Evening star., 1923-03-13
PACKERS PLANNING
FEW INNOVATIONS
Outcome of Mr.. WaIIace's
Complaint Awaited in
s500y000,00O Merger.
BY. j. c. ROYLE.

BY. j. c. RoYLE.
Special Dispatch TO The Star
NEW YORK, March 13.-Formal an
nouncement of the consummation of
the $500, 100000 merger Of the Armour
and Morris packing house interests.
now momentarily expected. probably
Will nave little effect on the irnme-
o'ate operations of the packing indus.
try The move has been pretty thor
oughly discounted in business circles
and few marked innovations of produc-
tion sales or management are to he
expected until after the hearings or
the complaint of Secretary of Agricul-
ture Wallace against the merger.
charging Illegal combination.
Conditions abroad have not lent
themselves to active foreign demand.
and the situation in the markets in
this country would indicate that anv
radical changes might well await 4
later date. Reports that Edward Nor
RS, who. with the transfer of his hold
lhss, Will be out Of the packing indus
try. viii apply methods of merchan
dising secured through long eyne-i-
ence in provisions to other fields have
attracted wide attention. although IN.
particular line which Mr. Morris iS
considering has not been made public.
Factory Labor stu short.
No easing is apparent today in the
LABOR supply situation. Employment
in Detroit has taken jump of 81 oo0
recently. and this increase would
nave been heavier could trained mon
| IN Certain lines have been secured
An acute shortage of factory help Is
expected in Industrial centers about
/ !,
the call of the outdoors.
The working forces at tho Ford
Detroit plants have been increased
to $4,000 men preparatory 10 the
| adoption of schedule THURSDAY
which Will call for an output of 6 0oN
cars day. The new Ford plant Near
81, Paul viii make parts. which viii!
| be distributed from the assembling
plants in Seattle and Portland and
| the new assembling unit at st. LOUIS.
Big Power Development.
Ford engineers announced TO-DAY
| that construction of the power plant
to develop $4,000 horsepower a
High Dam. near st. Paul, would starr
plants also will be erected and elcc-
! trio blast furnaces installed TO re
| fine pig iron. II is reported IN the
| west that Ford has bought an ore
| conccntrat tion plant and valuabr- iron
/ deposits al Babbitt. Mimi. from the
| Mesabi Iron Company. The Detroit
manufacturers voluntary payment o.
| nrer s4.000.s00 to the creditors of the
| Lincoln Motors Company has vlrtn-
| ally put several small manufacturers
| back on their feet. The largest cred
! itor received an unexpected 100000.
Contracts. still Effective.
; The recent advances III wages to cop
! per miners in upper Michigan and in the
Butte mines have failed SO far to bring
in the number Of new workers desired.
] IL
17-cent mark some of the Michigan corr
panes arc not yet feeling the benefi
| of the increase, because they are still
| filing old sales contracts made at the
14-cent price current last fall. FAecu
1 tives of these companies said that !.
might be several months before il iS
possible to take full advantage OF pres
/ ent prices in marketing copper.
Cotton Prospects Improve,
| Storms in the late winter have meant
! TO southern cotton planters. according
! to agricultural oflicias today. Coudi-
] tions III Louisiana now are said to b.
slightly better than those of 1921 50
| far as the boil weevil il concerned. III
| that wear the yield WAS 124 pounds ur
will start off the season under coD1i-
! tions which will require weather espe-
! Cally favorable to the insects for them
| to injure seriously the chances of max
| ing good crop.
SI-S00,0O0 Paid Growers.
[ The Georgia Cotton Growers Asso-
! citation has mailed checks aggregating
! 81 500. 600 to its members. These rep
| resent advances of $40 bale on the
spot cotton held by the manufacturer.
| IT is reported that half the holdings Of
! the association arc Vet to be mark eted.
| None of the product marketed through
! this source was sold al less than -
cents pound. The association is OK
pected to market 20 per cent of the
| Georgia crop III 1875.
SI.0OO.O0O in improvements.
! ATLANTA. March Is Special
| The Central of Georgia Power Com
| pany today announced that the con-
! provements and betterments this
year. a large part of this will be
/ spent on dams and power lines near
| Macon. The Georgia Railway and
| Power Company is preparing for the
! largest program of development since
| 915, result of the increased de-
mand from textile plants.
Farm Land Sales Pick Up.
! ST, PAUL, March 13 ,SreciaD.-
! Farm land sales throughout the
! northwest have been resumed to u
i point which Indicates decided &C
F. tivity in the Immediate future. This
! tendency reflects the improved trade
situation throughout this territory.
! Farm land prices still are s. to 81 an
acre below those of last year. and
| range from SIS an acre for average
| unimproved land to s1o5 for average
! improved acreage.
Wartime IIecords Beaten.
| PITTSBURGH. March IS tSpeCral.
! steel imgot and pig iron production
| in this great steel district today IL
| exceeding the best wartime records.
and producers arc overcoming all
handicaps and charging outputs still
| further.