The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-07-18

allied businesses in Paraguay, its
control of large tea importing
company and sugar machinery COR
poration, and its minority stock in
the United Fruit company. Some of
Swift &. Co.'S subsidiaries are grow
ing tropical fruits in Hawaii; sub
sidiary of Wilson & Co., Inc, has
reached into the Salmon fisheries OF
Alaska, and Morris concern cans
shrimp taken in the waters of the
Gulf Of Mexico. Cattle brought from
Central America are slaughtered by
or for some of the big packers at
Mobile and Jacksonville. In Eng
land, France. Italy, Holland and 9TH
er European countries large meat
distributing companies have been or
ganized by the packers to sell the
meats from their plants in the United
States, Argentina, Uruguay, Para
quay. Brazil. and Australia"
The Big Five, the report shows,
have control of or interest in public
utility corporations in Sioux City,
Kansas City, South st. Paul, Port
land, Ore, South San Francisco,
South st. Joseph, Mo-, Hill City,
Mimi, Forth Worth, Tex, and Chi
cago.
"As to financial power. the report
in part says: "The packer has drawn
to a marked degree upon the banks
Of the country for liquid funds !.
he could not operate on the scale he
does without the very large loans
furnished by the banks. To assure
himself loans ample to his purpose,
the big packer has secured utilization
through stock ownership, represen-
tation on directorates, and in other
ways, with numeruos banks and trust
companies. Mr. Armour, Mr.. Swiss,
Mr. Morris and Mr.. Wilson are d.
rectors in banks affiliated closely
with those who are strong at the
sources 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
competitors or customers In any
line, t.
The Big Five In the Leather Indus
I: s try. -..'
The packer invasion of the leather
industry is shown in the report to
have reached the following point
the close of 1917: Armour, Swift
Morris and Wilson-Curahy not be:
ing engaged in tanning until tn,
close of 1917-produced forty -fou'
per cent of the country's total out
put of sheep and lamb shoe stock
seventeen per cent of sheep and laml
glove and other stock: eleven pc
cent of shoe stock tanned from cali
kid and all skins other than sheer
and lamb and goat and kid, an
wenty- three per cent of other leath
ar tanned from such skins (excep'
glove stock;) twelve and one-hal
per cent of shoe stock from cattls
sides; nine per cent of harnes
leather; forty five per cent Of stral
leather; twenty one per cent of belt
ing: twenty-t two per cent Of sole
leather; and thirteen per cent finished
splits.
The proportion of stocks Of hide
1eId in the United States by the Biz
Five hackers as against all other in.
I.erstate slaughterers. the repor
shows. ranged from 90.7 per cent
total of 96,9S9.S51 pounds on Jan
uary 81, 1916 to 1876 per cent of 143,
921, 85S rounds on July 81, 1917, a.
no time dropping below ST. per cent
Armour & Company, Swift & Com
oany and Morris e COMPANY, the re
,ort shows, produced in the fsca-
Jear OF 1917, approximately one. fiftl
VI the entire production in the Unit
ed States of mixed fertilizers, ani
one tenth of acid phosphate. Ar
mour G. Co. had thirty fertilize:
plants in various parts of the coun
try; Swift & Co. had eleven plant.
or the manufacture of mixed fertil
izer and various Swift slaughterin.
houses are equipped with fertilize
Jlants.
Packers In the Cottonseed Oil Indus
try.
The Big Five packers in the seaso,
If 1916-1917 produced nearly ono
third of the nations entire refined
cotton oil output of POI 1889 900 gal
WHO, vi ol.o pCt Ccht. luIct Juliet
interests, the Proctor & Gamble
companies. the Southern Cotton Or
Comnany and the American Cottor
Oil Company, produced 25.6 per cent.
and all the other companies ESQ per
'ent. OF crude cottonseed oil, the
three of the packers operating cot
on oil mills. Swift. Armour and Nor
ris, produced only some eight per
rent of the total production, using
however. large quantities purchased
from other concerns in their manu- :
'acture Of oleomargerine, lard COM
pound, cooking oils, soaps, fertiliz-
srs and other products.
Production of lard compound am
lard substitutes by interstate slaugh-
terers during the first half of 1917
was eighty seven per cent in the
hands of the Big Five packers. the
report shows. Including all cotton
seed oil manufacturers as well as
Interstate slaughterers, the Big Five
production during the period was
1914 per cent Of the total production
Of lard compound and lard substi-
tute by these groups. The average
monthly holdings of lard compound
and lard substitutes by the Big Five
during 1916 was ninety one per cent
of holdings of all Interstate slaugh-
terers. OF cottonseed oil soap stock
for the season of 1915 1917. the Big
Five produced 30.2 per cent of the
total for the country.