The Yale expositor., 1916-12-07
HIGH COST OF LIVING
HAS SEVERAL WAYS
TRUST CONTROL OF FooDsTUFFs
--klLLING OF CROPS BY
RoUGHT-LA5oR SCARCITY.
PACKERS EXTEND BUSINESS
James w. HeIme Issues the Most
Exhaustive Analysis Or the
Food Situation.

Lansing-Growth of trust control of
foodstuffs, killing of crops by drought,
scarcity of farm labor, a poor system
OF distribution of products and the an
necessary demands of consumers on
retailers, these are the chief causes
of the high cost of living, according
to the most exhaustive analysis OF
the food situation that has yet been
issued by State Dairy and Food Com
missioner James w. Helme.
Mr.. Helme declares that within 10
years the Chicago packers will abso-
lutely control the food situation in
America and that because of short
crops and high feed there will be
milk famine in Detroit before next
March. A milk famine was narrowly
averted last summer, the commissions
er says.
THE present high cost of living is
the result of several causes, and con-
sequently any remedy will be several
in its nature" said Mr.. Helme.
Packers Are Developing.
"One of the principal causes for the
advance in meats is the fact that We
have been developing in the Chicago
packers a trust which is gradually ex-
tending its control over all foodstuffs
in 1900 there were 50,000,0O0 cattle
of that class in the country. Mean
while, our population had increased
from 100000 to 100000,000. Cattle
had decreased 20 per cent, while our
population had increased 33 per cent
Seventy per cent of the cattle sold in
interstate commerce are marketed by
five Chicago packers.
Controlling the trade by this vast
output, they fixed the price of cattle
so low as TO be Improbable to the
farmer and he gradually went out of
the beef business, as the figures above
quoted show. In the meantime, the
packers and their profits have grown
enormously. Eighteen years ago, the
capital of Swift & Co, was $17,000,000
and their profits 100000. In 1915
their capital was 1928, 100000 and their
earnings $14,O0o.OOO.
Largest Butter Makers in State.
"The packers are extending their
operations in all directions. They own
wholesale markets in all the principal
cities and even in London. They have
packing establishments in Argentine,
Australia and Brazil. They manufac-
ture soap, oleo and glue. They oper-
ate tanneries and control the hide and
leather market. They can all kinds
of food products and buy egges and
poultry for cold storage. They own
refrigerator cars, railway and steam
ship terminals and operate bakeries
and grape juice factories. Swift n
Co, are the largest manufacturers OF
butter in Michigan. Another 10 years
will see this group OF packers in abso-
lutte control of the food situation in
America.
Dry Weather Hits Crops.
Another cause OF the present situa-
tion was dry weather, causing small
crops. This situation has far-reach-
ing effect. Feed prices for cattle
and other stock are very high. AS a
result, meny cows will be wintered
without grain feed and the supply OF
milk will be correspondingly reduced.
"a third cause Of high prices is de-
creased production on the farms be-
cause OF the scarcity of labor. The
large wages paid in Detroit have at
tracted the attention of farm hands
all over Michigan and as a result,
there has been a general exodus OF
farm labor to Detroit. No farm can
be operated to capacity without full
complement of labor. In that respect
It is like a factory.
MANY farmers the last year have
been getting along with the help OF
their families and producing just
enough to supply their own needs
without any surplus for sale. Until
IN some way labor comes back to the
farms, production will not keep pace
ID