The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-06-23
10 DRIVE
FIVE BIG PACKERS
OUT OF BUSINESS
brporations Alleged to Be
Merged in National Packing
Company, Eliminating
All Competition.

jefferson City, MO-, June 22.-.Attor-
: General Elliott Major began custer
oceedings against five meat packing
,npanies today by filing quo war
nto informations in the supreme
,,rt The companies attacked arc tho
t-~swift & Co., Hammond Packing
mpany. and St. Louis Dressed Beef
M Provision company.
THE Armour, Swift and Norris COM
MES are charged with violating the
Iti-trust law and conspiracy, and the
ammond and St. Louis Dressed Beef
hal provision companies, as subsidiary
kmpanies of the National Packing
mpany, with conspiracy to control the
,siness In Missouri.
The Ave companies are named in two
ltitions which ask that the
Inns be excluded from all corporate
rhts. that their licenses be forfeited
bd that all or such portion of their
roperty as the court may deem proper
coniscated or in lieu thereof a fine
imposed.
Controlled Prices.
Armour. Swift and Morris are
barged with having entered into a con
biracy in 1909 to control the prices to
paid by dealers in live stock, poul-
", butter, eggs, dairy and agricultural
roducts, to control the prices to be
ressed meats and to control the prices
be paid by. all retail and wholesale
ealers for butter, eggs, poultry, game,
airy and agricultural products and by
roducts from the business Of slaugh-
bring live stock.
The second coun of the petition
harges that the three packing COM
.anies ~conspired to restrain trade and
estroy competition in the purchase
Ind sale of meat products, live stock,
5oultry, butter and eggs by fixing a
rice to be paid by all the members of
be alleged agreement and conspiring to
|pntrol the business Of buying, selling
nd dealing in packing house products.
Unlawful Agreement.
The alleged absorption Of the Ham
hond and st. Louis Dressed Beef and
PROVISION companies by the National
backing company is said to have taken
jlace In September, 1902. The Hammond
Ind st. Louis companies are charged
With having entered into an unlawful
|greement with others engaged in meat
lacking for the purpose of restricting
Competition and prevent lawful trade.
The National Packing company, the
UlIOTLIldtlOl uIcu Ill tie court UOuay al
fges, was chartered in New Jersey in
10 engage In meat packing and selling
ind to hold stock of any other corpora
lion. 49,
1t is charged In the petition that the
National Packing company obtained
control of the Hammond and st. Louis
companies which had previously been
Engaged in Missouri as legitimate COM
betitors and that the National has aver
blnce voted the stock of the companies,
kollected the dividends and used the
companies in fdrtherance of the alleged
Unlawful trust.
The Hammond and st. Louis COM
banies, through the National. Packing
company. the attorney general charges,
pave become members of the alleged
frust and have been guilty Of abuse Of
privileges not granted to them by Mis-
bouri.
Attorney General Major, after he filed
The suits, said:
THE suits were filed as a result Of
fhe examination conducted recently be-
fore former Judge Daniel W., Dillon.
who was named by the supreme court
70 preside at the hearings. The Ham
mond Packing company and the st.
Louis Dressed Beef and Provision COM
bany are owned and controlled in ey-
ery matter and detail, both in the pur-
chase of live stock and the sale Of
dressed and finished products, by the
National Packing company, Of New
Jersey.
The National Packing company, the
bearing developed, Is owned by three
pig packers. SWIFT owns 7-15. Armour
B-l5 and Morris 2-15. While. the Ma
fional owns these supposedly i%ndepend-
ent corporations, 1t has been holding
Them out to the public as separate enti-
lies and Independent corporations and
competitors in business.
Prices Regulated.
In this way these corporations have
peen and are used as the devices In con-
Trolling the purchase and selling prices.
IN thus monopolizing the field and in
controlling the packing industry the n
rance Of new, competitors, in the BUSH
hess Is Practically. prohibited. V'S9 '"
Il have not instituted suit against
The Cudahy Packing company and
Schwarzchiids q 'Sulxberger, because the
examination which / laid was along
certain lines and led into a field Of in
quiry which did not disclose whether
they. were guilty of any violations Of
The laws" ~
The packers must make a return to
Inc suits by June 80. If demurrers are
nled they will not be passed upon by
Inc court until the October term. II
answers are filed the court may appoint
commissioners to take evidence before
adjournment for the summer.