The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-11
FOOD CONTROL
BY big five"
PREDICTED IN
TRADE REPORT
Domination Of All Important
Foods in United States and
International Control OF
Meat Developing.
ILLEGALITY IS, CHARGED
(By Associated Press)

tBy Associated Press)
WASHINGTON. July 11.-An ap-
preaching packer domination Of all
important foods in the United States
and an international control Of meat
products with foreign companies
seems . certainty unless fundamental
action is taken to prevent II, the
federal trade commission declared to-
day in part in one Of its reports to
President Wilson on the extent and
growth OF power Of tho i've packers
in meat and other Industries"
"A fair consideration Of the course
the dve packers have followed and
the position they have already reach
ed" said the report. must lead to the
conclusion that they threaten the free
dom Of the market Of the country's
food industries and Of the byproduct
industries linked Herewith. The meat
packer control Of other foods will not
require long in developing"
Declaring "the history Of the pack
ers' growth is interviewer with ille-
gal combinations. rebates and with
undisclosed control OF corporation"
the report urged the importance Of
full publicity Of corporate ownership
for all industries.
"As TO devices for securing con-
troll. there does not exist adequate
law" the report said. I'm It's absence
Unfair competition may run it's course
to tho goal OF monopoly and accom-
piish the ruin Of competitors with
out the secret ownership being sus-
pccted and consequently without COM
plaint to tho commission or investi-
CATION OF facts. The competitor is in
jeopardy SO long as he has not the
knowledge Of true ownership and the
public is entitled to such knowledge"
Alleging that the big Ave" pack
ers--Swift & Co. Armour & Co.. VII.
con & Co, Morris & Co.. and the Gu.
dahy company--Jofntly or separately
weld controlling interest in 574 COM
pan!es, minority interest In 95 others.
and undetermined interest in 93--a
total Of 1852 companies and that they
produce or deal in some IT'S com
moLtties, largely food products. the
report gives this picture Of growing
packer Invasion into related and un.
!olttsd indus cries.
In addition to meat foods, they
produce or deal in such divers com
nlodities as fresh tomatoes and banjo
strings. leather and cottonseed OIL
breakfast foods. vintiz, curled hair
psps!n, and washing powders. Their
branch houses are not only stations
for tho distribution Of meat and poul
try. but take on the character OF
Wholesale grocery stores, dealers in
various kinds Of produce and jobbers
to special lines OF trade.
Dominate Production
They have interests large enough
n ha dOrip ting iDAuanco IN rnnat
Of the services connected with the
production and distribution OF anima-
foods and their by-products and are
reaching out for control, not only Of
substitutes Of animal foods but Of sub
stitutes for other lines into which the
4ntegration OF their business has lee
them. They are factors in catte-loar
companies, making the necessary loans
to growers and feeders OF livestock
are interested in railways and private
car lines transporting livestock anc
manufactured animal products; II
most OF the important stock yards
companies-thep public market for tht
bulk of food animals, and in live stool
trade papers on which growers ant
feeders rely for market news.
They are interested in banks from
which their competitor packing house!
borrow money; in companies supply
ing machinery, ice, salt. materials
boxes, etc. to themselves and thei
competitors; they are principal deal
ers on the provision exchanges wher'
future prices in standard cured anima
products are determined: they or thei
subsidiary companies deal in hides
oleo, fertilizer, material and othe
crude animal by-products, and them
selves carry the manufacture to ful
ther stage than most Of their compet1
tors.
They are important factors in tn
leather industry, in oleomargarine an
lard substitutes. in cottonseed oil. Il
fertilizer. in soaps, in glue, etc.
Vast Distributing System
Their vast distributing system
with the advantages arising from tn
control Of private cars, cold storage
and a network of branch houses. ha
enabled them to extend their activitie
on a large scale into poultry, egg:
cheese. butter, rice, breakfast food:
canned vegetables, soda fountain sui
plies, and other lines.
individuals of the Armour famil
are owners Of grain and elevator con
panies and ]. Ogden Armour is
prominent factor in the American IL
ternational corporation, with its shil
ping and shipbuilding interests, it
import and export companies in va
ious lines, its interest in compan
organized to develop cattle raising
meat packing, quebrache extract an
allied business in Paraguay. its col
troll of a large tea importing compan
ani sugar machinery corporation
and it's minority stock in the Unite
Fruit company.
Some Of Swift and companys su
salaries are growing tropical fruit
in Hawaii; a subsidiary of Wilson an
company has reached into the salmo
fisheries of Alaska, and Morris CO..
Germ cans shrimp taken in the water
of the Gulf Of Mexico.
I'm England, France, Italy, HOLLAND
and other European countries, lare
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