The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-06-04
Continued from last week.
Branch House and Car Routes.

Branch House and Car Routes.
'The packers distribution of THEN
products is effected through sys-
tenn of branch houses located in the
large towns and cities and a system
Of refrigerator 'peddler car routes
which reach the smaller communities.
Swift q Co. reach a larger number
of cities and towns by pedder car
than all other packers, while Armour
d Co. have developed a system of de-
I livering from their branch houses by
trucks, reaching by this means over
10000 towns and making their total
4 number of towns greater than Swift
& Co."
The commission showed that the
packers control from 81 to 100 per
cent Of the stock of q branch yards
of the big stock yards and over %
per cent of two other branch yards.
Packers Financial Affiliations.
On the financial field the packers
strength is based not so much on
actual ownership as upon the influ-
ence which they can exert by reason
Of their volume of business and COM
handing industrial position.
"They are further entrenched in
financial institutions throughout the
United States, as is evidenced by
the following list (of 81 banks in 10
cities) which relates only to the
principal cities and packing centers.
In each of the banks shown in this
list the packers are represented on
the board of directors through mem
bers of the individual families, or
through officers, directors or conf
Dental employees of the packing COM
panies. In addition, there are
number of banks not covered by this
list, in which close business asso-
ciates of the packers are directors.
The list shows that Boston has three
banks, New York nine, Chicago %,
St. Joe, Mo-, 5; Omaha, Wichita and
Kansas City, each three, while eight
other cities have one or two packer
banks"
Joint Funds.
"Further evidence of the existence
Of conspiracy among the five big
packers was found in the vault of
Henry Veeder, in the form of docu-
ments relating to funds maintained
by the big packers and oleomarga-
rine manufacturers, primarily for the
purpose of protecting themselves
from punishment for the divers prac-
tees already described in part.
"These funds were used:
"To employ lobbyists and pay their
unaudited expenses.
"To influence legislative bodies.
"To elect candidates who would
wink at violations of law and de-
feat those pledged to fair enforce
ment.
"To control tax officials and
thereby evade just taxation.
To secure notifications of gov
ernmental rules and regulations by
devious and improper methods.
"To bias public opinion by the
control of editorial policy through
loans and subsidies, and
by the publication and distribution
at large expense of false and mis-
leading statements.
"Henry Veeder, the manager of the
Veeder pools of the '90s, is the as
SCISSOR, collector and paymaster of
these joint funds, and his office is
the clearing house through which
the money passes and to which re-
ports are sent. Although single as
sessments for these funds range as
high as $4,000, Veeder clans that
he keeps no books showing the dis
position of these large sums of
but the many letters now in
our possession show specifically to
whom a part of the money was paid
and for what purpose.
Methods and Results of Combination
"To monopolize and divide among
the several interests the distribution
of the food supply not only of the
United States, but of all countries
which produce a food surplus, and,
as a result of this monopolistic po-
sitiOn, to eXtort excessive profits
from the people, not only of the
United States, but of large part
of the world.
"The early strength and rapid
growth of the Big Five was stimu-
lated by the eXtortion of rebates un-
der one disguise or another, and
special privileges.
"Among other well-known meth
DDS of unfair competition used by
the big packers, of which the COM
mission has evidence, may be men
toned the following:
Bogus independents.
Local price determinations.
"Short weighing.
acquiring stock in competing
shutting competitors out of live
stock markets"
of the Federal
Trade Commission.
The federal trade commission made
three important recommendation to
end the evils existing in the meat
packing industry:
That al 1.-THE rolling stock used for
the transportation of meat animals, !