New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-12-03


the same proportion of meat for sale.
Thus the competitive chance that any
one of the packers will flood the mar
ket is eliminated
The commission also declares there
Is proof that the big packers take
advantage of live stock purchasers
and sellers" and adds:
THE shipper who refuses to &C
cept the price offered at the first mar
ket has a chance to sell his live stock
on it's merits to small packers buyers
and traders, but the chance is slight"
Regulation of Sales.
Regarding the alleged packers
com animation regulating the sale Of
meat products the report said:
by regular inspection of one an
others branch house stocks they are
enabled to prevent an oversupply of
fresh meat in any market BY their
exchange of information as to the
margins on sales of meats at the diff
ferent markets they are able to keep
their average prices so uniform that
practically every retail butcher exam
ined on this point by the agents of the
commission stated that for the same
kind and grade of meat there Is no
perceptible difference in the prices.
The exceptions are where a rotation
in price cutting is practiced in order
to drive an independent out of the
market"
The five concerns, it is charged,
not only make agreements with small
packers as to the prices to be charged
for meats but also drive out indie
pendent concerns by reducing prices.
lob h
local packing companies in Los An
geles, agree as to prices to be charged
for dressed and cured meats, 1t was
alleged. This price arrangement, 1t
was charged, was handled through
Herbert D. Newcomb, a former en-
ployee of Swift & Co, who receives
1885 a month.
Combine With Local Companies.
In Tacoma the Union Meat COM
pany, jointly owned by Swift, Armour
and Morris interests, the report said,
is in a selling price agreement with
three local concerns.
Independent packers in Phlladel-
phia, the report continued; regularly
telephone the branch houses OF swift
Morris and Wilson and learn the price
quotations, which they follow closely
In Cincinnati and Detroit, the COM
mission said, local packers have
price agreement similar to the one at
Los Angeles.
Testimony before the committee
showed, according to the report, thas
the big five" have in turn cut prices
in an effort to drive out the Farmers
Cooperative Packing company, Madi-
son, Wis while similar m ethods have
been used in Utah and San Antonio,
Texas.
According to the report the center
of the com bination on the Pac1ho
coast is the Western Meat company,
in which the Swifts hold AZ per cent
of the stock, the Morris interests 80,
Armour 4, T. E. Wilson about and
members Of the Cudahy family less
than l.
Subsidiary Lines Included.
Tho report says Swift interests con-
troll the Union Meat company, Port
land Ore and that there is an under
standing among the Western Meat
company, the Pacific Coast Meat and
Provision company and the Cudahy
Packing company Of California pro-
venting price cutting and dividing sDe-
cial sales territory.
Regarding the packers agreement
affecting subsidiary lines the commits
sion reached the following conclu-
sions:
THAT in the purchase of fats from
there is an agreement to charge fixed
prices.
THAT in purchase of cheese there is
a division of territory and joint ma
nipulation of prices.
THAT in the purchase of butter,
cream, poultry and eggs there Is COM
'bination in the form either of the di-
vision of territory or price agree
ments.
THAT n the purchase Of fats from
retail butchers and in the general
conduct Of the business Of rendering
there are divisions of territory, agree
ments and various collusive and unfair
practices"
The commissions report went at
length into description of the &C
QUESTION of control of Sulzberger &
Sons company by powerful American
bankers, and it's transformat alton into
Wilson & Co, Inc. This transaction
was described in the commissions re-
port to the president last summer.
Y. NJ. C. A. ACTIVITIES.