Monte Vista journal and Monte Vista graphic-reporter., 1922-11-24
Are Morris and Armour
Forerunning a Greater
Packing Company Merger?
Written Specially for Monte Vista
journal BY Edward Percy Howard

Washington, d. c., Nov. 23-Per-
SONS who have listened to the woes
of the poor meat packers nearly
broke their jaws laughing when J.
Ogden Armour swooped down on
the capital accompanied by counsel
and experts, loaded with books and
papers, to lay seige to the Depart
ment OF Justice with view to get
ting a ruling in favor of q great
meat merger representing assets
valued at more than $50O,00O,O00.
Just how the meat barons propose
to square the application with the
persistent insistence that the more
business they do the less profit they
make, has not been disclosed. II Is
known, however. that the first stage
of the battle for supremacy Is q pro-
posed merger OF Armour Co. and
Norris 4 Co. Indeed. report has II
that even q closer combine II pro-
tected II the proposition can be put
over with Attorney General Daugh-
erty.
Daugherty passed upon the Lack
awanna and Midvale steel consolida-
tions, declaring they would not vio-
late the antitrust laws. but unfor-
nately for the steel group the Fed
eral Trade Commission kicked over
the basket and spilled the beans.
Seemingly so far as the Armour
outfit is concerned. the closer con-
troll OF meat and prices is none Of
the public's damned business. In
deed. the only persons in Wash
fngton who knew nothing at all
about the deal" were Mr.. Armour
and his VicePresident, Arthur
Meeker. who came to the national
capital ito see his daughter" Coun-
sci and experts evidently were
brought along by Mr.. Armour to
see that the great food purveyor
Is served nothing but chuck steak
20 persistently urged for consump-
tion as the most desirable OF cuts
when the public dares. to protest
against rising meat prices.
A line up OF Armour and Morris
would give them a dominant posi-
tion over Swift. Wilson and Cudahy.
While the capitalization OF Armour
and Morris foo,s up to only $780,
703.400 and Swift. Wilson ana
Cudahy combination has capital Of
S204.l2S,600. the assets OF the
former are given as s57l.94I.5I3.
whereas the assets of poor Swift.
Wilson and Cudahy are only $685.
1884, scarcely enough to strug-
gle along with.
II must he great hardship TO
be in the packing industry. Poor
Swift. II will be recalled In 1919.
told the world there was loss of
20 cents on every head of cattle he
handled. II the farmers had pro-
duced more animals. no one knows
what would have happened.
In 1921. however. live cattle cost
9s7.53. proceeds from beef were
1852. the returns from by prod
ucts were $s.5l. but even then there
was only profit of sl.l3 on each
animal. Just by what system of
hocus pocus meat profits coniinu-
ously decline. meat consumption
continuously Increases and meat
supply invariably is adequate. and
yet meat prices are perpe,ually
tilted shyward does no, appear.
Evidently II all the figures are
true. another merger will mean the
public will have nothing to eat but
cows horns at 81 pound. and tho
unfortunate packers will In starv-
ing TO death in the streets OF Chi
csec.
Tho farmer. Of course. viii he
delighted with the proposed merger.
II will mean that the closer com.
b'ne will voluntarily offer him mors
for beef ou tho hoof- -. ~Nt~>