Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-27
WELD IS BITTER
IN DENOUNCNC
FEDE RAJ REPORT
Report of Commission is ChaI-
!enged by Swift & Company
Representatives Board Itself
Bitterly ASSaiIed,
10y MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED WIRE,


Washington, Aug. 26.-Repdrts of
the federal trade commission on the
five large packers and their alleged
control of the industry are "abso
lutely useless as a basis for passing
legislation T.. D. II. Weld, repre-
sentative of Swift and Company, as
sured the senate agriculture commit
tee today. Summing up his two day
argument against federal regulation of
the industry as proposed in the Ken
yon and Kendrick bills, he challenged
the truth of the commissions findings
in a half dozen particulars and ended
by assailing the commission itself.
Don't you resent having this sort
OF evidence put before you?" he asked
the committee members. DO you
think you ought to allow government
bureau to make this unjustified as
s2ult on useful and necessary in
dustry?"
Mr.. Weld said he had demonstrat.
ed before the committee that the five
packers, far from controlling Is per
cent of the wholesale grocery business,
did less than per cent of it; that
they did not control prices either for
livestock or meats that their profits
Profits of any other industry; and that
in numberless details, as to capital
investment, operations in England,
livestock pools" the commission and
especially Commissioner w. 3. Colver,
who opened the hearings, had dealt
IN misstatements, misrepresentation
iEsinutation and inaccuracies"
What possible motive can a pub
lie body for doing the sort of thing
you say the commission has done ?"
Senator Harrison, democrat, Missis-
sippi, asked.
Il prefer not to go into personali-
ties" Mr. Weld replied, but theories
of members of the commission on
economic subjects are not what l call
sound. There isn't a business man
on the commission. Principally they
are newspaper men"
Several other opponents Of the reg
ulation were heard during the day
and the federal trade commission
made public a report recommending
that operation of refrigerator cars
and of cars used in meat transporta-
ton be declared a government mo-
nopoly
Packers Don't Control Market.
Everett c. Brown, president of the
AN6iLAOllttl L4lNtSlOth t&tlldlSt, NillCli
is composed of cattle brokers, said
that the packers did not control the
market, and that commission men did
not need license.
H. e. Robinson, a Portland, Me-,
Independent packer announced thaI
I'VE want no licensing system" as the
big packers, though furnishing con
siderable competition, were not in
tent on putting the independents out
of business.
Mr.. Weld incidentally told the COM
mittee that Swift and Company spent
81, 100000 on advertising last year.
and intended to keep UP their efforts
in that line in an endeavor to educate
the public and eliminate the unjust
prejudice against the packers"
BY unanimous vote the committea
at night session rejected the Moses
amendment which would extend the
licensing provisions of the Kenyon
bill to cover all enterprises doing any
interstate business without regard to
commodities or circumstances under
which the business operated.