The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-01-05
MEAT TRUST
HEADS Warned
Plot Shown in Philadelphia to
Control Prices.
GOVERNMENT TRAPS LAID
Jail Awaits master Minds" of Alec
ed Nationwide Monopoly, Says
United States Prosecutor. -

! Philadelphia, Jan. 4.-Jail terms
the master minds" of a food
| h1ne, that has the nation in ats grip
and that is squeezing the last POSSIBLY
| penny from the pocketbook of the CO
sumer, were threatened by Francis
Heney, the San Francisco prosecul
who is conducting a probe of tha
! called Meat Trust" by the cd
| ment.
Mr.. Henry made this assertid
the conclusion of the first days
ing here of charges against me
"trust."
The federal trade commission has
already held hearings in Washington
and Boston and is now sitting In
Philadelphia investigating the accusa-
ton that one section of the trust"
I has assumed control of the meat rem
| der1ng business by forcing independ-
ent concerns out of business at the
expense of the retail meat dealers and
| the public.
| For obvious reasons 1 cannot dis
close at this time the identity of the
powers that direct this vast combine"
! said Mr.. Heney. by doing so they
would be on their guard. We must
! maintain silence as to our plans as
we proceed
| "But when the time comes" he con-
tinued emphatically, "and the eviz
dence has been produced, there VIII
be no opportunity for any one to get
under cover"
: A statement made earlier in the day
| by Hugh J. Robertson, of Boston,
| president of the American Agriculture
al Chemical company, the alleged
rendering trust" that he would be
willing to waive immunity and take
the stand in defense of the company
which is capitalized at S100,000,000
was called to Mr.. Heney's attention.
81 will not help Mr. Robertson to
break into the newspapers" he said,
"but I might help him to break into
JAIL"
The first days probe of the alleged
trust" in Philadelphia disclosed a
series of inside" facts concerning
the methods pursued by the American
al SlClllSdl pdhy " SOt
control of the rendering business.
This co.cern controls forty-three
subsidiary corporations throughout
the United States The product OBJ
tanned from the rendering of fats,
bones and suet, the refuse of retailers
amounts to millions of dollars annu-
ally.
70 thu
government were: J
1.-The meat trust" was willing To
lose $4,000 ton drive one independ
ent rendering coscern out of bu(
mess.
! p gents for he trust Maid $40
member oil the Kosher Retail Meat
Dealers association to use his infiu-
ence among oth& members to black
list the Independents.
3-One branch of the trust" refus-
ed to buy hides from Independent
slaughterers while the government
was securing the nation for leather
for army purposes: while shoes were
selling at an exhorbitant price, and
while leather prices were at a high
record.
4-The trust" put its products In
cold storage for months in order to
force the market up.
5-No branch of the trust would
do business with an Independent re-
garded as an enemy.
After testimony to this effect had
been brought out by the government.
Robertson offered to take the witness
stand.
81 will waive immunity and tell all
I know" he told Mr.. Heney. "The
government has not made known all
the information it has at hand. The
Philadelphia Independents were vir-
tuaHy in a combine before we enter
ed the field. They know the stand we
took regarding prices, but they are
not making them known"
The combine which the government
alleges is operating in all big cities
controls all meat products and their
derivatives, according to Heney.
Among the various products thus con-
trolled are tallow, oils, hides, oleo-
margarine and glvoerine.
The government prosecutor alleges
that national packing interests con-
troll all these products through subsi-
diary companies. which operate under
the guise of Independents. In the
course of the probe, the government
will produce evidence to this effect,
he asserted.
Heney characterized Robertson as
figure head" The Boston man fol-
lowed the probe-s here, he declared.
but under no circumstances will he be
sallad to the stand.