The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1905-03-17

Gig fAeker9 8xo0efoeoo "
The report Of Commissioner Garfield
on the methods under which the businere
Of the so.called beef trust u conducted
has been published and . closely printed
book Of over 30 pases 10 the result Of the
examination 10 which that industry hae
been subjected. The report 10 very full
and complete, every phase OF the business
having been investigated with the utmost
care and t~horourhncss. ss is shown by
exhaustive tables Of figures. with authen.
ticatcd facts and statistical data covering
almost every detail Of the business.
After a careful reading Of this report
Il is impossible to arrive at any other con.
elusion than that for some time past
there has been a great deal said and writ
len about this great industry that has
had no foundation IN fact. II would ap.
rear that a popular clamor has resulted
from newspaper oinmen and the pas.
,agc q 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.
nncc with . congressional demand upon
tie secretary VI commerce and labor, 10
20 complete and detailed that, m a whole,
Il will not Of course he read by the pub.
lie at large, but the facts and figures.
authenticated by government expert cx.
amincfs, which Il contains. show with
indisputaile certainty that the hue and
CRY raised during the past year against
the packers has been q least unrcason.
able aud much Of 1t. indeed, has been
h,strucal.
These officially ssccr,sined fact. are Q
surprise to very many who have been i'm
pressed by the dcnunciatory Language
ihcy have read and heard for some time
past, for they o lind that, instead 81
the great profits said 10 be made by
western packers, the business Is being
conducted upon q smaller margin Of
pr9h, than that prevailing IN any o,hsr
says. The year 1917. irs,oad Of being
one 81 csorbi,ant profits. as has been
commonly supposed, was less profitable
than usual" and this will be remembered
Us the year when the highest prices ruled
and the packer. were being everywhere
accused % cx,ortionatc methods. Regard
ins Ibis very year when the complaints
81 injustice were the loudcst and the
most unanimous, the commissioner says;
In fact during the months when the
pticc- IT beef wire the highest, some, nj
least. of the leading packers were actual
~ losing money on every head q cattle
slaughtered" for the reason, he con
tinuc-. 1t was not possible to advance
the prices Il beef In full proportion 10
the great advance in the prices VI cattle
OF that time
The report also shows that N. public
belief that enormous profits are usually
characteristic Of the beef business IL IN.
tii.ly erroneous. a. Il proves, after iull
investigation, that the maximum net TO
turn on the several investments was two
and three icnths per cent. and the mini
mum one and eighttenths per cent
The report IL much tor detailed ard
extensive 10 attempt any thorough review.
hut 4 clearly demonstrates hat thef"
las been a gttat deal Of unnecessary
alarm on the part II the public a. to ne
meat situation and a COED deal II loos,
U~rnunciatlon OF packers about whose
rrihod. aud business there has been III.
te ur no real Information The %colcll.
,H. of Commissioner Garfield arc al
ilt more valuable a. the Investigation
w. Oy no means commenced in anything
Lss ID friendly or partial spirit ,nI Tint
" ha. been iull and complete " shown
when Do .nt.; AN the statistics taken
| f1otr tie looks IL the conpaniss we're
sioiss4 % he most Thorough manner.
Total. elected al random were ,ctitsh
H. ih, items, Many typical ban 'nei &
osft'g have hssn traced from the time ~
fur,hafe To the time ~ sale a. dressed
lr,f thus obtaining accurate iuinrma.
ton FROM original records Of so,... of
actual selling prices and Of ultimate
rrftis In many cases the Statements 81
cattle pntrha-al by the companies were
compared with accounts 81 the No :.
zion houses ihiough whom ,hs cattle
were sold, The various checks ;hns en-.
flotcl insure III, absolute accuracy % he
laurp,s"