Bisbee daily review., 1916-01-26
UNPREPAREDNESS IN
 STOCK INDUSTRY IS THEME OF GENTLEMAN
Edward L. Burke, of Omaha, Speaks Before American Live Stock Associations Meeting in Fl Paso.

Speaking on "Unpreparedness in the
 Livestock Industry" Edward L. Burka
 of Omaha, told the American National
 Livestock Association today some per
 tinent and interesting facts.
 For several years past" MT. Burke
 said, ''it has gradually been borne in
 on producers of meat animals that all
 is not well with the industry. That there are at work, at all of the princi-
 pal livestock markets in this country. certain forces which deprive the pro
 ducer of his fair share of the returns,
 that there is a concentration of con
 trol at these markets into the hands of
 few very rich and powerful buying
 concerns. whose selfish and unfair
 methods bid fair to first ruin the pro
 ducers and later react with crushing
 force on the buyers themselves, in the
 shape of diminished production.
 Tt isn't necessary for me to go into
 the details of the enormous losses of
 cattle feeders during he past two or
 three years. Coincident with their
 great losses, the great packing institu-
 tions have been absorbing a larger and larger proportion of the business and
 have been piling up the greatest net
 earnings in the history of their busi- ness. From bitter Experience you are
 too well aware of the existing condi-
 tions.
 ''It is rapidly becoming apparent to all that disaster to the livestock indus try and hardship to the consumer will result, unless prompt steps are taken to find and apply a remedy for present unfair conditions. There must be some line of justice and fairness as- certained and established between the producers of live stock and the few men who buy their product. With this idea in mind last July, the presi- dent of your Association requested MT David F. Houston, Secretary of Agricul ture, to call meeting and invite all the various interests connected with the livestock industry, especially the producers and the packers to attend. You all know the outcome of that meet ingJ How the producers went to great deal of trouble and expense to prepare their side of the question, and to go to Chicago. only to find that the big packers practically refused to have anything to do with the meeting.
 "TFi- Association has at this time :" dr.v perform. It has heavy re- -- ---''-'''tv. and on the way in which it faces this responsibility will depend very largely it's future. It is the re spcasibility of leadership in crisis. '7l-~-1ands of producers are looking T--' way out. a solution of this baf l fling problem. The action taken on
 marketing question may make or break the organization. It's our prob | ~. and it behooves us to face it cour- 1 ageously and to solve it wisely. If we ~-e afraid of it and run away, it will re up again and again to curse us, | but if we work out a happy solution, our children and our childrens chil- dren will bless us.
 AS the country has grown older | and business more complicated, with | the large corporations doing the bulk | of the big business, the community of interest idea has stepped in and grad | ually competition has been eliminated | in certain lines. so that prices are no longer subject to natural laws. That | is just what has happened to the great | est industry in our country, and that | is the principal thing about which l want to talk with you, in the hope that ! you will awake to the situation and | give the matter the careful study that will be necessary for it's proper solu- tion. I refer to the control of the | prices of meat animals and meat prod ucts by the leading packing concerns.
 Put in it's simplest form: Shall | four or five very small groups of men with unlimited financial power. control the meat supply of one hundred mil | lion people, exploiting the producer on tue OHt udilu anu liit COHSuhitI On lne | other?
 There would seem to be several | ways open toward at least betterine present conditions: First, trying to force competition between the buyers. Second government supervision, or ev- ! en regulation. The latter would prob ably ultimately lead clear to the regu- lation of prices. Third. actions for damages against the packers for loss es sustained by the seller. involving the breaking of the antitrust laws. Fourth, establishment of competitive plants, either privately or municipally | owned. Fifth, cooperative marketing. | which has been so successful in vari- ous other lines. Sixth. thorough in- vestigation of the packing business and all subsidiaries. Seventh, curtail- ment in production"