The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-21
PACKER CONTROL
BILL ATTACKED
AS ''ST|FL|NC''
Kenyon Says Public Will Suf-
fer if Big Five is Under u. S.
Control.
(By Associated Press)

"AOf1lNI1ON Aug. Ill All AZ |
tack on governmental tendency to-
ward assuming control of business
enterprises with especial reference to
proposed legislation for supervision of
the packing industry was made today
by Senator Fernald of Maine, speaking
and Kendrick bills of the packer reg
ulation now under discussion as ex-
amples of sitting. throttling legisla-
tion." he declared his opposition to
them, said they were extensions OF
the policy which had failed in the
transportation and communication in
dustries. and predicted that the public
would suffer from higher costs and
poorer service should they be enacted.
II cannot believe the senate of the
United States feels after the expert
ence we have had with government
control of railroads, telegraph and
telephone lines, that the policy should
be continued" Senator Fernald said.
1T would certainly lead to chaos and
commercial bankruptcy. In behalf of
the business men of the country, those
who have had as much to do with
making our country great as any
other class of citizens, l want to pro-
test here and now against this pro-
posed legislation. 1t is filled with
danger to our institutions, and our
system Of government. 1t is socialis-
tic, 1t Is un-American and it should be
defeated"
Urges Economy Need.
Defending the packers, Senator Fer
nald said their business had to be
conducted in large units in order to
be economical. Their development of
refrigerator cars and ownership of
stockyards, like their utilization Of
animal by-products, constituted valu.
able service.
zone of the most notable results
OF by-product utilization is the fact
that all the meat from steer can be
sold by the packers for much less
than he pays for the live animal"
Senator Fernald said. "Swift & COM
pany in 1918 paid on an average $9270
head for cattle and sold the meat
for $81.45 head. For by-products
$220S a head was received. Thus
$10.S1 covered the expenses and the
profit on each head and figures show
| the profit per head was only $1.o2
ITO my way of thinking the discov-
cry made by the packers that by
RAO0ASSS~ 1A6AI "a . -SAI0Wh away COul0
be utilized is one of the great achieve
ments Of modern times. When the
proposition to curb the packing indus
try Is viewed in its proper light think
| 1t will be found that the present Or
ganiZation of the industry really
| meets the needs Of the situation in
this country and results in efficiency"
He attacked the Federal trade COM
mission for questionable methods" in
its investigation and report on the
packers and said that it had very
| largely lost sight of it's function to
aid and guide business.
Unfair Methods Claimed.
"The commission" asserted the SEN
ator, failed to get any evidence of
combination. 1t is only by unfair
methods, by misinterpretation and
misstatement of facts that it was able
| to come to the conclusion that there
| is combination in restraint Of trade
The report, so far as have been able
to investigate it, contains no evidence
of monopoly. I am reliably Informed
that the commission in some instances
actually used only such parts of tele.
grams taken from. the les of the
packers, as appeared to bear out its
case, omitting items from the same
telegram which were not useful evi
dence to the committee.
$50 here we have an agency OF
the government, constituting itself
mainly as a prosecuting body, losing
sight very largely of its function in
the aid and guidance of business. The
federal trade commission, in place OF
cooperating and being of some as
sistance has, and is now, badgering
harrying and heckling American bus
mess interests.
''If there is any unfair competition
or monopoly or any practices in trad
ing that are not on the square, the
Clayton antitrust law and the federal
trade commission laws give ample
power to suppress such illegal opera
tons"
Complaints of wholesale grocers
that the packers were entering their
field in the sale of perishable foods
he classified as unjustified, with the
remark that the same complaint nigh,
be made against the grocers for hand
ling drugs, hardware, and other goods
out of their line.
"It is unthinkable that congress
shouldgive the government power tc
say" he asserted on this point, "wha1
prOductS concern may or may no.
handle, as it would be able to do un
der proposed legislation. Instead O.
attempting to make big business lit
tie, let us all pull together to make
little business big. Remove the shac
kles some men are attempting to place
on business interests of the country
Give them a fair field. Let eacl
work out in his own way the grea
industrial problems before U.s."
MASKED BANDITS