New-York tribune., 1911-12-30

J opening ADDRESS 10 the jury.
Between 1893 and 1896, the pool mem
bers were Armour e. CO., Armour Pack
! ing Company, Cudahy & Co.. q. II.
! Hammond Il Co, st. Louis Dressed
Beef and Provision Company, Morris q
Co. and Swift & Co.. according to Henry
Veeder. In 1898, Schwarzschild & Sulz-
berger entered the combination, the
witness said.
! He described the meeting held every
Tuesday at which. he said, reports OF
the last weeks business of the members
were received, and the allotment of the
next weeks business was divided on
percentage basis.
| The witness said the country was geo.
graphically divided into five sections
each known by a letter of the alphabet,
and that each of the members OF the
alleged pool was similarly designated to
prevent publicity
He testified that a record was kept
of the amount of meat shipped to the
different branch houses. and weekly
statements were sent TO members show
! ing the cost, average price received ana
the margin of profit on fresh beef IN the
different cities.
The witness gave a minute description
of the intricate system used by the al
legged pool in keeping it's accounts and
transacting its business.
Attorneys for the defendants made an
unsuccessful effort TO prevent the wit
ness from answering questions regarding
the inside workings of the packers pool,
but Judge Carpenter overruled every OBJ
lection and directed the government to
proceed with the presentation OF Its
case.
After four days on the stand the eX-
animation of Albert II. Needer, attorney
for Swift & Co., the first witness called
by the government, was concluded and
he was excused.
Although practically all the facts he
! Testified TO referred TO business trans
acted by the packers prior 10 lDG
period not covered by the indictment
against the defendant packers, the gov
ernment considers him a valuable wit
ness.
The Younger Needer described the geo
graphical division of the country used
by the packers as follows:
Territory A-Al east If the Mississippi
River and north of the Ohio River. except
/ Illinois.
Potomac rivers and east OF the Mississippi
! River. except West Virginia.
/ Territory C-Chicago
except Cook County and all OF Iowa tx
cept Council Bluffs.
said this division had been in *
istence ever since he knew anything
about the packing business.
Mr.. Veeder said Colorado was known
as Territory +. Other sections of the
country were not included in the alpha
betical list.
The attention Of the witness was
drawn by Special Counsel Butler to
meetings of the OIL. packers pool, held on
I Tuesday afternoons, al which, it is al
! legged, prices % fresh meat and the price
TO ne paid for cattle were agreed upon
objected to the witness answering. but
were overruled by Judge Carpenter, who
allowed the government to proceed along
this line with th5 understanding that a
connection would be shown between the
old pool anC the later combination
In reply to questions the witness said:
REPRESENTATIVES Of Armour & CO.. Swift
& Co, Morris & Co. g. II. Hammond e
Counsemar Building about every week
between 1893 and 1896
Members identified by Letters.
The companies at these meetings were
known as a; Armour Packing Company
as r. Cudahy e. Co. as &; g. H. Ham
tnond a. Co. as ID; ST. Louis Dressed Beef
and Provision Company as +, Morris *
@n az = and Swift & Co. as g.
I'm 1895 Schwarzschild a. Sulzberger Joined
/ ,bc meeting and were designated BY the
ietter 6 and swift q Co. became known
uiIT' Irbn meetings were held on the sixth
door of the building. There were nine or
ten rooms There were no signs on the
Gnor These meetings were not held be-
,Wcen May. 1896. and May. 1898. but were
then resumed.
81 leased the meeting rooms under the
d,rsction of either Gustavus S. Swift. u. G.
uartwelI. of swift & Co, or T.. J. Martin,
~ Armour x CO." continued Mr.. Veeder
"Au the firms which attended paid their
rroportionate amount Of the rent and other
expenses which was determined by the
! volume Of business done in fresh beef in
Territory A."
I'm response to another question Mr..
Veeder replied
The Offices In which these meetings were
Continued OH fourth page.