The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-01-22
Result Of Six Months Probe
Into Packing Industry.
DISSOLUTION SUIT TO FOLLOW
Federal Grand Jury will Be Asked
/, TO Investigate Relationship of
| National Packing Company TO
! ArmOr, Swift and Morris Con-
VViUos CnassSA
Cna&a

Washington, Jan. 22.-Right in line
with the general movement against
high prices of foodstuffs, and particu.
larly meats, announcement was made
officially that the department of JUS.
tice is about to begin proceedings
against the beef trust The depart
ment, It was said, would proceed
against Armour & Company Swift C
Company, Morris & Company and the
National Packing company, all of Chi.
cago.
According to information given out,
the National Packing company is con-
trolled by three other concerns
named. These companies, 1t is al
legged, control the price of beef
through their control of the National
Packing company. The proceedings
Will be begun as soon as possible.
The federal grand jury will meet in
Chicago Monday apd at that time the
government will begin the examina.
tion OF witnesses in the case. The
prosecution will be criminal. It was
said that 1t was not known whether
proceedings in equity to dissolve any
alleged combination In restraint OF
trade would be instituted.
The Institution of civil proceed
ings. It was explained, would de-
pend largely on the information di-
vulged by the witnesses examined by
the grand jury.
beef trust, 1t was made known, came
after an investigation lasting more
than six months, which the depart
ment conducted among the packing
interests Of Chicago. Just about six
months ago. after an investigation Of
alleged rebating by Morris & Com
pany, Assistant Attorney General
Wade e. Ellis started wholesale
probing of the beef industry in Chi
Cdgo. The q investigation has been
going on under different men en-
ployed by the department of justice
ever since that time. These men have
Just forwarded their report to Wash
inston, and the action is based on
such reports. The action will be
taken under the Sherman antitrust
law.
In response to a resolution of the
house OF representatives adopted
March Z. 1904. James Rudolph Gar
field. afterwards secretary of the In
terror under President Roosevelt, but
then commissioner of corporations,
transmitted to that body through Vic.
tor II. Metcalf. then secretary of the
department of commerce and labor
an exhaustive report on his investiga-
tions OF the alleged trust.
According to that report Armour &c
Company is an Illinois corporation,
held closely by members of the Ar
mour family; Swift & Company is an
Illinois corporation with capital of
$35.000,0O0, held by over 5000 stock
holders, and Morris G. Company is a
Maine corporation with $S.0O0,000
capital. owned by the Morris family
The National Packing company, says
the report, is a New Jersey corpora
tion with "a capital OF $4,000, 900,
which was organized in 1903 and took
over the stock of half dozen or
more packing concerns.
THE stock OF most of these COM
panies had been acquired by Armour
Swift and Morris interests respective
ly, and the directors OF the National
company are all officers or directors
OF the three corporations above de-
scribed. says the report.
It was said that the National COM
pany was virtually under the domina-
tion Of the three big packing compa-
nies. "The statutes of Illinois," this
report says in one place, do not per-
init an Illinois corporation to hold
stock In another company"