The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-08-08
MEAT M2/'oPOLY
DOOL;<'j IF THIS
RE- 'IdT ACCEPTED
EVERY ELEMENT AND DIVI-
SION OF 1T MAY BE TAKEN
BY GOVERNMENT
DRASTIC DENOUNCEMENT
Federal Trade Commission Urges
Seizure of Stock Yards, Cold Stor-
age Plants and Warehouses, Re-
frigerator Cars and Cattle Cars.

age fIdIltS anu w dTeI1OuScS, NC-
frigerator Cars and Cattle Cars.
Washington Aug. e.-Government
acquisition and control of all the
principal stock yards, cold storage
plants and warehouses and both re-
frigerator and cattlcs cars has been
recommended to the president by
the Federal Trade Commission to
destroy a monopoly which it de-
clares, Swift & Co., Armour K Co.,
Wilson & Co. Inc.) and the Cuda
hy Packing Company exercise, not
only over the meat industry of the
country, but over other necessary
food supplies.
The commissions report is based
upon exhaustive hearings conducted
recently in many cities and was
made public today through the
White House. 1t has been i nthe
hands of the president since July 5.
and it was explained that it had not
previously been issued because the
president first wished to be in pos
session of full information
Basing its statement upon great
volume of evidence examined, much
of it taken from the CONFIDENTIAL files
of the packing companies, the COM
mission said the power OF the five
packing companies has been and is
being unfairly and illegally used" to:
MANIPULATE LIVE STOCK
MARKETS.
REST TRICT INTERSTATE
AND INTERNATIONAL SUP
PLIES OF FOOD.
CONTROL THE PRICE OF
DRESSED MEATS AND OTHER
DEFRAUD BOTH THE PRO-
DUCERS OF FOOD AND CON-
SUMERS.
CRUSH EFFECTIVE COMPE-
TITION.
SECURE SPECIAL PRIVI-
LEGES FROM RAILROADS,
STOCK YARD COMPANIES,
AND MUNICIPALITIES, and to
PROFITEER.
while we have found" said the
commissions report to the presi-
dent. "and will disclose to you an
intricate fabric of 'monopolies, con-
trolls. combinations, conspiracies,
and restraints which would seem to
indicate necessity for similarly COM
plex and minute system OF legisla-
tive or administrative remedies, we
believe that an adequate remedy
NAV be more simply arrived at.
I'VE believe that if the funda-
mental and underlying evils are
rooted out, the whole structure OF
conspiracy, control, monopoly and
restraint must fall.
"If these five great concerns
owned no packing plants and killed
no cattle and still retained control
of the instruments of transporta-
ton of marketing and of storage,
their position would be no less
strong than it is.'
Recommendations
The commission then recommend
ed:
"l-That the government acquire,
through the railroad administration,
all rolling stock used for the trans
port alton OF meat animals, and that
such ownership be declared a gov
ernment monopoly.
"2-That the government acquire,
through the railroad administration.
the principal and necessary stock
wards of the country. to be treated
as freight depots and to be operated
under such conditions as will insure
open. competitive markets. with
uniform scale of charges for all ser
vices performed, and the acquisi-
ton or establishment of such ad-
ditional yards from time to time as
the future development OF livestock
production in the United States may
require. This to include customary
adjuncts of stock yards.
Saws, Seize Refrigerator Cars.
"3-That the government acquire,
through the railroad administration
all privately owned refrigerator cars
and all necessary equipment for
their proper operation. and that
such ownership be declared gov
ernment monopoly.
"+That the federal government
acquire such Of the branch houses,
cold storage plants and ware houses
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 10 be op-
Grated by the government as public
markets and storage places under