Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-12-30
PLAN TO CURB
PACKERS TOLD
Attorney General Palmer An
nounces big Five" Surren-
der to Government.
LIMIT is PUT ON ACTIVITIES
Must Sell All Holdings In Stock Yards,
Railroads and Terminals, Newspa-
pers and Cold-Storage Ware
houses and Branches.

Washington, Dec. 20.-Attorney Gen.
eral Palmer announced that the five
big packers, their main subsidiaries,
principal stockholders and managers
had surrendered to the governments
contentious against the monopolistic
growth of the packing industry and its
control of unrelated Industries.
By the entry of a, permanent in
junction decree, to which the packers
have consented, their activities are to
be confined to meat and by-products.
eggs, butter, poultry, cheese and con-
| densed milk. Refrigeration is to be
limited to the cars necessary for car
rying their output.
By the decree, which is to be secured
by the attorney general within the
near future, the packers are to be re-
quired to sell their holdings in public
stock yards, stock-yard railroads and
terminals, to disassociate themselves
with the retail meat business, and with
| all unrelated lines" This is to be
done within two years.
This solution of the packers situ-
alton, which had its. inception with an
investigation by the federal trade COM
mission and with the placing of the
information in the hands of the attor-
ney general, will render unnecessary
the filing of suits against the packers.
in general" says the department of
| Justice statement, "this decree pre-
l IL .s-s..
any further control over the marketing
| of live stock. 1t forever prevents them
from any control over the retailing of
meat products. 1t eliminates them
/ from the field of meat substitutes with
the exception of eggs, butter, poultry
and cheese, which are left for future
consideration and appropriate action;
and therefore, Athe price of meat is
within the control of the people them
selves.
ut places the conduct of these great
aggregations of capital Immediately
under the eye of a federal court with
reference to their business practices.
But, greater than all, it establishes the
principle that no group of men, no
matter how powerful, can ever attempt
to control the food table of the Amer
lean peoples, or any one Of the neces-
sites or component parts of 1t.
1.-THE department of justice, having
in mind the necessities and interests
of the whole American people in this
critical reconstruction period, feels
that by insisting upon this surrender
on the part of the packing business it
has accomplished more for the Amer
lean people than could have been
hoped for as a result of long-drawn
out legal battle"
Under the decree, the defendants. of
whom there are Sc, are compelled:
1. To sell under supervision of the
United States district court, preferably
to the live stock producers and the
public, all of their holdings in public
stock yards.
2. To sell, under the same supervi-
sion, and in like manner, all their in
terests in stock-yard railroads and ter
minals.
ID.
ket newspapers.
a. To dispose of all their interests in
public cold-storage warehouses, except
as necessary for their own meat prod
ucts.
8. To forever disasSociate them
selves with the retail meat business.
6. To forever disassociate them
selves with all unrelated lines" in
Guiding wholesale groceries; fresh,
canned. dried or salt fish; fresh, dried,
exaggerated or canned fruits; confer-
tioneries, sirups, soda water fountain
supplies, ETC.. molasses, honey, jams,
jellies and preserves; spices, sauces,
relishes, ETC.; coffee, tea, chocolates
cocoa, nuts, flour, sugar, rice and
cereals with an exception to be
noted), bread. waters, crackers, bis
cult, spaghetti, vermicelli, macaroni,
cigars, china, furniture, etc.
Z. To abandon forever the use of
their branch houses, route cars and
autotrucks, comprising their distribu-
ton system, for any other than their
own meat and dairy products.
s. To submit perpetually to the jur-
isdiction of the United States district
court under an injunction forbidding
ali the defendants from directly or in
directly maintaining any combination
or conspiracy with each other or any
other person o. persons or monopoliz-
ing. or attempting to monopolize, any |
food product in the United States or
indulging in any unlawful practices.