Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-19


cure control of the market for meat
substitute foods. .
an addition to the companies ir
which control has been acquired by
outright purchase, the parent com
panies have in large number oil
cases contracted for the exclusive
output of many other companies en-
gagged in the production of the sub
stitute foods and the unrelated COM
modities. The outputs of these
plants are marketed by the parent
companies, or by their subsidiaries
through the distribution facilities OF
the parent companies. In this fash
ion the parent companies control the
output of these concerns and the
market price of their products as
completely as though they them
selves owned the producing COM
panies.
Cheap Distribution.
1.-THE principal agent in sitting
competition was, as has been stated,
the fact that the distributing system
of the great packers was an efficient
and cheap way Of handling not pos
sessed by their competitors.
The statement lists the foods
which the packers will be enjoined
from handling, including all kinds OF
fish, vegetables, fruits, cereals, etc,
with the exception of allowing some
of the corporations to continue their
business in cereals. This exception
was considered necessary because
some of them had been in business
since prior to the time they engaged
in the meat business and the preven-
ton of their use of the distributing
system minimizes the evil of their
continuing in the cereal business
But in general the decree eliminates
all the defendant corporations from
all unrelated lines of products not
containing meat
"The decree further enjoins the
individual defendants from individ-
ually or jointly owning 50 per cent
or more of the voting stock in any
corporation engaged in the business
CT manufacturing, jobbing, selling,
transporting, distributing or other
wise dealing in any of the unrelated
commodities, or from adopting any
device or arrangements which by
reason of their relation to the corpo-
ration defendants or any of them
would have the purpose or effect of
giving to such unrelated lines any
advantage over their competitors
similar in purpose or effect to any
advantage now enjoyed by any of
the corporation defendants through
their distributing systems.
Must Sell Their interests.
"The bill provides that imme-
diately uYon the entry of the decree
the defeSd ants shall commence to
dispose of such commodities owned
or handled by them as have been
herein described, and shall COM
mence to divest themselves of all
interests in firms, corporations and
associations dealing in any of the So
called unrelated commodities and
shall continue in good faith to dis
pose of said commodities and to di-
vest themselves of said interests as
rapidly as may be consistent with
the nature of the business and the
seasonal nature of the merchandise
involved, that, in fact, they shall
have completely disposed of said
commodities and completely Invested
themselves of these interests within
two years from the date of the entry
of this decree. The attorney general
may apply to the court at any time
within said two years to compel the
defendants or any of them to make
report to the court as to the prog
ress being made by defendants in
divesting themselves of said inter-
ests."
The corporations and individuals
against whom will be directed the
federal court decree under which the
big packers will conhne themselves
hereafter wholly to the meat and
provision business, follow:
Armour Defendants.
Armour defendants, corporations
and individuals:
Armour & Co. Qllinois), ]. Ogden Ar
mour Armour & Co. New Jersey,
Charles W. Armour; Armour & Co. (Ken-
tucky), A Watson Armour; Armour &
Co. (Texas), Laurence III. Armour; Ar
mour and Co, Ltd. Iousiana), Arthur
Meeker: Anglo American Provision com
pany Ullinois), R. J. Dunham; Colorado
Packing and Provision company Colo
rado), F. Edison White; Fowler Packing
HOlu to Make a Real