The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-07-12

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II you write to Korein Co, HL.69, Station
New York. Show others this advertiser
Of Honolulu, engaged in raising and can
ming pincapplcs; l00 percent Of the Ahui-
manu- Pineapple u Ranch Co; 100 per
cent of the Thomas Pineapple" Co.; ana
80 percent of the SlatSon x Ellison Co,
engaged in canning.
likewise entered the manufacturing
phase OF the canning field through &C.
quircment OF ownership or control OF
canning companies.
Both canned salmon and other canned
fish, as well as dried and salt ftsh-tore-
most meat subStitutes-arc handled by
Swift and Armour through their branch
house system. "
Recently the big packers began deal
ing in various staple groceries and veg
ctabcs such rs rice. potatoes, Deans.
and coffee, and increased their sales at
such Il rate that in certain lines thcy
have become factors OF great nomcnI;
Here again tho selling organization or
the packers. built up in connection win
their meat business, assures them al.
most certain supremacy In any Inc OF
food handling which they may wish TO
enter.
"Armour's drive into the rice market
In single year lS perhaps tho most
striking instance OF their potent la!ltics
In this direction. Early IN l9l'. Armour
& co. first undertook the banding OF
rice. and in that one year sold more than
Ii. 900. 900 pounds OF rice thus becoming
al single move, on the statement OF
the vicc-prCsidcnt of the company. me
greatest rice merchant i'm the world.
During this period the wholesale price
of rice increased SO percent.
Even the oldest and most strongly
established wholcSaling houses find that
line after line Of their mrrchand'sc IS
being absorbed by. the packers. Dranch
croachcd on the handling of butter. eggs
and cheese, then ON canned goods. ana
on various kinds of package goods ana
now arc handling Increasing quantities
OF rice. coffee and other staples.
I'm 1911 the Big Elves combined EalcS
Of meats and all other commodities ~
tailed $2,l27. $4,000; in 1918 they "ere
Big Five Dominance.
The Big Five i'll 1915. according TO
Commission figures. slaughtered ~
percent Of all cattle slaughtered by IN m,
tcrstatc Slaghtcr"rs; Sol percent OF AL
sheep: 100 percent OF ali calves; anu
6l.2 percent of swine.
AS to both cattle and sheep" the TO-
port states, the percentage or control
by these Ave concerns constitutes mon
Upolistic position, considering the mar
mony with which tho five work together
in.thcir purchase Of animals and the cN-
tcnsivcncss of their distributing syS--
TENS. These combined percentages of
control indicate Il potential degree CT IN
tiucncc over tho price paid Ia the produc-
! or and over the price paid by the con-
sumner, sufficient. If exercised. TO ar-
count for n lnrG" share OF the suspicious
and complain ts that have arisen over the
meat industry"
The explanation Of ths 6l.2 percent
slaughter Of hogs lies the report points
out. in the nature Of the products. tn"
ADVANTAGE Of the lug packer Ia utilize
hy-products most efficiently has less
scope III hog slaughter h"caus" only
some ten p"rC. of the liN" hog goes
to hy-productS as against 20 percent or
cattle. Also. the Ing packers lose the
special advantage OF their highly dc!cI-
uprd Refrigeration and private car-lnc
systems, since cured hog products do not
require refrigeration in shipping. For
these reasons, the report stated. nearly
all the independent interstate slaughter
crs conhnc their Interstate trade TO cured
hog products: and in fresh meats do
principally a local business.
Including besides all interstate
slaughtcrcrs all wholesale local or in
tcrstatc slaughtcr"rs. IN" Big Five per.
crntagcs of slaughter in numbers OF
head are: cattle, 40; sheep, 1885, calves,
60: swine. 500.
THE ability of the large packers To
undcrsell the small SlauGhtcrrr locally"
says the report, lis potent weapon.
even II unused. tn keep him from under
taking any aggressive campaign Ia in
crease his business. The branch houses
and 'pcddlcr car routes of the Chicago
Packers cover the country with such a
network that the local slaughtcrrr real
lies that he cannot maintain hImSt {
against their distributing system il he
should attract their unfav"rthlc alien
ton by aEgrcSSlNcly trying To Increase
! his volume Of business. The local pack
or though able To compete in tn" local
market. fears I" exert his fall powers.
His strong tendency is to come in under
the umbrrllH' al hIE packer prices and In
content himself with Il modest Shlr" Uf
the nearby business. Evidence on this
point and on competitive conditions gen.
orally is gwen in other parts Of The re
port"
AvcraG" monthly holdings of r.on-pcr'
tShablc meats during 1916. N" Report
shows, wcr" for tn" Rig fiv" rs II INST
nll other interstate SlauThtrr"rs; of fr"z--
en- beef. $50 percent: smoked ham md
bacon. Gil percent: dry salt pork. - \;
picked pork, 7o.5; total meals from
Tho Big Five control Of Interstate
slaughter at tho - great packing c'u,"ra
Chicago. Kansas city. 0nInha. ST l."u-
is. New York city. ST. joseph. I'rt
| Worth, st. Paul. SIOUX city. Oklahoma
city. Denver and Wichita-was during
1916, 94.4 percent Of Catil"; H9.l calves :
94.3 sheep and lambs: and 81 swine.
I'm the Chicago marketing largest
in tho country--thc Rig flN" SIau- inter
ST. percent of all cattle *lauSht' red
there for intCr$tat" commerce; 93.b per
cent Of calves; gG.5 sheep and lambs: and
67.3 swine" the report states. In the
remaining II cities they have "Ib per
cent Of the total cattle slaughter.
Big Pive Control Stcckyar
Receipts az live animals II %t"CkHnrds
controlled by the IlE FIV" packers. in
Guiding Chiragu as dominated. as against
receipts at Independently ""ntr"ll"j
yards during 1916. were IN the following
percentages: Of cattle. SS.l. sheep. -. / /;
calves. ISIS: swine. Ti.i: horses AMI
mules SIC; total all animals. 80.
The Big Five on December II. 1917
owned ~ percent Of the $500 r"trlK"r-
aIur ears owned hy lui"rSiat" slaughter
rrs: 20 percent Of the ~ N"ntIlator
rarS-us"d principally in frult and NrEr
tail" trauiC--anG % percent of tii" ~
~ total refrigerator ears ~ interstate.
SlauEhlcrcrS.
OF all refrigerator cars in III" United
States. the Biz I'IN" owned ~ percent
Uf beef cars. other interstate slaushtr or
crS ! prC"nt. prIvat" car companies, >
CrS : percent, priVat" car companies, ,
yrntIlarur cars. other Interstate Slnugh-
trrcrs ! percent. privat" car Compini IS.
Il percent. and ruilrOud interests. So per-
cent.
Tho Big Five packers in 1916 had |, 120
branch houses throughout the United