of sales.