Arizona republican., 1920-04-02
'RuOifR. URGED A.
 THOROUGHP PROBE.
 OF B|G PACKERS.
In Report to Wilson, While Food Administrator, He Warned of Dangerous Domination" In Control of Foodstuff by the Big Five"
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

NEW YORK. April 1.11A confiden- | tial report to President Wilson by Her bert Hoover, as food administrator, outlining his plan on control of the packing industry, was made public tonight by the Hoover national repub- lican club, with the announcement that the president had directed it's publica- tion.
 The announcement stated that the re- port, dated September II, 1919, was mads six months ago, in response to President Wilson's request for Mir Hooyer's obserxations on the recom- mendation of the federal trade com mission with regard to the five large packing firms.
 T scarcely need to repeat the views ago, that there is here a growing and dangerous domination from the hand ling of the nations foodstuffs,'' the report said.
 MT. Hoover said he d1d not feel that the government, should undertake the solution of the problem by the tenn porary authority conferred under the war powers of the railway and food administration" but rather that It ''should be laid before congress for searching consideration, exhaustive debate and development of public opinion. just as has been necessary in the development of the public interest in our banks, insurance companies and railways"
 The report reviewed the under lying economies of the growth of the packing industry and with regard to the packers control of refrigeration operations said:
 Provision of stockyards and car service has naturally fallen in con- siderable degree to the larger and more wealthy packers, who have used their advantage as in effect a special and largely exclusive railway privilege with which to build up their own busi- Bess'i
 Entirely aside from the question of conspiracy to eliminate competition, the report said. the packers certainly avoid such competition to a consid- erable extent" and power is in their hands ito nuctuate prices by mere refusal to buy
 Fears Repression
 The economic efficiency of these businesses, '.in the period of com petItive upgrowth," the report did not question, but believed ''as time goes on this efficiency cannot fail to di- fninish, and like all monopolies begin to defend itself by repression rather than by efficiency.
 The worst social result of this growth in, domination of trade is the undermining of the initiative and the equal opportunity of our people. and the tyranny which necessarily follows in the commercial world
 MT. Hoover said he agreed with the federal trade commissions recommend ation that the government take over the Stockyard terminals and thought they should be entirely Associated from the control of the packers
 If the government acquires the rail- ways it would appear to me that it should. as a part of the system, acquire the yards, he added
 Absolute assurance to the food trades that terminal facilities would allow any manufacturer or dealer in any food product equal opportunity to handle and store his goods pending final distribution was needed he said. The usefulness of public. wholesale or retail markets lis a matter of great division of opinion" he believed. and added:
 the independent trades is that if sites can be made available, adjacent to rail- way facilities. the trades themselves would solve the matter"
 Would Locaize Industry
 Discussing the great centralization of the industry as cause of decline in slaughter near many large cities and towns, he said:
 If proper abattoirs could be extended 1 near the large towns, possibly with 1 help and the operations l therein protected from illegitimate l I believe they could not 1 only succeed but would greatly stimu- 1 late the IcCai production of meat l 
 ''One effect would be a great stabil- | ization of prices by a wider based mar 1 ket than that now so largely dependent l upon a small group of buyers.