Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1919-07-18
PACKERS ] !! SCORED
BY trade BOARD
Federal Commission Warns Pres.
ident of Danger Of Food
Supply Domination.
QUICK ACTION NEEDED
Congress Should Take Immediate
Steps to Forestall Ends Aimed at,
Say Members Of Commission
Food Freedom Threatened.

Washington, July 13.-The federal
trade commission has reported to
President Wilson that the big five"
meat packers soon will exercise q
powerful domination over the nations
food supply and International control
of meat products unless congress takes
immediate steps to forstall these aims.
AN approaching packer domination
of all important foods in this country
and an international control of meat
products with foreign companies seems
certainty unless fundamental action
is taken to prevent it," says the re-
port, which is part one of the commits
sions Investigation of the meat in
dustry.
"A fair consideration of the course
the five packers-Armour, Morris,
Swift, Wilson and Cudahy-have fol-
lowed and the position they have al
ready reached must lead to the con.
clusion that they threaten the freedom
of the market of the country's food
industries and of the by-product indus
tries linked Herewith"
us Commodities Handled.
The commission claims the packers
are fast obtaining their domination by
manufacturing, or dealing in IT'S COM
modities, largely food products, and by
gaining control of 762 other companies,
many of which are public utilities cor
porations.
"The Big Five jointly or separate
ly WELD controlling interest in STA
companies, minority interest in IS
others and an undetermined interest
in 49," the report said.
Charge illegal Combinations.
The history Of the packers growth
is interviewer with illegal combina-
tions, rebates and with undisclosed
control of corporations. The commits
sion urges full publicity of corporate
ownership of all industries.
AS to devices for secret control
there does not exist adequate law. In
its absence unfair competition may run
its course to the goal Of monopoly and
ruin of competitors, without the secret
ownership being suspected.
Report Gives Alleged Details. |
The commissions report points out
the following alleged details of the
packers activities:
The big Five" have control of, or
interest in, public utility corporations
in Sioux City, Kansas City, St. Paul,
Portland, Ore, San Francisco, Fort
Worth, Chicago, St. Joseph, Mo-, and
Hill City, MINI.
In 1917 they produced A per cent
Of the countrys total output Of sheep
and lamb shoe stock; II per cent of
the glove stock; 9 per cent of harness
leather; 81 per cent of betting and %
per cent of sole leather. !
On July 81, 1917, the big Five"
had almost 80 per cent of the country's
entire hide stock.
Other Activities. i
They produce one-fifth of the coun-
try's mixed fertilizer supply; one
tenth of the acid phosphate supply;
one-third of the cottonseed oil supply;
nearly one-half of the lard compounds
and lard substitutes; four-tenths of
the oleomargarine supply and three
tenths of the cottonseed oil soap
In the meat industry the commits.
sion stated, the big Five" already
constitutes monopoly. In 1916 they
slaughtered 1922 per cent of all cat
tie, 1914 per cent Of all sheep, 1855
per cent of all calves, and 612 per
cent of swine.
Other commodities the commission |
charges packers are gaining control of
are breakfast foods, chicken feed,
stock feed. fruit canned vegetables
coal, fence posts, builders hardware, |
binding Irvine, lumber, cement, lime,
plaster, brick, sand, gravel roofing,
soda fountain supplies and rice.