New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-01-06
PACKERS CONFRONTED
BY THEIR OWN LETTERS
Documentary Evidence Shows
Old Pool Practices Were Con-
tinued by Combination.
HARD BLOW FOR DEFENCE
Government Brings Alleged H.
legal Operations of National
Co. to Within 7 Months
Covered by Indictment.

4 in support or the government charge INA l
the practices of the old packers pool in FIX
| ing the price OF fresh meat by means OF Il
system Of profit margins and apportoning
/ the business on a non competitive basis were
continued after the organization Of the Ma
! tional Packing Company in March, 1915
was read TO the jury to-day in the trial OF
| the ten Chicago packers under indictment
! for criminal conspiracy in restraint or
| trade.
The government brought the operations
Of the alleged Illegal combination down to
within seven months Of the period covered
| by the Indictment
The information was furnished by Jerome
! H. Pratt an employee of Armour & CO. for
more than twenty years, and at one time
assistant manager of the dressed beef de-
partmcnt.
! lie testified to having attended meetings
! of the old pool between 1896 and 1902, at
which he said percentages Of shipments TO
different markets were decided by ballot
and the margin of profit was determined ny
| agreement among the members.
| The witness identified dozen letters he
received while in the employment of Armour
! & Co. I'm support Of his statements.
| Three Of the letters bore rotations in
pencil Of the shipment percentages and
profit margins in the handwriting Of j.
| Ogden Armour. Arthur Moeker and Thomas
! ]. Connors, Of the Armour company, ac-
cordIng 10 the witness.
| Pratt positively identified the HANDWRITING
of Arthur Meeker and said he was almost
certain the other memorandums were writ
! ten by J. ogden Armour and Thomas j.
! ConnoTs
Pratt WAS on the stand when court ad-
journed and will continue tomorrow
Penalty for Overshipment,
! The first document introduced by the gov
| eminent was copy Of resolution SAID
to have been adopted by the packers pool
! May g. 1900. fixing IA penalty OF IL cents a
pound on all ovcrshipmcnts to competitive
points made in e. cess Of 1900 pounds
week above the maximum allowed. This
! was said 10 have been sent out TO members
, from the office OF 4. II. Needer, the attor-
| ney. The next was list Of shipment per
centages agreed upon by the packers Jan
uary IL, 1901, for Territories a, 9, ID and h.
| Pratt identified letter dated October 10,
| 1904. addressed TO D. ogden Armour, which
read
! | attach herewith margin memorandum
/ for the week, We shipped 92l2 per cent TO
I Armour & 60. houses and 81 per cent TO
J Armour Packing Company. TO-days mar
| gin win follow. }. II. ]
Pratt testified that The letter was re-
turned to him the following day with these
figures Of percentage margins for other
firms i'm the combination, which he believes
were written 10y j. ogden Armour:
II 9ora; 5 105: NJ 90. NJ minus 70; plus T.;
g. 10 100 per cent this week
Another letter. dated June %, 1905, con-
tanning a memorandum IF margins. which
he witness identified as in the handwrit-
, ing Of Arthur Meeker another defendant
Tread as follows:
Mr.. Meeker-Our shipments last week 87i2
per cent. Margins YESTERDAY working minus
AZ closed minus 10 Have complaints OF
enCToaChmcnts on our territory by swift
at Grecnhurg, also from St Adams Into
Piattsburg territory. at WateTviile from
Halter is accounted for by our business al
jamestown from clean. This, however has
been stopped j. II. PRATT
Shipment Percentages Revealed.
The figures said to have been written by
NIeeker on this letter are 90 said to be the
shipment percentage. and 95l, 90 and 9i.o
Interpreted as the profit margins.
The following letter, said Ia contain
pencil rotations by Thomas }. Connors, an
other defendant was dated April q, 1906
and reads:
Mr.. A. Mceker: Shipments, So 40 pei
cent; working. minus CO; closed, minus u.
! j. II. p
Another letter written by r. G. Lee
manager OF Armours dressed beef depart
I al
Shipments. $3.50 per cent; working, So
| closed. 81 New York, 75l; Philadelphia
! 75I; Boston, 773: Pittsburgh, 40; ST. Louis
Cyl and Chicago, Sos.
On the bottom of this letter was nota-
ton, "Sj TO 81 per cent to be shipped said
10 have been written by Thomas j. Con-
nors, one Of the defendants,
Two other letters introduced read:
Wilkes Barre, Penn. July :, 1906
! Nessrs Amour q Co. Chicago.
! gentlemen: DO you know that lalnmono
has been shipping - to - cattle Pc WeeH
! ia hie constance at Wilkes Barre Tor the
''S' '''''' II. SCHAPPERs.
The other was in reply TO this communi-
cation and was from Arthur Meeker, adj
dressed 10 l.. Il. Patterson. manager of the
National Packing Company. IT was dated
July 30, 1856, and read:
! Dear Sir. What are you trying 10 90 az
| this market? Yours truly. .,,,r-r,
'"'' ARTHUR MEEKER
Written across the top Of this letter in
pencil was the note:
! AZ, Meeker: Seyenty-Onc cattle most we
baIe shipped there; average Is 5000 POUNDS
! i'm ten weeks About as light az We can
! go. ,.,, ,Lo
District Attorney Wiikerson during ,ne
morning session offered in evidence wv
| ledgers containing the records OF uiiec'o'S
meetings OF the National PACKING 'onl'
pany, from March a. 1903 TO June D. lSl'
after they had been idenuhed by MI 'oiDS'
| Counsel for the defendants vigorously OBJ
iected TO the Introduction OF TINS e'ldence'
! ard the iurv was excused while the attor-
news argued the question.
ar3Va n n