The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-10-17

| w dSIinBlOUt 'tIt IL -fNNiitItllUn VI
the claim that the five big packing
companies of Chicago bid fair to doni-
nate the wholesale grocery trade and
already handle more than 200 foods
unrelated to the meat packing indus
| try, many Of them directly competi-
tive as meat substitutes. is made in
! part Of the Federal Trade Commits.
sion's report ON the industry publish
ed today.
The extent to which the packer
should be permitted to enter unrelated
| food lines teven assuming legitimate
competitive methodist" the report said
is a matter which the public interest
alone should determine"
Two questions, primarily economic,
are involved:
Docs this widening of activity re
suit i'm additional economies Of pro
Guction ana distribution
Does it result and will it continue
to result to the public in lower prices
and better quality and service?
"a third question not here discus Sed
relates to the ultimate effect Of such
" 81 and powerful organizations on
the political and social fabric Of Am
erican Institutions"
Included in the list Of commodities
said to be falling under control of
the big five" are poultry and gam,
dairy products, lard and butter sub
sttutes, canned and dried vegetables )
and fruits, canned cured and lrczer
fresh. cocoa, coffee, molasseS and
4 oil
dition Armour & Company, one Of the
| five, is said to be handling extensivol ly
soda fountain preparations and utcn-
sils.
owing to the maze and secrecy of
! the packers methods OF conducting
much OF his business" it adds, "eVi"c
statistics on many of these commyli-
| ties are not available for the COuntrH
as a whole. which will show just how
far the packers control has reached
Companies manufacturing or haldiiuS
these commodities are controlled oY
packer interests. no hints of whicl are
disclosed by the names under Willn
they operate, and even Thorough
going examination may fail to IncoV-
or the packer connection in every
case"
Four Handled Half the Poultry
Four of the packers, Swift, wilson,
Armour and Cudahy. the report states
through their subsidiaries. and not in.
Guiding family controlled companies,
handled in 1918. 49.5 per cent Of the
estimated total of shipped dressed
poultry and SO per cent of shipped
eggs. The same four handled 69 per
cent of all factory made cheese in
1918, the report says, and adds
THAT the big five are in u posi-
ton TO control - to so per cent of
the cheese of the state Wisconsin, is
generally conceded
Libby, Mcneil & Libby, Swift con
Germ, alone handled 10.4 per cent of
all evaporated and condensed milk in
1918, according to the report.
The Armour Grain Company, 4 fac
tor i'm the cereal and breakfast food
business, reported surplus undivided
profits for the year 1917 of S5,426,S3O
after deducting a rs per cent dividend
on capital stock, the report says, add
ing:
THE years earnings amounted to
s290S.912, or 290 per cent on the capi-
tai stock and 67 per cent on the net
orth of the company, including CAPT
tai. surplus and undivided profits as
reported at the close of the fiscal year
1916"
Production of lard compounds and
substitutes by the five packers dur
ing the first six months of 1917 was
placed at 69.4 per cent of the total.
and oleomargarlne at 81 per cent.
Complete figures to show the packer