Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-02-12
LARGE FOOD HOARD
VALUE OF FOOD IN STORAGE
IS $3,OO0,OOO,OOO
Chicago Packing Trust Investigation
Results in Exposure of Tremendous
Storage of Products-Food Enough
to Fill Market Baskets of 10000 900
Families for Months.

III lf1Ouluo.
Chicago, Feb. while the Ameri-
can people are engaged in the mighty
meat strike to force down the increased
cost of living, there is locked up in
the beef trust s cold storage plants
enough food to feed every man, woman
and child in the United States for
months
This tremendous food hoard is valued
at $3,0O0,0O0,0OO. Tons of meat and
other necessaries have been accumulate
ing in the strongholds of the robber
food barons for two, sometimes three
years.
The Chicago packing trust and its
affiliated trusts III every corner of the
country have amassed this frozen noun
tain of food in order that the people
may pay increased tribute to monopoly
and extortion; at the same time its
leaders are deploring the appetities of
those they refrain from feeding that
their own greed may be gratifed.
The facts in the cold storage situation
are not guesses, but the estimates of
the packing interests themselves, which
have been obtained from inside sources.
The surprising thing is that they have
leaked out at this time, when the fed
eral grand jury in this city is. investi-
eating the great national food con-
spiracy and seeking to indict and i'm
ba ri nd f,,1 vi,
leaders.
These figures from the books of the
food trust, showing the amount of food
stuffs now in cold storage, constitute
the only needed proof to show the cause
of the higher cost of living. They show
the beef trust and its Affiliations to be
protected in their misery course by
the knowledge that the tariff will not
permit the foreign producer to come
into the United States and undersell
them. Under lock and key the food
hoard is being held until the day comes
when prices are raised still higher But
here are the astounding figures. There
are 14,000,000 cattle carcasses in cold
storage. Other stored meat in these
great cold warehouses the country over,
includes 100000 calves, 25,O0O,00O
sheep and lambs and 5O,0O0,OOO hogs,
not counting the human ones engaged
in the packing industry.
In rs fish freezing plants there are
fish valued at $25,OOO,OOO They will be
liberated on the market at Lent. In
other cold storage plants controlled by
the beef barons there are held l 100000
eggs, 130,000,O00 pounds of poultry and
fruits, and miscellaneous articles OF
perishable food worth $50,000,OO0.
There are millions of pounds of pota
toes, turtles, cells, cases of canned goods
and milk, butter and cheese. This last
item alone is being boarded to the ex
tent of $1OO,OOO,oOo.
There are 9O,OO0,O 900 people in the
United States counting in the farmer;
who will never demand any of this
frozen food. This makes 200OO,O0C
families or less whose market baskets
must be filed every day or two will
food to replenish the larder. The cos
of this food that the market baskets
carry has risen and risen.
Scarcity of food" the packers her,
have cried at the complaining womeI
with the market baskets. But accord
ing to the trust IS own cold storage fig
ures these quantities of food per famil.
are held by the monopolsts: Beef, 42t
pounds; eggs, z 1-2 dozen; veal, Al
pounds; poultry, 12 pounds; mutton
As "a pounds; fruits $3.50 worth
lamb, 1-2 pounds; fish, $1.25 worth
miscellaneous, S. worth.
There is enough fresh meat store'
to provide every family in the United
States with two and half pounds o
it every day for year. This is NOR
than the average family consumes. TIL
value of the entire hoard of food pc
family is $3.50, and for each person i
nearly as great as the average wealtl
of the country per capita, which is $3s
And the figures used in division ar
for all the families in the country
Many families raise all their own mea
and vegetables. So it is the dwelle
in the cities, the wage Garner, who
going to pay the price that the robbie
barons want before they will unlock tn
doors of these storage warehouses.