The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-24
CONTROL BY FOOD ADMINISTRATION
 STILL NECESSARY
 DECLARES SWIFT I
Wonderful Things Accom- plished by Hoover, Both for Producer and Con- sumer, He Tells House
 I. C. C. Committee
By Associated Press

Washington, January 23. Louis F. Swift, preident of Swift & Co.,, told the House in- terstate commerce committee today that the food administra- ton in stabilizing the live stock market had accomplished "wonderful things both for the producer and the consumer, and that its control was needed now as much as ever.
 'This is a critical time and every body is loaded up with meat" said MT. Swift. we haven't had many ship ments. The only possible way to have made shipments abroad as we did was through food administration control.'
 The witness declared that line Of 1-cent a pound in the pork market would mean a loss Of s2,5o0,o00 to his firm on the great amount of meat it had prepared for the world. He ex- pressed belief that with government control continued prices would be high for some months, but then probably would decline.
 The bill before the committee 10 license packing plants and permit the government to take over adjunctS. such as stock yards, market newspa- pers and refrigerator cars, was op- posed by MT. Swift as class legislation and certain to be hurtful to the gen. eral public by crippling the indus try.
 SUPERVISION ADVOCATED
 Government supervision throus full success to the pockers,' through advocated by him as a Hess danger ous'' method of procedure.
 The primary desire of Swift & Co, was declared to be efficient service in the stock yards and readiness was eN- pressed to sell the firms interests in various yards if present standards If opera tions could be maintained.
 Regarding the federal trade commis- . sion's allegation that packer owner ship of refrigerator cars prevents the small packers from competing with the big firms, MT. Swift suggested that einstead of taking the cars away from the big firms, the government or rail roads should build 5000 cars and let \ the all packers use them. He said refrigerator cars were losing invest ment to his firm, which maintained ! them only to assure efficient service. The same suggestion was made regard Hing branch houses. 4 Charges of collusion by the federal trade commission were denied by M". Swift. He said there were cases in (which his firm had co-operated with { other packers in the joint ownership of general facilities, where such faci;- ities did nbt exist or were imperfect, fsnd that the cooperation in no way iextended to the control of prices or zs,shipments.
 Ff 25,o00 STOCkHOLDERS Af Mir. Swift said there was 25,O00 Stockholders in Swift & Co. and that Mlhis family did not own a majority of x the stock. The witness said his sal 3.Sry was $50,000 a year, and that lis bur brothers, all practical meat pack k eIrs, draw from s25,000 to s35,000 each. sS Keen competition between the five Xog packers was declared to exist and MM.. Swift said this apparently was a sgood time for new firms to enter the ASy,usiness. He said he never before knew siof so many new plants under construc- tion.
 M The only other witness of the day |Iwas Levy Mayer, counsel for Armour S&s Co., who told the committee why he sthought the pending bill unconstitu- 'S tional MT. Mayors testimony devcl- method of Investigating sFthe packing industry. He said none of A the packing firms were allowed to pre- Sssent testimony or question witnesses. T MT Swift will resume the stand to-