The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-10-16
Five Packers Already Han.
die Over 200 Foods Unre-
lated to Their Industry
MANY PRODUCTS COM
PETITIVE WITH THEIRS
Is Grave Question How Far
They Should Be Allowed
to Get the Control

Washington, D. G., Oct. l6Reitera-
tioh of the claim that the five big pack
ing companies of Chicago bid fair to
dominate the wholesale grocery trade
and already handle more than 200 foods
unrelated to the meat packing industry,
many of them directly competitive as
meat substitutes, is made in part w
of the federal trade commissions report
on the industry, published to-day.
"The extent to which the packer
should be permitted to enter unrelated
food lines (even assuming legitimate
competitive methods)" the report said,
is matter which the public interest
alone should determine.
Two questions, primarily economic
are involved:
Does this widening Of activity result
in additional economies Of production
and distribution
Does ii result and viii it continue to
result to the public in lower prices and
better quality or product and service?"
"A third question, not here discussed,
relates to the ultimate effect Of such
vast and powerful organizations on the
political and social fabric of American
institutions"
Included in the list of commodities
said to be falling under control OF the
Big Five are poultry and game, dairy
products, lard and butter substitutes,
canned and dried vegetables and fruit
canned, cured and frozen fish, cocoa, cof-
fee, molasses and cane, corn and maple
syrups. In addition, Armour and com
pany. one of the five, is said to be han
ding extensively soda fountain prepara-
tiens and utensils.
The extent of packer control varies
with the locality aad commodity 'and the
dealer whose business is being absorbed, =
the report asserts.
Owing to the maze and secrecy Of
the packing methods Of conducting much
Of his business it adds, exact statistics
on many Of these commodities are not
available for the country as a whole,
which win show just how far the pack
ers control has reached.
Many companies manufacturing or
handling these commodities are con
trolled by packer interests, no hint Of
which IS disclosed by the names under
which they operate and even thorough
going examination may fail to uncover
the packer connection in every case"
-Four of the packers Swift, Wilson,
Armour and Cudahy, the report states,
through their subsidiaries and not in.
cluding family controlled companies, han
died in 1918, 49.5 per cent Of the esti.
mated total Of shipped dressed poultry
and 80 per cent of shipped eggs.
The same four handled 80 per cent of
all factory made cheese in 1918, the re-
port says, and adds that the Big Five
are in position to control IS to so per
cent Of the cheese Of the state tWiscon-
sim is generally conceded.
Libby, Mcneil and Libby, Swift CON
cern, alone handled l0.4 per cent of all
evaporated and condensed milk in 1918,
according to the report
The Armour Grain company. factory
in the cereal and breakfast food bust.
ness, reported surplus undivided profits
for the year 1917 Of 50 ,426,S $50, after de-
Quoting rs per cent dividend OF capital
stock, the report says, adding:
ne year net earnings hIuOuUteu 10
S2,90s,9l2, or 300 per cent on the capital
stock and 81 per cent on the net worth
of the company, including capital, sur
plus and undivided profits, as reported
at the close of the fiscal year, 1916"
Production of lard compounds and sub
stitutes by the five packers during the
first six months of 1917 was placed at
49.4 per cent of the total and oleomar-
garine at 81 per cent Complete figures
to show the packer interests in canned
foods, such as fruits and fish, were not
available, the report says, but the bust
ness of the big Five" was shown to be
large and growing. The Libby com
pany's canned food sales alone showed
225 per cent increase in 1918 over
1916 Libby sales of canned salmon in
creased from as per cent Of the world
pack in 1915 to 9.7 per cent in 1918, the
report shows.
$50 complete has become the control,
especially by Libby, Mcneil and Libby,
over the pineapple supply" the report
reads, chat one of the largest Wholesale
groceri in the country wac unable in
the summer Of 1918 TO secure any sup
ply whatever"