Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1919-07-18
FOOD CORNER BY
PACKERS CHARGED
Federal Trade Commission Hits
the big FNe' Crowd.
DEAL IN IT'S COMMODITIES
Report Declares Coterie Plans to DOM
mate the Worlds Trade-lnter-
ested in Banks, Factories and
Various Other Institutions.


Ing packer domination OF all important
foods in the United States and an in
ternational control of meat products
with foreign companies seems q GER
tainty unless fundamental action is
taken to prevent it, the federal trade
commission declared in part one of it's
report to President Wilson on the ''ex-
tent and growth of power of the five
packers in meat and other industries"
"a fair consideration of the course
the five packers have followed and the
position they have already reached"
said the report, must lead to the con-
cluSion that they threaten the freedom
of the market of the country's food
Industries and of the by-product of the
industries linked Herewith. The meat
packer control of other foods will not
require long in developing"
Urges Full Publicity.
Declaring "the history of the pack
ers' growth is interviewer with illegal
commissions, rebates and. with undis-
closed control of corporations, the re-
licity of corporate ownership for all
industries.
Alleging that the "big five" pack
ers-Swift & Co., Armour & Co., Will
son & Co., Morris & Co. and the Cud-
ahy company-jointly or separately
WELD controlling interest in STA COM
panies, minority interest in 90 others,
and undetermined interest in Ga to-
tai of 1852 companies-and that they
produce or deal in some IT'S commodi-
ties, largely food products, the report
gives this picture of growing packer
invasion into related and unrelated in
GustrieS:
"In addition to meat foods they pro-
duce or deal in such divers commodi-
ties as fresh tomatoes and banjo
strings, leather and cottonseed Oil, etc.
''They have interests large enough to
be dominating influence in most of
the services connected with the pro-
duction and distribution of animal
foods and their by-products, and are
reaching out for control not only Of
substitutes for animal foods but Of
substitutes for other lines into which
the indignation of the business has led
them. They are factors in cattle loan
companies, making the necessary loans
to growers and feeders of live stock;
are interested in railways and private
car lines transporting live stock and
manufactured animal products; in
most of the important St5ckyards COM
panieS-the public market for the bulk
of food animals, and in live stock trade
papers on which growers and feeders
rely for market news.
"They are interested in banks from
which their competitors packing
houses borrow money; in companies
supplying machinery, ice, salt, materi-
ais, boxes, ETC., to themselves and their
competitors they are principal dealers
on the provision exchanges, where flu
tu,e prices in standard-cured animal
products are determined"
Activities Are Extended.
"Their vast distributing system, with
the advantages arising from the con-
troll of private cars, cold storage and a
network of branch houses has enabled
them to extend their activities on q
large scale into poultry, eggs cheese,
butter, rice, breakfast foods. canned
vegetables, soda fountain supplies and
other lines.
"Some Of Swift & Co.'s subsidiaries
are growing tropical fruits in Hawaii;
q subsidiary of Wilson & Co.. Inc.
has reached into the salmon fisheries
of Alaska, and a Morris concern cans
shrimp taken in the waters of the Gulf
OF Mexico.
"The big five, the report said, have
control of or interest in public utility
corporations in Sioux City, Kansas
City, South st. Paul, Portland, Ore,
San Francisco, South st. Joseph, Mo-,
Hill City, Mimi, Fort Worth, Tex,
and Chicago.
AS to financial power. the report
said in part:
1.-THE packer has drawn to marked
degree upon the banks of the country
for liquid funds. To assure himself
loans ample to his purpose, the big
packer has secured affiliation through
stock ownership, representation of di-
rectorate and in other ways, with nu-
merous banks and trust companies.
Mr.. Armour. Mr.. Swift, Mr.. Morris and
Mr.. Wilson are directors in banks
affiliated closely with those who are
strong at the source of credit In the
United States. Being thus allied with
the powerful interests at the sources
of credit, the packers power is great,
not only for financing their own ma
tional and international operations,
but for affecting, for good or for Ill,
the credit of cattle producers and Of
or customers in any line.
After reviewing the interest of the
packers in the leather, fertilizer, cot
tonseed oil, grain and breakfast food
the report said:
"The reason why the packers are
seeking control of substitutes for
meat-the foods that compete with
obvious. If the price of SUBJ
stitutes for meats are once brought
under hacker control. the consumer