The Connecticut labor news., 1921-11-11
PACKERS PLAN TO REGAIN CONTROL OF
 ALL FOOD SUPPLY
Seeking to End Decree Which Now Restricts Them to Own
 Lines.

Washington, Nov. 11.-Although the packers arc making every possible effort to secure the termination of the consent decree entered by the court btween them selves and the Attorney General, at conference recently held between the Leagues Executive Secretary, represent tatives of farm and labor organizations and the Attorney General III charge, It was brought out that Armour and Com pany have loaned $25OOOO to the Califor mia Cooperative Canning Association, whose representative, Mir. Vernon Camp bell, has been working for five months to have the consent decree set aside. Mir. Galway, representing the Attorney Gen eral, stated at this conference in response to a question by the Executive Secretary of the League that they had not consid- tired inviting the Federal Trade Commits sion to appear before this committee ot three. In view of the fact that the Fed eral Trade Commission has all the infOr- nation necessary to determine what the action of the Attorney General should be regarding the termination of the consent decree, the Executive Secretary of the League formally requested the President to instruct the Federal Trade Commis- sion to appear at the hearing commenced November 18th, and to give all the in formation 1t has to the committee III order to enable it to reach proper de- cison in the matter. The President has referred the Leagues request to the Trade Commission.
 That the cooperative concerns Ot the country are not Ill favor of the packers plan is evident by the fact that the Cali fOrnia Prune and Apricot Growers, Inc, have wired the United States Attorney General protesting against any modltl- cation of this decree which would permit any small group to control dlstributlvc channels of this country.
 OPINION OF TWO CABINET
 MEMBERS ON EFFECT OF CON-
 SENT DEGREE.
 While Senator, the present Secretary of War, Weeks, wrote to Senator Ken yon opposing the packers going into the general food business. He said:
 '1t would be unthinkable and certainly or half-dozen firms to obtain control of the food supply of this country, even as- stunning that it would, on the whole, be efficiently managed. Undoubtedly the &l1a has great deal of merit-that having such distribution facilities for their meat products, those facilities should be worked to their full capacity to get the highest efficiency and a resulting lower cost, and that for that reason they should go into the manufacture and distribution of other products than meat. But there Is grave danger of trouble resulting from such a monopoly which is too great to warrant its being permitted even if there is a lesscning of efficiency as result.
 If you could work out solution of this difficulty which would divorce the packers from handling of any food pro- ducts not related to the legitimate pack ing industry, my impression is that you would leave that part of the high cost of living problem in the best possible shape"
 Secretary of Commerce Hoover wrote he President regarding the Big Five" in 1918, as follows:
 Il scarcely need to report to you the views that l expressed to you nearly a year ago that there is here a growing and dangerous domination of the hand ling of the Nations foodstuffs"