New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-12-03
PACKERS CHARGED
l!TH MEAT CONTROL
"
witt, Armour, Morris, Wilson
and Cudahy Are Implicated

3 ashington, Dec. 3.-The Federal
Fade Commission, in a supplemental
port submitted to Congress yester-
~, charges the five big meat pack
IL companies of the country with a
m bination in restraint of trade and
tn controlling the sale of live stock
d fresh meats. Swift q Co, Ar
our & Co, Morris & Co, Wilson
pmpany, Inc, and the Cudahy Pack
g Company are named.
THE evidence of the present day
istence of q meat bination
hong the five big packers is volum-
# ous and detailed" the report says.
Z his evidence is convin@ng,' consist
as it does largely of documents
eftten by the packers or their agents
d including the memoranda made
one of the participants in the COM
aation of the terms and conditions
regd upon at various meetings of
70 packers"
The principal conclusions to be
avn from this mass of evidence,
report says, are:
L. That Swift & Co, Armour Co.,
prris & Co, Wilson Company, Inc,
ID the Cudahy Packing Company
in agreement for the division of
Q stock purchases throughout the
tied States according to certain
ed percentages.
Purchases Evenly Divided.
That this division is REINFORCED
local agreements among the mem
rs of the general com bination oper-
ng at each of the principal markets
at Denver, where Armour and
y y o'V'o' 'n''F i've STOCK "'''-
That these purchase agreements
Institute a restraint of interstate
nmerce in live animals and in the
of meat and other products, sti-
g competition among the five COM
nies, substantially controlling the
ces paid to producers and prices
arged to consumers, giving the
mbers of the com bination unfair
Illegal advantages over actual and
sercfa1 competitors.
2. That the five companies ex-
tnge confidential information which
not made available to their COM
itors and employ jointly paid agents
secure information which is used
control and manipulate live stock
rkets.
3. That the five companies act
lusively in the purchase of live
ok,
4. That Swift Co, Armour e Co.,
iris & Co. and Wilson Company,
:, through their subsidiary and
trolled companies in South Amer
wit
companies to restrict and
ats from South America to the
tied States and other countries.
5. That the five companies act coll
vely in the sale of fresh meat.
s. That there is a joint contribu
to funds expended under their
ret control to influence public
Mon and governmental action and
s to maintain the power of their
hbination.
z. That the agreements, under
hdings and pools are REINFORCED
10 community of interest through
{ ownership of various enterprises.
or more of the interests thus
Re joint ownership or representa-
in 1913 concerns as far as ascer-
bed to July, 1918"
Market Control Changed.
a summary of its conclusions the
omission finds:
That the big packers control the
stock markets; that such compe-
bn as appears to exist is limited
not real; that they together fix
stock prices.
The buyers begin buying at the
e time" the report states. eff
holds off the market all hold off.
strong is the influence of the big
GERS buying that the market is
made until their buyers begin
Hing.
There exists therefore for each of
big packers a centralized buying
EN- SO simply contrived and or
lied that it controls the smallest
bills of live stock purchases at
of the markets and can be set
motion and directed by single
d. Only a few men in each COM
r. need know that there is an
ement or understanding"
nalyZing conditions at various
kets, the report says that at ST.
sph, Mo, Swift, Armour and Nor
operate at yards controlled by
it.
AT times" it was stated, Swift
difficulty in getting Armour and
ris to support the market. Swift
o4 controlled at st. Paul, but now
hour has a share of the live stock
eipts there"
It Omaha and Sioux City, the re-
i declares the Cudahy and Ar
ur plants are the largest, and Swift
recently acquired small indie
dent plant at Sioux City.
Agreement of Long Standing.
t'this market (sioux City) the ar
cement is for Cudahy to buy just
many hogs as Armour buys" the
brit declares. 1.-THE f1fty-ffty divi-
of hogs at SIOUX City is of LONG
ding.
At Omaha tn 3 division of hog
chases for many years was on the
bw5ng arbitrary percentages: Ar