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.Packers
Pimm Facts About the Mejat Busi
The Federal Trade Commission in its recent report on war profits
stated that the five large meat packers have been profiteering
and that they have a monopoly of the market.
. These conclusions, if fair and just, are matters of serious concern
not only to those engaged in the meat packing business, but to
every other citizen of our country.
The figures given on profits are misleading and the statement
that the packers have a monopoly is unsupported by the facts.
The packers mentioned in the report stand ready to prove their
profits reasonable and necessary.
The meat business is one of the largest American industries. Any
citizen who would familiarize himself with its details must be
prepared for large totals.
The report states that the aggregate profits of four large packers
were $140,000,000 for the three war years.
This sum is compared with $19,000,000 as the average annua1
profit for the three years before the war, making it appear that
the war prcfit was $121,000,000 greater than the pre-war profit.
This compares a three-year profit with a one-year profit a man
ifestly unfair mothod of comparison. It is not only misleading,
but the Federal Trade Commission apparently has made a mistake
in the figures themselves.
The aggregate three-year profit of $140,000,000 was earned on
.sales of over four and a half billion dollars. It means about three
cents on each dollar of sales or a mere fraction of a cent per
pound of product,
Packers' profits are a negligible factor in prices of live stock and
meats. No other large business is conducted upon such small
margins of profit.
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Furthermore and this is very important only a small portion of
this profit has been paid in dividends. The balance has been put
back into the business. It had to be, as you realize when you
consider the problems the packers have had to solve-and solve
.quickly during these war years,
To conduct this business in war times, with higher costs and the
necessity of paying two or three times the former prices for live
stock, has required the use of two. or three times the ordinary
amount of working capital, The additional profit makes only a
fair return on this, and as been stated, the larger portion of the
profits earned has been used to finance huge stocks of goods an
to provide additions and improvements made necessary by the
enormous demands of our army and navy and the Allies.
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If you are a business man you will appreciate the significance of
these facts. f you are uuacquainted with business talk this
matter over w?th some business acquaintance with your banker
-say and askiitim to compare profits of the packing industry with
those of any ojpier large industry at the present time.
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No evidence goffered by the Federal Trade Commission in sup
port of the statement that the large packers have a monopoly.
The Commission's own report shows the large number and
importance of other packers.
The packers Mentioned in the statement stand ready to prove to
any fair minded person that they are in keen competition with
each other, arjjd.that they have no power to manipulate .prices.
If this were niH true they would not dare to make this positive
statement. ! '
Furthermore, government figures show that the five large packers
mentioned inline report account for only about one-third of the
meat businessbf the country.
They wish it vere possible to interest you in details of their
business. Oflhbw, for instance, they can sell dressed beef for
less than the kfost of the live animal, owing to utilization of by
products, and )f the wonderful story of the methods of distribu
tion throughout this broad land, as well as in other countries,
The five packers mentioned feel justified in co-operating with
each other tf the extent of together presenting this public
statement.
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They have bee able to do a big job for your government in its
time of need; hey have met all war time demands promptly and
completely, a&d they are willing to trust their case to the
fairmindePnes of the American people with the facts before
' it
them. f ' . . !
i Armour and Company
f Cudahy Packing Co.
Morris & Company
Swift & Company
Wilson & Company
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TRYON
WT: 'J'-' Jackson visited her son,
,r- XeLson Jackson at Columbia S.
- this week.
ss Alice Pettigrew has returned
';m Canonsvjlle, Maryland, for her
Tver's - vacation.
.Mary Beach has returned to
.n aftera protracted visit to rela
ys in Terre Haute, Ind.
y-'J'". Edwin Lindsey and sister. Miss
!T, accompanied by Miss Violet
wore in Asheville Tuesday.
V- h-51n on a visit to Ohie, Mr. W. H.
p'?iriott has been very ill in a hos-f-
News has been received that
ls fast improving
Ath
Urs Francis W. Smith and family,-
Jft, " va... are occupying tne
uunr. l
tlx
Vrifv u t-j t-
house on Melrose avenue for
summer.
? tester nas sone to Hot
pVthVVa' for a week at a meeting
j.e nr' Home Insurance Co., of which
frf" ls- Lubeck has received word
d
0rn Cnf T ,,1 -l. ii-.i. i. i-' :..
f" LiuuctK i-nai ne nas arru-
"1 SH Pt,r
'over there" . and is
Cl'ini? for n r-Vi onm o Vi T-Tnro
?ev; Mr- Bradenr formerly a
!t u u1 iryn, died in Landrum
mi- J is son accompanied the
Ra'ns for burial in New Jersey.
ttev- Mr. J. H. Griffith, of Kings
ton, N. C, will occupy the pulpit at
the Episcopal church Sunday, and
during the remainder of July and Au
gust. Trypn leanvs were out of kerosene
f ne.'Hy a week; due nt tc scarcity
oil, but lack pf transportation, the
tark cars b-r.er u.se.l to t-arry tude
oil or mi lit use.
Afrs. Oodshaw with her daughters,
Mrs. Merrick and Mrs. Landrum, and
their children, have arrived for the
summer, and are occupying the fam
ily residence on Godshaw Hill.
Mrs. M. O. Kelley, Mrs. Lubeck,
Misses Martha and Bertha Lubeck
left Tryon for the North Tuesday.
