Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1910-06-23
PURPOSE TO DRIVE
five BIG PACKERS
OUT OF BUSINESS
Corporations Alleged to Be
Merged in National Packing
Company, Eliminating
All Competition.

Jefferson City, Mo-, June 22.-Attor'
ney General Elliott Major began custer
proceedings against five meat packing
companies today by fling quo war
ranto informations in the supreme
court. The companies attacked arc the
Armour Packing company. Morris &
Co, Swift & Co, Hammond Packing
company, and st. Louis Dressed Beef
and Provision company.
The Armour, Swift and Morris COM
panies are charged with violating the
antitrust law and conspiracy, and the
Hammond and st. Louis Dressed Beef
| and Provision companies, as subsidiary
| companies of the National Packing
company, with conspiracy to control the
| business in Missouri.
The five companies are named in two
petitions which ask that the corpora
| tons be excluded from all corporate
| rights, that their licenses be forfeited
| and that all or such portion of their
property as the court may deem proper
| be confiscated or in lieu thereof fine
| be imposed.
| Controlled Prices.
Armour. Swift and Morris are
charged with having entered into con-
| spiracy in 1909 to control the prices to
be paid by dealers in live stock poul-
try, butter, eggs, dairy and agricultural
products, to control the prices to be
paid by retail and wholesale dealers for
|
to be paid by all retail and wholesale
| dealers for butter, eggs, poultry, game,
dairy and agricultural products and by
products from the business of slaugh-
tering live stock.
The second count of the petition
charges that the three packing COM
panies conspired to restrain trade and
destroy competition in the purchase
and sale of meat products, live stock,
poultry, butter and eggs by fixing a
price to be paid by all the members of
the alleged agreement and conspiring to
control the business Of buying, selling
and dealing in packing house products.
Unlawful Agreement.
The alleged absorption of the Ham,
mond and st. Louis Dressed Beef and
Provision companies by the National
Packing company is said to have taken
place in September, 1902. The Hammond
and st. Louis companies are charged
with having entered into an unlawful
agreement with others engaged in meal
packing for the purpose of restricting
] competition and prevent lawful trade.
The National Packing company, tn.
: information filed in the court today al
leges was chartered in New Jersey II
. 1902 with a capital stock of $15.000,0 90
: to engage in meat packing and selling
and to hold stock of any other corpora
: ton.
! 1t Is charged in the petition that tn
r National Packing company obtaine
control of the Hammond and st. Loui
companies which had previously bee
I engaged in Missouri as legitimate com
petitors and that the National has eve
since voted the stock Of the companies
collected the dividends and used tn
, companies in furtherance of the allege
= unlawful trust
pa Tbs IA. and 81 2ais s9n
Z, company, the attorney general Charge
II have become members of the allege
u u trust and have been guilty OF abuse
II privileges not granted to them by Mis-
u souri,.
9 Attorney General Major, after he file
e the suits, said:
: THE suits were filed as a result
- the examination conducted recently be
G. fore former Judge Daniel w. Dillol
J. who was named by the supreme coul
- to preside at the hearings The Han
a. mond Packing company and the S
Is Louis Dressed Beef and Provision COR
pany are owned and controlled in e,
cry matter and detail, both in the pun
= chase Of live stock and the sale
!. dressed and finished products. by tt
:, National Packing company. Of Ne
. Jersey.
t. 1.-THE National Packing company, IL
&c hearing developed is owned by thrt
big packers. Swift owns 7-15, Armol
,6-15 and Morris 2-15. While the Ns
tional owns these supposedly indepen(
ent corporations, 1t has been holdir
n them out to the public as separate ent
ties and Independent corporations al
competitors in business.
. Prices Regulated.
= I'm this way these corporations hal
< been and are used as the devices in COZ
trolling the purchase and selling price
w In thus monopolizing the field and
e controlling the packing industry the Ell
ST trance of new competitors in the bus
ness is practically prohibited
e II have not instituted suit again
ae | the Cudahy Packing company al
o4 Schwarzchild e. Sulzberger, because Il
w. examination which ! laid was aloi
al certain lines and led into field Of II
AZ quiry which did not disclose wheth
,e they were guilty Of any violations
the laws"
The packers must make return
the suits by June 80. IL demurrers a
filed they will not be passed upon
- the court until the October term.
+ answers are filed the court may appoi
a commissioner to take evidence befo
| I'd Mt ha