Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-09
SEIZE MEAT TRUST
URGED UPON WILSON
Packers Scathingly Arraigned by
Commission; Even Short
Weight Charged.

Washington, Aug. 9.-lmmcdiatc
action by the government to end an IN
tcrnational monopoly involving many
vital foodstuffs which, 1t rs alleged, has
been obtained by five of the big meat
packing houses by illegal and unfair
means, is recommended in n report by
the Federal Trade Commission to Pres
ident Wilson, q summary OF which was
made public yesterday The concerns
which are labeled consplrators and
profitecrs are Armour & Co. Morris Il Co,
Wilson & Co, Swift & Co, and the
Cudahy Packing Company.
1t is alleged also that a number OF the
large banking interests have become IN
volved: that such competition rs is per
mitted to exist is farce. and that the
independent concerns which are now
operating are at the mercy of the big
Five
The commission asserted that cure
for the situation could he found by the
communicating by the government OF
the stockvards. cold storage plants,
warehouses. and rolling stock of the
big Five" Such action, the commls-
sion holds. would make IT impossible
for the alleged consplrators to destroy
indcpdenent competitors who might ap-
pear to be dangerous TO their interests.
PRESIDENT STUDIES rHE REPORT.
The recent charges which the commits
sion made against the packing interests
in letter to the Senate are mild. TO
sav the least IN comparison with the
allegations which arc contained in this
report President Wilson has had II be
fore him siucc July :. and gave II the
most careful and minute study before II
was released for publication The gov
crnmcntal action recommended IN the
report is far more drastic than any ot
the suggestions made ny a committee.
headed hV Food Administrator Hoover,
which the President named to study the
industry There has come from the
White House no lntination rs To what
course viii oc followed in the unusual
situation thus created.
The trade commission, in its re
port, the official summary OF winch
covers moro than fifty printed pages,
develops one accusation after another
Here are few OF the statements:
LAW long DEFIED ny PACKERS.
."Thc purposes of this combination.
which for more than generation has
sicfcd the law and escaped adequate
punl>hmcntS. are sufficiently clear
from the history Of the conspiracy ami
from the numerous documents already
presented. namely:
70 monopolizc and divide among
the several interests the distribution
of the food supply. not only Of the
United States. tut Of all countries
which produce food surplus. and, as
a result Of this monopolistic position
To cXtort excessive profits from
the people not only Of the nlted States.
but of large part Of the world
To secure these ends the comhina-
ton and its constituent members en-
plov practically every tried method of
unfair competition known TO this COM
mission and invent certain new and
ruthless methods to crush weaker con
Germs.
CHARGES EXToRTIoN BY RFRATEs.
The early strength and rapid growth
f the Big Five was stimulated by the
extortion Of rebates under one disguise
or another and special privileges
Among other well-known methods
of unfair competition used by the big
packers, Of which the commission has
evidence, may be mentioned the follow
ing:
Bogus independents
Local price determinations
Short weighing
acquiring stock in competing com
panies
shutting competitors out OF livestock
markets
In addition to these recognized
methods OF unfair competition the Big
; Five also employ n vicious system OF
rotation in DrIce cutting