The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1920-01-09
PACKERS QUIT AL
BUSINESS BUT MEAT
DIG FIVE WILL GIVE UP THEIR
INTERESTS ~ sTockvARps
AND WAREHOUSES;
NowRoMeooINe Is ADMITTED
Antitrust Suit Of United states 70
Ended by Compromise Agreement.
Conduct Of Business 70 Now
Under Eye Of Court

Washington. Dec. 2O.-The govern
ment's antitrust action against tue
great meat packers. begun ut PreS'-
dent Wilson's direction last summer
as part Of the fight on the high cost
of living. has been compromised under
an agreement by which the packers
will Confine themselves hereafter t"
the meat aud provision business.
An injunction decree to which the
hackers have acceded will be entered
in the federal courts to make til"
agreement binding. Under its ter'ns'
the "big five"-Swift. Armour. Morris.
Wilson and Cu,lahy-have agreed:
To sell, under supervision Of the
United States district court. prefer
ably to livestock producers and the
public, all their holdings In public
stockyards.
To sell. under the same supervision.
and in like manner. all their interests
in stockyard railroads and terminals.
To sell. under the same supervision
and in like manner. all their interest
in market newspapers and dispose "f
all their interest in public cold storage
warehouses except as necessary for
their own meat products.
To forever disassOciate themselves
with the retail meat business.
To forever di>asSociate themselves
with all unrelated lines. including
wholesale groceries, fresh. canned
dried or salt fish. fresh. dried or ca''-
ned vegetables. fresh. crushed. dried,
evaporatetl or canned fruits. confer-
tioneries, syr,lpS soda water fountain
supplieS. etc. mOlaSSeS. honey, jams.
jellies and preserves. ices. sauces. rel
ishes, etc. coffee. tea. chocolate. cocoa.
nuts. flour. sugar. rice and cereals
with an exception to he noted). brea't
waters, crackers. biscuits. spaghetti.
vermicelli. macaroni. cigars. china, fur
niture. etc.
To forever abandon the use Of the
branch houses. route cars and au'"
trucks comprising their distribution
system, for any other than their own
meat and dairy products.
To perpetually submit to the juri>-
dictiOn of the United States district
courts under an injunction forhidding
all the defendants from directly "r
indirectly maintaining any conhina-
ton or conspiracy with each other "r
any other person or persons or mo-
nopolizing or attempting to mop"p"-
lie any food products in the United
States, or indulge in any unfair prac-
tice.
Two years are given to comply with
the decree. which affects 81 corpora
tions and 40 individuals.
"In general" said Attorney General
Palmer's official announcement last
night, "this decree prevents the tie
PENDANTS from ever exercising any
further control over the marketing IF
livestock. 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 therefore the
price of meat is within the cOntrsl "f
the people themselves. 1t places the
conduct of these great aggregations
Of capital Immediately under the eye
of Il federal court with references Ia
their business practices.
Far greater than all. 1t establishes
the principle that no group of men. II"
matter how powerful. can ever at
tempt to control the food table Of the
American people ar any one of the
necessities or component parts Of it.
.'rhe department of justice. havin.
| in mind the necessities and interests
Of the whole American people in this
critical reconstruction period. feels
that by insisting ON this surrender
on the part "f packing interests ii has
accomplished more for the American
people than could have been hoped
for as the result Of Il long drawnout
legal battle
While Mr.. Palmer views the pack
erS' submission to the governments
contentious as surrender. Henry
Veeder. counsel for Swift l. Co.. an
nOunced the step was taken at the
suggestion Of the department of JUS
tice to avoid any appearance of an
tagonizing the government and to re-
move causes Of friction with livestock
producers and food distributors. En-
phatically. Mr.. Veeder stated that the.
an admission that Swift 4 Co. had