Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-29

" kIlS iIltlS IuStS liS tOliplnt ItSOIlSu
to in order to convey the impression
that there was no combine"
When Avery started out TO form an
Independent rendering company of his
own in Worcester. he said his proposal
to establish a plant in Millbury. on the
Worcester line, was met with ager-'
ness al first. but that opposition sud
denly developed. He suspected the hand
of the opposition. he said, and was la
ter approached by Harry w. Smith,
representing the opposition with an Of
fer to buy him out. Il vas willing to
agree" he admitted, but changed my
mind when all l could get was three
or -four cents on the dollar"
The rest of his testimony related to
the efforts of his rivals to get away
mis- customers.
Another witness. A. f.. Keller, in
telling of his various efforts TO estab-
lish himself in the rendering business
described how the own of Bedford
welcomed him when the people learned
Of his proposal to establish a plant
there.
II ever had the site picked out near
a piggery so there could be no objec-
ton to any additional dor from my
plant" he said, but the ardor of the
selectmen had u~naccountably cooled in
the meantime. | was no longer vel
come. My plant was not wanted l
wasn't even given a hearing
Driven Out Three Times
Keeler had been driven out of the in
dependent rendering business at least
Z I,1, ,t,,.. 49, ~, ,,,atInl- ne thn
combine. according to his statements.
\ new twist to the testimony was
given hH N. X. Hutchinson. proprie-
tor of retail meat stores in Greater
Boston. who openly charged the pack
. ers with giving short weight for pork.
He said small retailers We're forced
to pay for pork strips at the weight
marked on the packages when, as a
matter Of fact the pork was from three
to five pounds below hat weight. That
weight was marked on the package at
Chicago, he said, and the discrepancy
was not due to ~shrinkage. Other pack
ages showed no such shrinkage and
it would be impossible for any pork
to show such a ~shrinkage, in his opin-
ION. 1t made a big difference to the
small dealer with pork at 70 cents, he
said.
Mr.. Hutchinson was asked by Mr..
IIeney if there was any truth in state
rents attributed to the packers that
retailers were Souging the public.
Retailers Being Geuged"
They can't DO any %gouging." Hutch
inson said. There We're 400 provision
dealers failed in Boston last August.
Does that look as if they were goug-
ing OF being gouged?'
Hutchinson thought there was no
question that wholesale prices for
meats were controlled. There was sell
dom more than a half a cent a pound
difference, he stated, no matter how
many dealers We're tried. There were
never any instances. he said, OF one
packer who was oVerStocked with some
one kind of meat trying to dispose of
his stock by underselling another firm.
Before going into the retail provision
business Hutchinson said he had tried
the rendering business but couldn't do
much in that line because he seemed
to be on the outside. i was never Of
fered an automobile for by trade by
some rendering ~cpsnpanies% like some
men know he stated.
The session was not adjourned I'M
til late in the day. Commissioner Muir
dock returned to Washington tonight.
but it was stated the hearings would
be continued tomorrow morning by one
of the special examiners. Mr.. Heney
thought the business could be opened
in Philadelphia, where he promised
! fllTthpV pnCotinna1 da,a1,np,o,+-
John Glennie's Story
John Glennie, witness at the Federal
Trade Commission hearing of the
packing business, charged today tina
packers were establishing big meat
stores in various cities for the purpose
of driving retailers out Of business.
The Mohican Co. which operates a
chain of stores throughout New Eng
land, was one of these concerns, he
said. The packers, he stated, set re-
tail prices at these stores so low that
independent stores could not compete
and many went out of business.
Glennie, who had been in the render
ing business in New England for many
years, declared further that there We're
no independent soap manufacturers in
, tlt CDUIlS ne ndu neen ODl0ed TO
sell his waste product TO trust concerns
but even so was able to make a profit
because his overhead expenses were
low as compared with those Of the
packers.
The witness told of the competition
experienced When the Swifts took over
Hthe Consolidated Rendering Co. and
the latter company tried to buy him
out. He was offered, he said. $3.50, 900
for a business worth not omre than
$50, 600, but he refused to sell as lie
was determined to have a business Of
his own. He said he paid butchers SIS
for his scraps and made a profit on the
transaction. The Consolidated allowed
the butchers only 81 a month for the
same materials.
Glennie said that as competition by
the packers became sharper. he eX-
perienced trouble in getting shipments
of waste to his plant. 1t was held so
long at various points, he said. that
it deteriorated greatly in value es-
pecially during hot weather. After
many protests he secured some i'm
proVement but the situation never be-
came 50 good as it was before he met