The daily banner., 1919-02-06
SAYS PACKERS
B0SSED HOOVER
Ey-u. S. Official Declares They
f2:,a HieaI department.
QUICKLY WON EOOVEEj
The OofIar-a-Year Men Served Meat
Baro.s in Many Departments OF
Food Administration.

WashimGtun. Es.D. G.-Edward c. La
safer, 1uli,t;'r chief of the livestock
and mdrl;:..s : division Of tie food aG-
ministrttion, conf Nued MS attack on
the food aUnll, >:ratiOn before the
house Interstate commerce committee.
asserting that the nnlicieS of Admins
traitor Hoover had been determined
for him by the five leading meat pack
ers ans; carried o:t by employees OF
the packers serving the government
for 81 i year.
"N'ltil Mr. Hoover took the o1tlc"
he assumed the responsibility Of rep
reSen;ing all interests" Mr.. LaSater
said. but he never did. He protected
the milling Interests. the packing IN
irr;s.s and the compound feed inter-
es.S. but he dSre @arded entirely the
interests of the producer and the con-
Sumer. 1t would be difficult to esti-
mate how much the country has lost
as ii result
Mr.. LaSater said Mr. Hoover told
him shortly after taking Office, that he
would not invite Il single packer 10
sit at his counsel table, because
every one of them had reputation
which stunk to heaven"
s'But within three weeks of that
time" said the witness, Mr.. Hoover
arranged for having the packers take
sole charge of the meat end Of the de-
partment. Influence had been brought
To bear so heavily in the meantime
that Mr.. Hoover decided to disregard
The packers odOr."
Mr. LaSater testified that from that
time the packers had voice to de-
;ermine all policies OF the food adj
n.nistration. in 50 far as the neai
Industry was concerned. He said that
j. r. Cotton. described by him as a
packer lawyer Of New York" was
placed in charge of the meat division
and Harry A. Wheeler, "a packer
banker of Chicago" was appointed to
sit with the packers at their meet
ingS
"Dollar-a-year men In the pay of the
packers served the food administra-
tion in many departments" Mr. la
which was not known of and approved
by the packers Before the packers
influence began to be felt. Mr.. LaSater
said, he received as head of the live
stock markets division, numerous tele-
grams and letters relating to the in
dustry, but that later these went to
different hands.
Mr.. Lasater asserted there had been
an agreement between the packers
and the food administration to pay
the lowest possible prices for live
stock, and that the producers had
been disregarded because they lacked
the necessary power to demand fair
play.
"Mr. Hoover desired that the allies
be supplied as cheaply as possible"
said the witness, 'but the reductions
in cost were taken out of the pro
ducers' pockets and none other"
Mr.. Lasater recommended that as
first step toward government-reg-
ulated monopoly of the meat industry.
he government acquire control of all
stock cars, stockyards and refrigerat-
or cars, and that the number Of dis
tribution centers be greatly increas-
ed
Letters read at the senate agricul-
sure committees hearing on meat i'll
,lustry legislation disclosed that Pres
dent Wilson made a personal investi-
ration last February Of protests
against the federal trade commissions
conduct of its packing inquiry, and
informed Louis F. Swift that he was
convinced that "there would be no
warrant for interfering with the judg,
.-a. and action of the commission.