The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-10-02
AND
DEPARTMENT STORIES
PACKERS.

The whole complaint against the
packers 80 far seems TO be that they
are too efficient and the main kick
is from the Wholesale grocers who
claim the packers enter their fields
and undersell them.
This Is a queer complaint In an in
yestigation supposed to be for the
purpose OF reducing the cost OF liv-
ing. Commissioner Culver OF the
Federal Trade Commission In his tes-
timony says:
when the packers have found
their customers buying something
BESIDES the meat they have to sell. or
its by-products, they have gradually
commenced TO get into the business
OF supplying the other things.
when they have themselves been
large buyers OF a given commodity
they have gotten into the production
OF that article. and gone into compe-
tition with their former purveyors.
when they have found a sub
stance which has become to some ex-
tent a substitute for meat products.
they have gone into the business OF
making and selling that substance.
Suppose they put the wholesaler
out OF business" Senator Kenyon
asked. "and sell products cheaper to
the consumer and develop efficiency
of supply, is that not a sound econ
omic principle which Is being worked
oatY"
"Their utilization of every possible
animal product and byproduct." he
said, ARE economic and desirable
activities"
Is a. al tx.,
tending their business into different
fields and underselling competitors
have made a lot OF enemies who are
after their scalp on the ground they
are too big.
The fact that there is such keen
competition between packers and
wholesalers would seem to give the
lie to the statement that packers
have eliminated competition.
The people Of this country are in
terested In just two things relative to
the big packers.
First do they constitute trust
In restraint OF trade? Second. are
they food hoarders and profiteers?
In either of these two cases we have
laws to punish them and II they are
guilty they should be punished.
But the idea of putting private In
dustry on the rack and passing laws
placing II under political dictation
simply because II is big, is dan
gerous precedent to establish in a
free country.
No one has as yet suggested doing
away with department stores and yet
large department store Is an exactly
similar institution to one of the large
packers. In theory the modern de-
partment ought to run all other
stores ir the town out of business but
II does not. II seems TO make more
business. The wholesaler dislike the
departement stores for the same rea-
son they do the packers be
cause the big stores and the
biz packers buy and sell direct and
can undersell the wholesaler who Is
ness and the people profit by H.
the middleman. This is simply bust
IL the packers are going to be reg
ulated merely because they are big
and sell too many commodities II will
be only another step until the de-
partment stores are regulated on the
Same ground as they will be Just az
much public utilities as the packers.
IL being able TO undersell competi-
tors through enlargement and off
cheney OF u business, has become u
crime, the chief end of proposed reg
ulation would apparently be to do
away with keen competition, thus
forcing up prices.
NORTH DAKOTA SOCIALISM EN-
PENSlVE.
Frank T.. Packard, assistant attor-
ney general of North Dakota, shows
how the North Dakota farmers will
pay for the Non-Partisan League so
eialistic schemes:
Average taxes paid
on quarter section
OF North Dakota
farm land, l91S....$ 35.07
Average taxes TO be
collected this year,
1919, on quarter
section of farm land 5992
Increased cost TO
farmers per l60
acres of farm land 24.S5
Total assessed valua-
ton of North Da-
kota property for
Raised by the Non
Partisan League Of
GERS for 1913 to-. 1900, ,OOO,OoO.OO
Assessed valuation #
farm lands, town
and city lots under
the Non-PartisGu
scheme -. 100000, 100000
lr.rease valuation
placed on farm
land, per cent 100
Proportion OF gs
sessed value against
farm lands, town
and city let Ger
cent .... 67
T,txos levied for tte
purposes in loto... 1000, 100000
Taxes levied 70 state
purposes in 1919. 1000, 100000