Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-05
LIVE STOCK men
AIR GRIEVANCES
AT WASHINGTON
Food Administration Held Re-
SponSibIe for Losses of
Producers; Indus
try in Peril.

Washington, Feb. "A govern
ment regulated monopoly OF the
meat industry was advocated by live
stock producers today before the
senate agriculture committee and
theshouse interstate commerce COM
mittee as the only means of satisfy
ing both the producer and the con-
sumner and preventing the cattle bus
mess from being destroyed.
George Armstrong, cattleman Of
Fort Worth, Tex, recommended to
the senate committee that legisla-
ton be enacted which would give the
government control of the entire in
dustry and permit it to fix the prices
of live stock, meat and labor He
said both producers and consumers
had just grievances against the pres
ent system and that only govern
ment intervention would prevent
continued agitation.
/ Edward c. Lasatter, member of
the executive committe of the Ma
tional Live Stock association and
former chief of the live stock and
markets division of the food admin
istration, told the house committee
that the cattle industry would be
destroyed if the government did not
take steps Immediately towards as
surfing the producers a just profit.
He declared that more cattlemen
were facing bankruptcy today than
at any other time in the history of
the industry, and that government
ownership was the only solution of
the problem. .."
Attacks Hoover's Policy.
Mr.. Lasatter charged that the food
administration was responsible TOR
large losses suffered by live stock
producers. He said the packers were
assured a good profit on everything
they handled. but when the produc-
ers asked for the same privilege,
Food Administrator Hoover told
thin it could not be done and that
they should be willing to make some
sacrifice to aid the country to win
the war.
The witness said the result was
the credit of the producers was de-
stroyed and that they had lost so
much money that they now were
forced to sell all their calves with
the consequent threat to the future
meat supply. .#'
"Mr. Hoover seemed to have every
ones interest at heart except the
producers" he stated. "1e treated
them unfairly from the start. He
even went so far as to tell the allies
the meat supply of the country was
much greater than it was and invited
them to order as heavily as they de-
sired. He so manipulated the situa-
ton that England shows an increase
in her cattle during the war while
ours is greatly decreased" .-ae
Light Turned On Pools.
Henry Veeder, counsel for Swift
and company, testified concerning
his Connection with the pools con
Quoted by the big packers for III
years down to 1912, and after sew
eral clashes with Mr.. Heney pro-
tested that he was not permitted to
answer questions properly.
Formation of pools by the big
packers was to prevent an over
supplied market and to keep prices
stable, Mr.. Veeder testified. One
pool was broken up by Schwarzs-
child and Sulzberger, an indepen-
dent company, flooding the market
he declared.
But could the small packers
break up combinations Of the big
packers today?" asked Mr.. Heney
"They could if they had enough
capital to stick it out" Mr.. Veedel
replied. -
''They would have to have more
money than England" commented
/ Mr. Heney
Widely published advertisements
of where the Swift dollar goes
were criticised by members Of tn,
committee during the testimony o
L. d. fl, Weld, manager of Swift
& Cos research department, wht
was the first witness before tn,
senate committee.
| Senators Norris and Gronna sal,
1.-the advertising was misleading AM
would give readers of country paper
the impression the packing concern
was making a profit of 2 per cen
instead of IL. Mr.. Weld said the ad
vertisement pointed out that 2.04 o
each one hundred cents of sales wen
for profit, IS cents for live stock an,
the remainder for expenses.