The Washington times., 1920-01-08
MORRIS EXPLAINS
CASE OF PACKERS
Head Of Great Industry Gives
Facts In Recent Settlement
With U. S.

Palmer dissolution agreement with
the packers. the public is entitled to
know the exact facts and should be
treated with complete confidence. de-
clares Edward Morris. president of
Norris & Co. Observation-Disclosures
should not be possible. either now or
later Certain misinterpretationS
have been given publicity which
should be corrected. SO far as we are
concerned, this is an open book. We
want the people to understand not
only what this settlement means. but
also, for their good and our good, TO
study and appreciate our problems
and difficulties. Our cards are on the
table. face UP, and our records and
methods and operations are open for
the closest investigation.
The scope OF this settlement posst-
bly, can be stated best In the first in
stance by saying what the settlement
Is not Some newspapers have car
ried headlines to the effect that The
Packers Are Forced to Dissolve
Meat Trust and Packers Combine
Smashed This is not the case for
the very good reason that there was
no meat trust to dissolve and
there was no combine to smash
Nothing " this sort was involved In
Cases Not Parallel
'The cases are not parallel because
In this case there will be no trial or
adjudication. no "unscrambling OF
eggs" as the decree will be entered
by consent of the parties. There will
be no adjudication that we have viU-
lated any law, because we have vio-
lated no law either in fact or intent.
There will be no change in the
Morris corporate organization. We
simply will dispose of our stock yards
and terminal holdings and the So
called unrelated lines, under the de-
cree of court. There is no central
organization in the packing industry
like there was in the cases above re-
ferred to.
"The fact is that the So called Big
Five are independent packing con-
Germs in open and active competitio
with each other, buying their raw
material and selling their finished
product under the old law OF supply
and demand, and this settlement will
not change this order Of things in
the least.
II do not wish to minimize the ex-
tent or scope of this adjustment, be-
cause it was major operation in
volving very large investments and a
very large volume OF business.
Terms Of Settlement.
Now, as to what the settlement ac-
tually was. The fact is, there has
been vast amount Of agitation and
sentiment in this country the last
few years because of allegations that
the packers were building up a food
monopoly Investigations and Con-
gressional hearings have been had.
but nothing constructive resulted.
There was no real foundation for the
fear, but the fear did exist that there
was danger of the packers ultimately
controlling the American table.
an order to meet the views OF the
Government in this period of recon-
struction, unrest and uncertainty.
and in response to this created public
opinion, we agreed to give up all
side lines or unrelated businesses,
and particularly the handling of
staple groceries, to refrain from go
ing into the retail meat business
(something we never did nor contem-
plated) and to sell, under approval
of the court our holdings in public
stock yards, stock yards terminals,
and the market newspapers at the
yards, and to get out of public cold
storage warehouses.
Fight By Grscers..
THE wholesale grocers have made
vigorous and determined fight
against the handling of groceries by
the packers, even though our total
wholesale grocery business aggrc-
gated less than 10 per cent of the
whole, and. IL this fight was waged
in the interest of the consumers, and
not selfishly for the wholesale gro
GERS themselves, then we may expect
the price of groceries to be reduced
forthwith.
One big fact stands out, and that
is, that the profits the packers made
in the handling of groceries ulti-
mately went to reduce our overhead,
allowed us to use our facilities 100
per cent and entered into our f1nal
packing house profits. and IL these
profits are to be cut out, then it
would seem to us that the producer
must get less for his live stock or
the consumer pay more for his meat.
'Tf this settlement does not work
out to the interest of the great mass
of the people then no one is to blame