The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-27
CANNOT HANDLE ANY BUSINESS
 EXCEPT MEAT
Continued from Page One.)

Continued from Page One.)
 Attorney General Palmer, in a state ment commenting on the effects of the divorcement decree, said:
 ''The decree, which the department of justice has brought about by ur- gent insistence, is designed to restore freedom of competition and increase the opportunities for individual in itiative in business which must in time bear good fruit for the public welfare
 ''Those great aggregadons Of capi- tai which have come to be known as the "big five" have been able to dom mate so many lines of trade that their continued and unrestrained growth constituted a real menace not only to American business, but to the Ameri can consuming public as well. | Under the decree entered today the | chief packing companies, their sub sidiaries and principal stockholders are compelled to sell, preferably to live stock producers and the public: "All their holdings in public stock yards.
 "All their interest in stockyard 1 railroads and terminals. "All their interest in market news ] papers.
 'sAll their interest in public cold | storage warehouses, except that which 1 is necessary for their own meat pro
 ducts.
 l 'They are barred forever from the | retail meat business.
 'EThey are barred forever from deal ing in unrelated linca which in l clude:
 Wholesale groceries, fresh, canned | dried or salted fish; fresh, dried or earned vegetables; fresh, crushed, i dried, evaporated or canned fruits; | confectionery, syrup, soda water foun- 1 tain supplies, molasses, honey, jams l jellies and preserves, spices, sauces 1 relishes, etc, coffee, tea, chocolate, ] cocoa, nuts, flour, sugar, rice and
 cereals (with certain limited excep- 1 tion with respect to cereals) bread.
 waters, crackers, biscuit, spaghetti i vermicilli macroni, cigars, china, fur | niture.
 i '"They are required to abandon for ever the use of their branch houses, route cars and auto trucks comprising their distribution system, for any other than their own meats and dairy products.
 ''They are required to submit per petuaIly to the courts injunction for bidding all the defendants from di- rectly or indirectly maintaining any combination or conspiracy with them selves or any other person or persons, or monopolizing or attempting to monopolize any food product in the United States, or indulge in any un- fair or unlawful practice. 1 Moreover, the decree provides that Jurisdiction expressly retained by the court of taking such further action or relief as may be necessary in circum- stances to carry out or enforce the decree.
 ''In brief, the decree removes the l oF tries by the Big Five, and confines their activities in future to the busi-
 ness of distributing meat and it's by 1 products under an injunction which
 restraints them from unfair and un- l lawful practices.
 The decree, which involves reor- ganization of a great industry with
 assets of more than $1,000,000,0 900
 and which affects S7 corporations and
 49 individuals, results from an agree
 ment between the larger meat packers
 and the department of justice an
 nounced last December IS. This
 agreement was reached after the de-
 partment at the direction of Presi-
 dent Wilson had instituted antitrust
 r7:ngs against the packers in
 Chicago.
 Agreement for the filing of the de- cree, MT. Palmer said in announcing it last December, would have the eff
 feet of establishing ''the principle thai
 no group of men, no matter how pow, erful, can ever attempt to control the
 food table of the American people or any one of the necessities or com 1 ponent parts of it.''
 The attitude of the packers was summed up at that time by M. W Borders, general counsel for Morris
 and Company, as illustrating the
 spirit of true Americanism" of the
 packing industry. Henry- Needer, counsel for Swift and Company, as
 serted his company had met the re-