Mrs. Kelley to Illinois points, Mrs.
Lubeck and daughters to Michigan
resorts.
Claude Hannon spnt a short fur
lough on account of a slight illness,
with his father, John Hannon, last
week. He is much pleased with mili
tary life, and like most, of his com
rades of both colors, is anxious to go
overseas.
Mrs. . Rees has leased the Kirchner
residence and will spend several
weeks in Tryon. Mrs. Rees is a sis
ter of Mr. W. H. Tayloe, Passenger
Traffic Manager of the Southern Rail
way, and who spent six . or eight
weeks here last winter.
All woman's work, Red Cross offi
cial of the Chapter, branches and
auxiliaries, and all others interested,
are urgently requested to hear Mrs.
V. M. Culis, special representative of
the Woman's Bureau, speak at Lanier
Library, Tryon, at 10 a. m., Saturday,
July 13th.
War requir vs. lis aro cutting
down the supply of domestic servants
everywhere. nyi fK i. ulror-.dy.
Governm-i.i s, it is reported, will
shortly rake ip the subject and put
idel, capabl woivm ao house v. ik
that house Ree vvi cannot do, and at
tend to oth-21 d'i;''!S of move value to
A communication to his' parents
from Dick Ballenger at the front, an
nounces that he has been ut in
charge of his areoplane, and of course
may be fighting the Huns in the
clouds any minute. Dr. Edgar Bal
lenger cables that he is well and is
connected with a fine hospital ser
vice. According to the Citizen, Miss
Jeannette Jackson has resigned y as
pastor's assistant at the first Baptist
church, of Asheville to spend her
summer in Tryon. The congragation
"reluctantly accepted" her resignar
tion and the board of deacons unani
mously passed a resolution of appre
ciation of her work.
. William Alston, a Tryon boy, was
one of the sixty-six men who got
away from the torpedoed ship Cov
ington. He was attached to the
wireless telegraph service. The Cov
ington was formerly thfe Hamburg
American liner Cincinnati! When ta
ken over by the governniit the name
was changed to Covingtqjif, a city on
the Kentucky side of the; river di
rectly opposite Cincinnati
When it comes to keeping warm
next winter Tryon will ,ve to take
its chances with the rest krf the world.
There is a good deal of clqal shortage
predicted, and that" timbyiled regions
like this will have the co supply cut
down. On the other hary! there ia
the chance of a mild winter succeed
ing the extremely rold le. Every
body will have to take wa- is com
ing to 'em and console themselves by
swearing at the Huns vif caused it.
By getting hot enoun b cr it we
woift feel so cold. Tmncng of it as
a burning ?bame ought -to help some.
In our last issue appear an article
referring to the new cinder walks on
East Hill, giving Mr. Cop gey credit
for having the cinders auled and
placed there. That artil seems to
have "stirred up a horitet's nest."
Mr. Coggey pleads "notjuilty," but
states that the cinders re donated
by Mr. J, B. Hester and! Postmaster
Stearns arid were placedfthere with
out any cost to the to wn We haste i
to place the town comihfssioners r
their true position; land rtt as having
favored any particular section, of th ;
town at the expense of'jjome otht
section. One thing was plainly, dem-
onstrated, however, and that was it
"pays to advertise."
On another page will be found a
very valuable article dealing with the
sugar situation. .Last weetc we puu
lished one telling hotel and boarding
house keepers just what they would
have to do in order to secure, their
supply, after July 15th. County
Food Administrator Bacon states
that he doesn't wish to impose any
hardships on any hotel, ' boarding
house, or private individual for that
matter, but that he is compelled to
enforce the rulings laid down by the
Food Administrator and every person
should inform themselves thoroughly
on the sugar rulings and thereby
save themselves as well as Mr. Bacon
all unnecessary trouble and embar
rassment. The death last winter of Leslie
Hawiey Smith, wrell known in Tryon,
is recalled by a booklet in commem
oration of him. He attained phys
ical but never mental maturity.
His body wras deformed oy curvature
of the spine and suffered from many
physical weaknesses. He had a very
limited J knowledge of numoers, could
read but little and not write at all.
On the" other hand he could remember
with exactness people and events as
far back as eighteen months of age.
He never forgot a face he had once
seen or a nlace he ever visited. He
knw intimately
trees
rubs and
flowers, many birds, beasts and in
sects,a nd Was instinctively a close
observer of nature. He was fond of
travel , was familiar with Boston,
Jew York and other places he visited,
and could talk long and interestingly
about them. After a few months he
knew every road and trail in the
mountains of this neighborhood. He
was a good fisherman and fond of the
sport. He was very sympathetic
with the sick and needy and gave as
sistance in a quiet unassuming way.
He was clean-minded, reverenced wo
men and loved children. He was de
vout, an enthusiastic Sunday school
attendant, and had the highest rer
gard for the essentials of religion!.
In spite of his serious handicap those
who kneWnim best had much respect
and affection for him.
W. S. S
NOTICE
To the Republican Party of Polk Co.
I, having been nominate by the
regular Republican Convention, as
candidate for Clerk of Court, after
careful consideration, have decided to
withdraw as a candidate for said of
fice as I believe that I can serve my
country better in another capacity,
during the present crisis.
, CALVIN L. HILL.
w. a s-
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