The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-12-05
SAME OLD STORY
SAYS ARMOUR
PACKER REPLIES TO FEDERAL
COMMISSION CHARGES.
COMBINE CONTRSLLED PRICES
The Market For Iowa Was Fixed BY
Big Concerns Armour and
cudahy in Charge At Sioux
City Stoekyards.

Chicago, Dec. Same old story
commented J. Ogden Armour today
on charges of the Federal Trade Com
mission that the big packers control
| led the meat business through COM
bination.
Same old threadbare story. The
Trade Commission never was fair
enough to give us a chance to an
swer. / can only repeat that the
charges are baseless. What | say
can be readily demonstrated by any
unbiased and impartial investigation. >"
The Commissions Charges.
The charges made by the Commits,
sion are:
"First-That Swift & Co., Armour
& Co., Morris & Co., Wilson & Co..
and the Cudahy Packing company are
in an agreement for the division of
livestock purchases throughout the
United States, according to certain
information.
That this national livestock divis-
ion is reinforced by local agreements
among the members of the general
combination operating at each of the
markets as at Denver, where Armour
& Co. and Swift & Co. divided their
livestock.
Exchange Confidential Information.
"The local livestock combi) ltion
acts as a restraint of interstate COM
lmerce in live animals and in the sale
of meat and other animals products,
sitting competition among the five
companies, substantially controlling
the prices to be paid livestock pro-
ducers and the prices to be charged
consumers of meat and other animal
products and giving the members of
the combination unfair and illegal ad.
vantage over actual and potential
competitors. o.
"Second-That the five companies
exchange confidential information
which is not made available to their
competitors and employ jointly paid
agents to secure Information which is
u",'l 70 c"-t~cl and manipulate live
>'.''; ma".c's.
- hi"i --Th:t the five companies
80 'r"'s'"o'v through their buyers
Ill :He Purchase OF livestock.
E"'e- F.~~;-7 Fled.
".'ou:tl -Th;' swift i c.. h~~'""'
: tn. Mli,l- ''.,. "., ! V'3ls.... Com
l jp.u.., lac. ia " - '''4 ~ilhs.ui"I,
| 49,. runl,. ne. ,ul ...mi,a l.. SCOUT!
: America Cu4LDlnr. VITA CcitIin 81
: companies u .lS,liCt md cot. 81 LIP
5 ments of beef and other meats from
4 South America to the United State!
4 and other countries.
"Fifth-That the five companies &C
eollusively in the sale of fresh meat.
"Sixth-That there is joint con
tribution to funds expended unde
: their secret control to mold public
opinion and governmental action ant
thus to maintain the power of thei
combination.
Seventh - That the agreement
and pools hereinfore are reinforce'
by the community of interest amon
the five companies above name,
q through joint ownership, either col
;. porate or individual, of various enter
b priseS.
= THAT they together fix livestocl
= prices"
. Deal onaat Sioux City.
At Omaha and Sioux City, the RI
port declared, the Cudahy and Al
d mour plants are the largest an
e Swift has recently acquired a SINAI
a plant at Sioux City.
9 At this market (Sioux City, tn
A arrangement is for Cudahy to bu
T. Just as many hogs as Armour buys,
$ the report declared.
!: The fifty-fifty division of hots a
d Sioux City is of long standing" tn
o report added, quoting messages froI
E. A. Cudahy to Manager Murphy.
If "At Omaha" the commission sale
a 1.-The division of hog purchases TO
n many years was on the followin
n plans:
Armour 80, Cudahy 80, Swift 2;
g, Morris TX