The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-04-05
BY WILLIAM r. sAhRoRh,

~ vb66tNW NJ 0AIN00hNs
The marketing OF packing house
products have just been relieved of
r. all governmental restrictions by the
President. and this is another step in
the direction Of getting back to nor
NAL. But the Lever act still remains
in effect, Prohibiting Unfair Prac-
tees and Excessive Profits" A sep
nrate order regulating the packers in
their purchase of livestock for
slaughter" still holds good. As to the
Lever act. what we have stated in
preceding chapters Ia a SUFFICIENT an
swer; for. as shown, the packers have
really earned much less than the
amount allowed by the Food Admins
tration, during the past two years.
Mr.. Armour stated that profits
dropped almost to the vanishing point.
in fact, and were the lowest in 1918 of
any year in all their history.
Refrigerator Cars and Storage.
1t Is true. Of course, that great size
does not In itself insure efficiency, but
as Mr.. Armour comprehensively stat
ed: Great efficiency eventually runs
to size." Nothing can be truer; the
business world presents many corrob-
orative examples.
Our government has been consider
ing the problem of taking over the
packing industry in all It's inter-re-
lated forms. No one will question
that the government is great-that it
has "size," but be it noted that the
government has increased the price
on everything II has to sell, from rev.
enue stamps to railway fares and
from freight rates to telegraph tolls.
They are constant price boosters at
Washington, for every service they
render the people. We are not criti-
Ching the need of added revenue, but
simply stating the facts. These facts.
II applied to political control of the
packing industry-welf, draw your
own conclusions, fellow citizens. Your
judgment Is as good as our own.
Back in 1863, when Philip d. Ar
mour first began operations In Mil
waukee, there was no refrigeration
and packers did not even handle fresh
meats, except In very limited way.
and in winter only. The killing, cur
ing and packing were simply winter
Jobs in those days and for years aft
erward. Fifty years ago, in 1868 to be
exact. Armour and company had
capital investment of $160,000. That
amount of money would scarcely be
missed out of the change drawer Of
the concern today. The firm has new
er paid large dividends, public opin-
ion to the contrary. The greater part
of the profits have gone into enlarge
ment and betterments, have been re-
invested to the employment Of labor
and in the purchase of material to the
public benefit.
1t was not until 1874 that the first
large chill room" in the world was
built, and this by Philip ID. Armour.
BY this time the Armours had plants
in Milwaukee, Kansas City and Chica-
go. Modern expansion Of the packing
industry dates from the first cold stor-
age room" and the first refrigerator
car. The railways did not take kind
ly to the building of refrigerator cars,
so the Armours built for their own
use and according to their needs, as
their business expanded. What the
refrigerator car Is, and what it has
None for the meat, fresh fruit and
vegetable producers. and its effect
upon supplies in city and hamlet at
all seasons of the year, is well
known story of daily telling. All
packers own these cars, and 1t would
be like living in another age of the
world IL they went out of service
they are essential to the public con-
venience and to the peoples welfare,
and this is equally true of cold stor
able to take care of the surplus in
season, and to provide for lean
months or years from their stored
abundance.
Ownership Of Stock Yards.
Government ownership OF the stock
yards would mean a lot of red tape
and a world OF restrictions, which
would add to both inconvenience and
cost. Who can doubt it. Right now
under government control it takes 4
car of livestock twenty,four hours
longer to reach Pittsburg from Rich
mond, Ind. than it has in the past
twenty years-but enough said lis suf-
ficient," so what's the use. Private
initiative has made all the stock yards