The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1919-08-28
EEADRICE BILL WILL
HURT STOCK INDUS
TRY SAY BIG PACKERS

Chicago. August 22.-Every man
Who feeds or raises livestock, no mat
ter how few head, win be Interested
in a statement which the Institute Of
American Meat Packers viii address
specifically To the Livestock Pro
dusers Of America
The Institute is a national body, in
oludtng among its members tho five
big packers at Chicago. as well as
over hundred smaller concerns,
This will be issued in reply to
United States Senator Kendriek'
statement giving his reasons why his
bill should be passed.
The statement 10 the producers,
which is nov in preparation, wlll say
in part:
You should realize that the organ
lied propaganda against the packers
for which Senator Kendrick is parity
responsible, Injuries the livestock in
dustry II not only has caused Amer
cans to eat less meat but it also has
affected England's desire to buy meat
from us. thereby curtajlng our ex
port mlrket ana lessen !ng ths de
m rEr your products.
The Senator's PRINCIPAL reason fer
favoring legislation Is that sin 20 Tee
packers have become large and n2-
tional in scope. they must be con
trolled by the Government Ii this
principle is establish el for the pack
ing industry, there is no reason why
il should not Be extended to other ln-
dustries There are other corpora
tions that are national in character
and if we keep on in this direction.
We shall have half the people control
ling and managing the business Of
the other half 1t would be step
toward Socialism.
Consider our experience in gov
ernment interference with the rail-
roads and telegraph If our credit
were injured, as in the case OF the
railroads, we could not borrow money
to keep our plants going and TO pay
you cash for your animals.
THE Senator does not mention a
single evil that needs to be remedied
by legislation.
THE most dangerous feature OF
Senator Hendricks bill is the provis-
ion that packers engaged in .intei'
state commerce can continue in then
business only by taking out a license
The Secretary Of Agriculture has the
power to grant, suspend or revoke
such licenses practically at his own
whim. This is step in the direction
of Government ownership, 1t would
mean a paternalstic control of bust
ness by inexperienced and theoretical
men in Washington.
"All this could mean nothing but
lower efficiency and higher cost
which would result in lower price
for livestock as compared with the
price we could get for meat.
"You know perfectly well that il
this license system is adopted there
will be all kinds of ridiculous and ex-
pensive regulations. This not only
will increase the cost OF running the
Government, for which the taxpayer
will have to pay, but also will in
crease the cost of handling livestock
and cattle. Just think of the rail
roads again.
Remember also that this proposed
legislation is based largely on the re-
port OF the Federal Trade Commls
sion. Although the Commission
hates to make this admission, ii dis
covered two vital things; First, that
the packing industry is conducted
with the highest degree of efficiency
secondly, that it operates at only
fraction OF a cent profit per pound
so that the packers profits could D'
eliminated without noticeably AFFECT
ing the price Of livestock. Our book
have been checked by the Fedora
Trade Comm ssion and the Food Ad
ministration. They are also suolec
to audit in connection with the III
come tax. Therefore, anyone Wit
continues to question the amount 0
our profits either does not know tn
facts or " llfully juggles them. Tn
volume Of our business enables US .
operate or such a small profit,
THE III also aims TO deprive =
Of our refrigerator cars and stocI
yards. There is no guarantee tina
the purchasers Of the stock yard
will know anything about them 0
will continue to render good service
This will mean poorer handling G
your stock, more delay in unioadin
and weighing situation greatly t
your disadvantage.
I'VE can not buy live animals ur
less we have refrigerator cars j
which to ship the meats to easter
markets. We had to build our ow
refrigerator cars because the raj
roads would not furnish them. W
hardly have enough cars Of our ow