The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1905-03-18

eny evn1cu snss they possess
Which was intensely interesting to th,
fnanciers Of effcte Europe. Chicago Jour
nal.
Big Packers Exonerated by Garfield.
The report Of Commissioner Garfield
on the methods under which the business
Of the so-called beef trust 10 conducted
has been published and q closely printed
book OF over 300 pages is the result of the
examination to which that industry has
been subjected. The report il very full
and complete, every phase of the business
having been investigated with the utmost
care and thcroughness, as is shown by
exhaustive tables of figures, with authen-
ticated facts and statistical data covering
almost every detail of the business.
After careful reading of this report
It 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 APP
pear that popular clamor has resulted
from newspaper comment and the pas
sage OF many resolutions by those who.
a. plainly shown by the report, were WITH
out any definite information. This re-
port, the result of an inquiry in compile
ance with congressional demand upon
the secretary Of commerce and labor, is,
so complete and detailed that, as a whole.
II will not OF course be read by the pub
lie at large, but the facts and figures,
authenticated by government expert ex-'
nminers, which il contains, show with
indisputable certainty that the hue and
cry raised during the past year against
the packers has been at least unreason-i
able and much of it, indeed, has been
hysterical.
These officially ascertained facts are :
surprise to very many who have been inn
pressed by the denuncatory 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 smaller margin Of
profit than that prevailing in any other
industry. Commissioner Garfield himself
says: The year 1902, instead of being
one OF exorbltant 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 extortionate methods. Regard
ing this very year when the complaints
OF injustice were the loudest and the
most unanimous, the commissioner says
I'm 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-
tnues, lit 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
of the beef business is en-r
tirely erroneous, as it proves, after FULL
that the maximum net re-
turn on the several investments was twoi
and three tenths per cent and the mini,
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 the
meat situation and a good deal of looss
denunciation oil packers about whose
methods and business there has been lit.
tie or no real information The conclu-
The more valuable as the investigation,
was by no means commenced in anything,
like friendly or partial spirit and that,
t has been full and complete is shown
when he says: "All the statistics taken
rom the books of the companies we're
,hecked in che most thorough manner.
Totals selected at random were verified
~ the items. Many typical bunches 81
attic have been traced from the time oil
nchase to the time of sale as dressed
,ecf, thus obtaining accurate informal
ion from original records of costs, Of
ctual selling prices and of ultimate
re hts. In many cases the statements OF
nttle purchased by the companies were
on houses through whom the cattle
..ere sold. The various checks thus EN-
loye'l insure the absolute accuracy OF the
cures"