Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-01-22
MEAT CENTRAL /
STATION IS ].
6. ARMOUR PLAN
Packer Thinks Control Of
Meat Animal Shipments
Should be Centralized.

for the second day before the house
interstate commerce committees, >.
Ogden Armour, president Of Armour
and company, was questioned furtner
today by members of the committee
as to operations of the me3t packing
ing a hearing in connection with the
bill proposing government regulation
of the industry.
Establishment of central agency
to control shipments of meat animals
to market was advocated by Mr.. Ar
mour, as means of stabilizing prices
and preventing gluts in the market.
He said, however, that supply was not
the only factor in fixing the market
for livestock, which depended also on
the fuctuating demand for meat.
Replying to Representative Ste
phens of Nebraska, Mr.. Armour said
the consumer could protect himself
in measure against high prices by
the producer of livestock, like the
packer had to take whatever the
market was paying at the time Me
sold. i. ~
I'VE are much interested in main-
tanning reasonable price, much
more so than in having a price too
high to discourage the eating Of meat,
or too low to prevent the raising of
CATTLE" Mr.. Armour said.
us there any way that fat cattle
can be sold at price based on pro-
duction costs?" Mr.. Stephens asked.
1--WE would welcome heartily any
arrangement that! would accomplish
that" the witness said.
You might do away with the glut
on the market by establishing a CEN
trail agency to regulate shipments.
The food administration has estab-
lished a zone system at Chicago.
working through the railroads, which
had operated fairly WE'LL
IF there was a little more liberal
thought in the treatment of the pack
ers it would be one hundred times
better for the general public. The
packers have been afraid even to talk
together because of charges of col
lusion. There ought to be some way
for the packers, producers and con-
sumers to get together for the ad-
vantage of each"
II also think there ought to be
some thought of arrangement to pro-
tect all,'' said Mr.. stephens.
Bringing out that the $15;000,000
earnings shown in Armour,s annual
statemant@d,d not include $500, ,ooo
profits, Mr.. stephens asked
Then you are passing that on to
the consumerW 4, "
''That may be so." Mr.. Armour re.
piled. l
Representative Hamilton Of Michi.
gan ATTEMPTED to develop the posi-.
BILE effect on the packers of the food
relief appropriation of 100000, ,00C
requested by President Wilson.
"Thev saw that the fund will enah1e
the packers to sell in southeastern
Europe a great surplus of salt pork
which has been accumulated in Eng
land and which the people there won
eat now that the war crisis is past,
Mr. Hamilton said. &t
ers perhaps had larger stocks of sal
pork than ordinarily, but he though
there was going to be a, demand fol
it. .-s
Questions as to the effect on price.
here Of the removal of the duty or
hides caused a tilt between Mr.. Ham
ilton and Representative Dewalt o.
: can members were trying to drag II
the tariff. Mr.. Armour said he die
not know what the effect had been
Asked as to the Armour ADVERTISING
campaign, the witness replied that i
had been necessary to dos great dea
more advertising than usuaH "sinc'
the federal trade commission started
its crusade or whatever you call i
against the packers. He said the pack
ers had to inform the public Of theil
side Of the question because they hat
no chance until now to make othel
reply to the commissions charges X
Mr.. Armour's statement yesterda!
that the bill pending to license tn
packing industry and to permit tn,
!. government to take over the stock
yards and refrigerator cars was un
constitutional, was touched on by Rep
resentative Hamilton The witness
said he thought the bill was so 'rtdic
ulous" that he had not intended t
go into detail regarding It, but tha
his counsel would give the constitu
tionai objections II the COMMITTEE
desired. 49,. - 80