Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-12
COUNTRY IS WARNED
PACKERS TO CONTROL
FOOD OF WHOLE WORLD


ers on the provision exchanges where
future prices in standard cured ami
NAL products are determ Hedt they or
their subsidiary companies ceal in
| hides, oleo, fertilizer material and
other crude animal by-products; pur-
chase from other packers these
crude by-products and themselves
/ carry the luamfa Cturer thereof to .
further stage than most OF their COM
petitors."
"They are important factors in the
leather industry, in oleomargarine and
lard substitutes, in cotton seed oil, in
fertilizer, in sop, in glue, etc.
Their vast distributing system
with the advantage arising from the
control of private cars, cold storage
and a network of branch houses, has
enabled them to extend their actiYi-
ties on large scale into poultry, eggs
cheese, butter. rice, breakfast foods.
canned vegetables, soda fountain sup
plies and other lines.
individuals of the Armour family
are owners of grain and elevator COM
panies, and j. ogden Armour is a
prominent factor in the American In
ternational corporation with its ship
ping and shipbuilding interests, Its
import and export companies in va
rious lines, its interest in a company
organized to deTelop cattle raising,
meat packing, quebracho extract and
allied businesses in Paraguay, its con-
troll of a large tea importing company
and a sugar machinery corporation
and its minority stock in the United
Fruit company.
Some of Swift &c Co.'S subsidiaries
are growing tropical fruits in Hawaii;
a subsidiary of Wilson g. 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.
"fn England, France. Italy, Hol-
land and other European countries
large meat distributing companies
have been organized by the packers to
sell the meats from their plants in the
United States, Argentina, Uruguay,
Paraguay, Brazil and Australia"
, The big five the report said, have
control of or interest in public utility /
City, South st. Paul, Portland, Ore, |
South san Francisco. South st. Jo-
seph, Mo. He'll City. Mimi, Fort
Worth. Tex, and Chicago.
As to financial power the report
says in part;
The packer has drawn to a 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 on !
and in other ways, with |
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 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 i'll
the credit of cattle producers and of
or customers in any line"
Reasons Obvious.
After reviewing the interest of the !
packers in the leather, fertilizer, cot
ton seed oil, grain and breakfast food |
industries, the report said:
The reason why the packers are
seeking control of the substitutes for
meat the foods that compete with |
obvious. If the prices of |
substitutes for meats are once brought
under packer control. the consumer
will have little to gain in turning to
them for relief from excessive meat
prices.
Judged conservatively by trade !
the big five handle at least |
half of the poultry, eggs and cheese
in the main channels of interstate
Recently the big packers began
dealing in various staple groceries and !
such as rice, potatoes, |
beans and coffee and increased their |
sales at such rate that in certain |
lines they have become factors of |
great moment"
Referring to the packerG' activities J