Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-08
ton and that such ownership be de-
ciared a government monopoly.
Control of All Plants.

Control of All Plants.
"A. That the federal government
acquire such of the branch houses,
cold storage plants and warehouses
as are necessary to provide facili-
ties for the competitive marketing
and storage of food products in the
principal Centers of distribution
and consumption. The same to be
operated by the government as pub
lie markets and storage places I'M
der such conditions as will afford
an outlet for all manufacturers and
handlers of food products on equal
terms. experimenting the market
ing and storage facilities thus &C
CURED, the federal government es-
tablish, through the railroad ad-
ministratiOn, at the terminals of all
principal points of distribution and
consumption, central wholesale
markets and storage plants with
facilities open to all upon payment
OF just and fair charges"
Puts Blame on Nation.
"Out of the mass of information
in our hands" the report con-
tinued, "one fact stands out with
all possible emphasis. The small
dominant group of American meat
packers are now international in
their activities while remaining
American in their identity. Blame
which now attaches to them for
their practices abroad as well as
at home inevitably will attach to
our country if the practices con-
tinue.
The purely domestic problems
in their increasing magnitude, their
mOnOpOlization OF markets, and
/ their manipulatiOns and controls,
grave as those problems are, are
not more serious than those pre-
scented by the added aspect of in
ternatiOnal activity. This urgently
argues for a solution which will
increase and not diminish the high
regard in which this people is held
/ in international comfy"
Foreign Holdings Large.
The commission says in addition
to their immense properties in the
| United States, the five packing COM
panies either separately or Jointly
own or control more than half of
the export meat production of the
Argentine, Brazil and Uruguay, and
have investments in other surplus
meat producing countries, includ-
ing Australia, as well as branches
in the United Kingdom, France,
! Italy and Belgium.
Under present shipping condi-
TONS" the report adds, the big
American packers control more
than half of the meat upon which
the allies are dependent"
Cites Trial of Probe.
OF the difficulties which the pack
ers threw into the way of the COM
missions Investigators, headed by
Francis ]. Heney, the report says:
The commission, through Mr..
Heney, had to meet deliberate fall
sification OF returns properly re
quired under legal authority; we
had to meet schools for witnesses
where employees were coached in
anticipation of their being called
TO testify in an investigation or
deTed by you Ghe president) and
by the congress of the United
States; we had to meet a situation
created by the destruction of let
tiers and documents vital to this
investigation: We had to meet a
conspiracy IN the preparation Oh
the lawful inquiries of the COM
mission"
Calls Attention to Heney.
The commissions staff. the re
port declared, has met and over
come every obstacle that ''ingenu-
ity and money could devise to i'm
pede them" The presidents at
tention was called to the work of
Mr.. Heney, whose conduct of the
case, because of its success has
met with condemnation, misrepre-
sentation and criticism"