Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-05-14
POWER OF THE MEAT TRUST
Moro innuentini In Fixing Retail
Prices Thap Ever before.

New York journal nj Commerce and
| ,,,,.,.~.ai.., ,..,
| -.
No'''o'' mas not yet passed inc Hitch
COCK resolution calling for certain infor-
| mation relative to tho beef trust and the
recent prices Of meats AT retail. Whether
! it will do so or not is uncertain but tho
| probabilities are against any cffectivc
| action at the present tinc The bureau OF
| Corpora tions. 1t has been ascert aimed has
| little new information relating to Tho
| beef trust or at all events nothing Of
| much significance since tbc invostiratio,
| made by Secretary GARFIELD when ho was
commissioner Of CORPORATIONS the bureau
| has been inclined to lief the beef trust
| severely alone. douhtIces roolinp ostonrod
| from doing a great deal hccauso of Tho
| character OF the ronor. If rendered -,
| that time. So far as con he LEARNED tbo
| depa rtmcnt of Justice is not inclincd 70
! do anything either. oxcopt IN attack
any cases Of railroad discrimination,
which may have occurred with tho ran
nivancc or induccmcpt or p,r,icir,t;or
| Of tho combination mr. its ,no,nhcre ,rbo
prevailing view hcro is TIA, thero L. li,tto
practicahiljty of cNoctivol,. attacking IN,
| trust under present condif tons Moreover
there is a disnos.tiou to minimize tho
evil 4 does
If is ,ho hcIiof or ..o,,,, ,o,,,,o,o,, -,o,.
eminent officer .h,, Tho cbi.r b,rr,
wrought hy tho boof true. in tiynoe sono
by. as we'll as tho primo nal agency IN
crushing tho small connection wac tho
use of Discrimination ond unr,fr railroad
rates either directly o-or,cd nc tho r,.d-
themselves mr. forced f,ou tho ro,ds
through tho omnlovncr. Of sornc evs,c,,
Ike the private ror-iratcr car mothod
If these rracticos can he corrected If is
believed. tho rSsnlt will no tn dos,-o,
some Of the main nossihlitics Of owl in
tho beef trust svsten and ,o norr,jt com
potition to grow nm an FAR os 10 nracr
cable under tho highly Organized system
Of meat distrihu,ion ubich now nrovai,s
The Interstate Commerce Commission
during tho mast vcar h,s devoted good
deal of time 10 question. or refrirca,or
GER service and kindred ,robloms and II
would seen, that some n~orross will nroh- |
ably be made i'm controlling practices that
have been comrlaiuod Of on tho other
hand. there is a strong crr,rt to guarantee
f. ircr and moro oouitahl, car servica to
shippors who arc sendlrr heir 1.-Two stock
to market Some holm on this limo has |
been gained through tbo more rigid en-
fo-cemont Of tho ".wc,+v.oicht hour
law" which has hoen ACTIVELY taken I'M !
during tho mast wirtor several hundred
cases Of violntion havinr ,oan prosscd in |
tho courts bv tho donartnont or ius,ico
Tho genuine aprlicatior Of this law |
would moan that stocl vculd 10 do,ive,
cd in much het,o- shane at tho selling
markets and that frouor. of live stock |
could court on ruicl tronsnor-ation when |
the, had animals IL, good condition for
sale. About $40 GEO IN fine, for th, viola |
,io1 of tho law have boet collected dur
ing ,hc mast fov rnonths and nrohahlv |
ninn hundro, cases bro,rht TO correct |
violations are nondjnr Whatever trans
nortation NJ tho stock nav be 10 anv |
po,n, on which onlnion differs il is |
annare1t that cont-oi n, trust n,othods |
through the railroads is ne line on which |
tho t,overnnont 10 li,<o,v N work in tho
near future
co,o-,, tao+ore b,vo +,dod ~ Into to |
stronrthon tho ,noa, c.mh;natior The |
srsto,n NJ Government ipenoc,io- has
nroh,h,y dono eouetbir- in tbie direc |
tion investigations show mat tho system
Of ,peat insnectton in no sevaroI States |
and citias is miserable, Inefficient and |
or course this condition Is known to !
MANY nerxons e,n-r informed than the
general RIM OF ignorant consumers This |
means that such persons will prefer the
rneat which &c r,nrilcd ct 6 Jnsnccted !
and Passed - and THAT they will he |
roadv to nay more for II or course II |
&c thno-eticallv noseih,e for overv concern.
however small To get government insn,c- |
,for under tho system and a,,oropria
,i,rs whicb have heop ,donted hv Com
craee. and tho de,ar.rent of agriculture
has becn entirely fair Practically how
over If &c often n doubtful wisdom for
a small concern 10 rot government inspec-
tim ,norclv for IN, privilege of engaging
an Interstate husi,css when such bust
moss IL entornd u, If wouId he a very
small mart Of its operatjons Tho exact |
number Of establishments in the United
STATES wher. animals are killed for sale
ie NOT known I'M, Of those only about
eiyht hundred havo REGULAR Government
inenoctior Tho tordcnc,, seerns ia l,c for
rbc numbor having insnoction 20 de-
.crcaso e,oulv and his means that the IN
ters.,to trade is controlled nv a smaller
numhor of establishments Il i. clear
,hat there is an Increasing tendency for
oot moro and moro nositiveIv into tho
hands nj tho large hackers There ie diff
fcu,tv in stating ius, what effect has
heon produced nv tho CHANGING condi-
trons ~ international trado in Aesh foods
,,,on tho business ~ the hackers In so
49, ,r ,o,oi,r, ;,.,oo,;,,, ,.,,,l,ti,,u