Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-22
ARMOUR FAVORS
MEAT AGENCY
Tells House PrObers Pack.
ers Desire to Maintain
Reasonable Prices
DEFENDS THEIR METHOD
Admits Excess Profits Taxes
Were Passed on to
Consumer
DEFENDS THEIR METHOD

Washington, Jan. 22.--Appearing for
the second day before the House Inter-
stat Commerce Committee, J. ogden Ar
mour, president of Armour & Co., was
questioned further today by members
Of the committee as to operations Of the
meat-pacing industry.
Establishment Of a central agency to
control shipments of meat animals. to
market was advocated by Mr.. Armour
as a means Of stabilizlng prices and pre-
venting guts in the market
Replying to Representative Stephens,
of Nebraska, Mr.. Armour said the con-
sumer could protect himself in a meas
ure against high prices by refrainIng
from purchasing. but that the producer
of livestock. like the packer, had to take
whatever the market was paying at the
time he solds
To Maintain "Reasonable" Price
I'VE are very much interested in
maintaining a reasonable price. much
more SO than in having a price too high
to discourage the eating of meat or too
low to prevent the raising of cattle.
You might do away with the glut
on the market by establishing a central
agency to regulate shipments. The food
administration has established a zone
system at Chicago, working through the
railroads, which had operated fairly
well.
IF there was a little more liberal
thought in the treatment of the pack
ers 1t would be one hundred times better
for the general public. The packers
have been afraid even to talk together
because of charges Of colusion. There
ought TO be some way for the packers
producers and consumers to get to-
gether for the advantage of each.''
Consumer Pays Excess Profits Tax
Bringing out that the SIS. 5.O0O,oO0 earn
ings shown in Armour's annual state
ment did not include s6.S00,O0O set aside
for income and excess profits taxes, Mr.
Stephens asked:
Then you are passing that on to the
consumer"
That 'may be So" Mr.. Armour re-
piled
Representative Hamilton. of Michigan,
attempted to develop the possible effect
on the packers of the food relief appro-
priation of s100,000.000 requested by
President Wilson.
They say that the fund will enable
the packers TO sell in southeastern
Europe great surplus of salt pork
which has been accumulated in England
ana which the people there won't eat
no" tnat the war crisis Is past" Mr..
Hamilton said
perhaps had larger stocks Of salt pork
than ordinarily, but he thought there
was going to be a demand for it,
questions as to the effect on prices
mere OF the removal of the duty on
hides caused tilt between Mr. Hamil-
ton and Representative Dewalt, of Penn
Sylvania who said the Republican men,
! n"rs were going outside the bill before
| TIE committee to drag in the tariff Mr..
Armour said he did not know what the
effect lad been.
why Packers Advertise
Asked as TO the Armour advertising
| campaign, the witness replied that he
! regretted 1t had been necessary to do a
| great deal more advert sing than usual
since the Federal Trade Commission
started It's crusade, or whatever you
! call 1t, against the packing industry"
He said the packers had to inform the
public OF their side of the question be-
| cause they had had no chance until now
TO make other reply to the commissions
| charges.
Mr.. Armour's statement yesterday
| that the bill pending to license the pack
| ing industry and to permit the govern
| ment to take over Stockyards and re-
frlgerator cars was unconstitutional was
| touched on by Representative Hamilton.
The witness said he thought the bill
was so ridiculous" that he had not in
tended to go into detail regarding it,
but that his counsel would give the
constitutional objections if the commits
| tee desired.