Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-02-19

equipment in this particular would
in any event require a great deal
Of extension to effect such obtec-
| tives, and we are in no position to
find the material and labor during
/ the war.
] Equal Opportunities Needed.
!. I'VE do need an absolute assur-
| ance to the food trades of such ter
minaI facilities as will allow any
manufacturer or dealer in any food
i product equal opportunity to handle
and store his goods pending their
| final distribution. The usefulness
of either public, wholesale or retail
| markets in the promotion of these
| ends is a matter of great division
of opinion. The most predominant
| feeling in the independent trades is
| that if sites can be made available,
adjacent to railway facilities, the
! trades themselves would solve the
matter. In any event, the whole
! public market question is peculiar
| to each city and town, and my own
inquiries find little belief that the
present branch houses of the pack
ers would serve this purpose.
Furthermore. my own instinct,
| in any event. is against federal
ownership of such facilities. and
our own inquiries rather indicate
that if transportation questions, to-
gether with factors mentioned
later on, are put right, this prob
lem will solve itself. Altogether, |
do not consider that the prime OBJ
iect of maintaining the initiative Of
our citizens and OF our 'ocal COM
munities is to be secured by this
vast expansion Of federal activities.
FayOrs Help to Small Ones.
There are certain matters relat-
ing to the development and con-
troll of the packing industry which
are not referred to in the report
of the trade commission, which ap-
near to me of first importance. One
effect of the great centTa iiZation OF
this industry has been the stultIt-
cation or decline in slaughter near
MANY large cities and towns. l be-
lieye this has been initiaiiy due 10
the inability to recover by-products
to such advantage as under the
Capitalization, a disability that
does not generally exist, for most
of these products now have an
outlet It has also been partially
due to the cheaper animals from
the cheaper lands OF the weSt-and
this disparity in costs of animal
production has greatly dimlnisheC
with settlement of the country. II
is also partially due to at least
the fear that the great packers
would direct their power Of under
selling against such enterprises. II
proper abattoirs could be extended
near the larger towns, possibly
with municipal help and the opera
lions therein protected from lille
Ultimate competition, ! believe
they would not only succeed, bu-
would greatly stimulate the local
production of meat animals. One
effect would be a great stabiliza-
ton of prices by wider based
market than that now sc largely
dependent upon a small group of
buyers.
Would Cnrb Activities.
Another phase OF the question
lies around the fact that ! feel the
solutions propounued by The trade
commission will not entirely solve
the problem of the invasion OF
MANY other lines of food handling |
besides animal products This |
portion of their business is more |
largely supported by their larger
credits and their elimination OF the |
Wholesale grocer, rather than upon |
railway privilege AS to whether /
such goods can be vended more |
economically direct than through !
the wholesaler is a matter Of much |
contention. II seems to me, how !
ever. that this whole phase of alb |
sorptiou of other food industries /!
requires consideration. Il appears |
10 me at least worth thought as to !
whether these aggregatlons SHOULD !
not be confined TO more narrow !
and limited activities. say those !
involved in the slaughter of ami |
mails, the preparation and market /
ing of the products therefrom |
alone. Such a course might solve 4
the branch house problem, and it /
is not an unknown legislative con-
tro!, as witness our banks, rail-
ways and insurance companies.
In summation. l believe that the
ultimate solution of this problem
is to be obtained by assuring equal
opportunity in transportation,
equal opportunity in the location
of manufacturing sites and of ter
minal sites, and the limitation OF
the activities of these businesses.
In this situation, / believe that the
so minor meat packing establish
ments and the hundreds of other
food preServerS could successfully
expand their interstate activities
and that local slaughter would in
crease with economic gain to the
and all through con-
tinued competition constantly i'm
prove our manufacturing and dis
tributing processes to the advan-
tage of both producer and con-
sumner The detailed methods, eX-
cept in the manifest case of car
and stock yard control, require
much more thought.
Suggest Wartime Solution.
The activity of the food admin
istration is necessarily founded on
securing the largest service and
the least disruption and danger to
distribution during this period OF
national strain. To take such
radical step as to seize the pack
ers' branch houses for the war.
would effect no permanent values
and would surely disrupt distribu-
ton at this time. The packers are
Today performing their economic I
duties of preserving and distrib- ,
lting the meat supplies &c our own +
and the allies. as dis
-inguished from the social results