Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-01-20
FOOD PR0F|TEERS
SCORED BY B0RAH
Senator Demands That Packers
and Others Give Up Ill
Gotten, Gains.
RAPS FOOD ADMINISTRATION
Declares That Dollar-a-Year Men
Served Interests Better Than
They Did Public.

WASHINGTON. January ls.-prcs-
sure must be brought by every organ
ization, every group and class of citi-
zens and every grea; institution,
whether 1t be q privately owned news
paper or civic controlled body, to
force the three great food industries
OF the United States to disgorgc their
pie during the stress Of war, declared
senator William A. Borah, Of Idaho,
in an interview
Senator Borah has been conducting
private inquiry into the activities
OF the grocery brokers. the meat pack
ers and the sugar combination for more
than a month. He has collected many
startling Facts. and plans 10 place them
before the country in an effort TO
show th2.; drastic Legislation must
come soon II huge postwar taxation is
to be avoided.
DIsCLoSES THE PROFITS
MADE BY PACKERS
II have no desire 10 be sensational"
said Eorah in discussing 1he s!tua-
tion to-day. have no desire 20 raise
lest people Will say | am exaggcrating
that / know that am conservative in
my statements. Blu: this l can freely
say-through their relations with the
the United States control and dominate
the food supply OF the United States.
Ana they are making immense prois s.
Here are the figures OF the five great
Will place them before Congress: 1912,
sls.7lS,00o; 1913, s2o2l7 900; 1915 .2e.,
10000; 1915. s4O,o52.ooO; 1916. $780,.
$4,000: 1917. sso.639, 900.
II is true that the packers Industry
has been expanded end that they have
oeen investing additional money in
plants, but no one can say tha. in
hvc years concern can show an in
crease OF five times in its profits
without some one being gouged
QUOTES FIGURES SHOWING
PROFITS OF ARMOUR & CO,
Here re the figures on Armour g.
Co.'S profits on capital and surplus in
the same period. These figures are
given me by one OF their own ac-
countants who confesscs that eyerv-
thing Is done by the company to CON
ceal profits and who saye shat his
fgures are. in his belief minimum and
not max ximun: 1912. 35.Ioe.000. per
Gent; . lsls. S6.l6s.ooo. 81 per cent; 1914.
goo, e1u.2 per cent: 1916. s22,S4o, 600. 1s.a
~peE-~s,es s---ls17: s27,lST 900. ts.S per
THOUSANDS ARE STARVING,
INCLUDING MANY CHILDREN
AZ this time there are tiousa ntls
OF our own people in this country who
are starving. At .his time. according to
wen il-authenticated press dispatches.
hundreds Of thousands of children in
new York and Chicago and other great
for want OF clothes. bu; are actually
dying for want OF food. Mothers arc
committing suicide because they can
NOT respond 10 the lips that arc beg
Eins Tor food. Yet. in the face OF
this. i: is fact. over the signature
or the meat. packers themselves that
their profits. under the food adminis-
tration OF this country as conducted
by Mt Hoover. amount TO all the
way from 20 to 40 per cen; for the
last two years.
The trouble with the history of our
lood administration in this country is
that we have permitted men 10 be in
charge. who. By training and environ :.
Grafton OF the taxpayer. the ultimate
consumer. They have taken the line
or leRs: resistance, they have dependsd
upon the representatives of the food
trusts 10 say what should be charged
for food.
BITTER DESUNCIATIOS OF
s1-A-YEAR FOOD CONTROLLER
Il don't care who the man is: II he
is paid 10000 a year salary by the
packers and comes down to Washing
ton to work for the people Of the
United States for 81 q year he gives
the former $4,000 worth Of consider
alton and he gives the taxpayer, which
means you or me, JUS: about 81 worth.
our highest courts are made up OF
men whose integrity, IL unquestioned,
Will not let man pass upon a case
in which he has ever been Interested
directly or indirectly
Enormous profits, scandalous profits
have been made in food in this coun-
try, and ii Is high time tha. every
thinking man OF the country stood up
and called for an accounting and for
the repayment of the blood money for
that is what 1t is that has been taken
from our people by greedy schemers
who have no thought OF anything in
this world but the accumulation Of
money"
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