The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-02-13
MEAT PACKERS
MAY GET CONTROL
OF FOOD SUPPLY
Five Leading Firms Strangling
All Competition
TEN YEARS OUTSIDE LIMIT
Francis J. Heney, Former Counsel for
Federal Trade Commission. Gives
House Some interesting Facts.

Washington. Feb l2.-Francis ].
Heney, former counsel for the feder-
al trade commission, testifying today
before the House interstate ccm-
merce committee, declared that with
in ten years and probably within Ave
the FIVE leading meat packers would
control the entire food supply Of the
country and would be able to charge
any price they desire. Mr. IIeney
said the packers have extended their
activities in so many fields that
they had become Il menace TO the
country. They now control the
cheese. oleo-margarine and butter
markets, he said, and rapidly are Oh.
tanning monopoly Of large mum.
Der of other food products. Through
their large capital and their special
privi eyes, the witness declared, they
are able to smother competition"
Mr.. Heney said the packers receiy-
ed their first start toward domination
Of the food markets through rebates
granted by the railroads. This gave
them such an advantage over their
competitors, he'stated, that they soon
obtained control OF meats and meat
products. The second step taken by
the packers, he asserted, was the OBJ.
tanning OF special privileges from the
railroads for their refrigerator cars,
Intended originally for perishahle
meat prcducts alone.
The packers, MIR. lleney said. now
use refrigerator cars for perishable
and imperishable goods alike ana a;
such a great saving in money and IL
time Of deliveries as to destroy com
petition. As result he said,
wholesale grucers are being driven
out OF business.
Government ownership Of refrigere
tor cars and stockyaras was adyocat
I'd by Mr., Heney as the only means
Of placing The packers on an eeen
footing With possible competitors
and ne said that even this could no,
cure entirely the 'packer evil
Cold storage plans should be built
ny the government in all large cities
he said, so that small packers wou'd
have a means OF disposing OF their
products.
Government regulation of the in
iustry he characterized as inadvis
able because the regulated have q
habit of soon appointing the regula
,ors themselves He also said gov
srnment ownership OF the packing
plants or extensive licensing prob
ably would be unsucces sful
Testimony submitted by the pack
ers during the hearings was termed
by Mr. Heney as a virulent and un
Justified attack on the federal trade
commission. He said the packers
had made many misrepresentation
md directed particular attention tC
heir statement that they had not
Neen permitted TO state their side Of
The case during the commissions in
vestigation None Of the packers re
luested that he be heard at any time
The witness said.
Mr. Heney denied statements thai
the commission had made misuse o.
he packers correspondence files ant
that much of its evidence had beet
ecured from uniformed persons nj
lisgrintled employers of the pack
sr'.
Profits made by the packers from
rendering companies which they con
irol were termed "scandalous" b!
Mr. Heney. He said the Iowa Ren
lering company Sioux City, Iowa
made l2 per cent profit in one year
Ho declared that "the packers rol
he government of taxes and rob th'
people"