l:sat packers a menace
., ... . !;,. 4. ... - ,v-
SWarning'of an approaching domi
nation of all important foods in the
United States 'and international con
trol of meat products, by the "Big
Five' Chicago meat packers, is given
In the first section of the report of
the federal trade commission to the
president on its investigation of the
meat industry. Tue report deals
primarily with the "Extent' and
Growth of Power of the Five Pack
en in Meat , and Other Industries,"
and is said to be only a small portion
of the findings of the. commission. It
in declared that present laws are not
sufficient to handle . the situation.
Foil publicity as to the corporate
ownership of all industries, in order
to prevent secret control, is urged. :
. The report sets for that the "fig
Five" Swift & Co., Armour & Co.,
Wilson & Co., Morris & Co., and the
Clidahy '.; company jointly or sep
arately wield controlling interests in
574 companies, minority interests in
95 others, and undetermined interest
In 93, a total of 762 companies, and
thta they produce or dfeal in 775 com
modities, largely food products. The
report concludes that a fair consider-j
ation of the course the five packers
have followed and the position they
have reached indicates that they
threaten the country's food industries
and the by-product industries linked
therewith.
Feature of Packer Invasion
The packers are charged with hav
ing invaded the banking interests of
the nation to provide funds for their
own operations and to control loans
made to independent concerns.
The packer invasion of the leather
industry indicates that, in 1917, the
stocks of hides held in the United
States by the "Big Five" ranged from
90.7 per cent of a total of 96989,851
on January 31, 1916, to 88.6 per cent
of 143,921,858 pounds on July 31,
1917, at no time dropping below 87.1
per cent.
The Armour grain corporation of
Chicago controls 90 country grain
elevators and handles all kinds of sup
plies for farmers.
More than half of the butter, eggs,
poultry and cheese handled in inter
state commerce is said to be con
trolled by the "Big Five," with thM
packers having a virtual control on
the butter market.
"Big Five" in South American
More recently the packers have en
tered into the canned goods and vege
table market and into the handling of
groceries. In these lines they follow
the methods adopted in the meat busi
ness and are making great headway in
the American market.
t They handle 82.2 per cent of all
meat slaughtered in the United States,
and now' are invading South America
and are gaining control of the meat
in Uruguay, Argentina, and other
South American countries.
They control railroads, street rail
way lines, refrigerator cars, fruit
!arms in Hawaii and in the United
States, and have invaded virtually
every line of business in the United
States, according to the records of
the trade commission investigators.
Packer Dany all Charge
Louis F. Swift, of Swift & Co.,
speaking for all Chicago packers, has
issued a statement denying all charges
made by the trade commission, and
insisting that the paqkers are ready
and eager to aid the government in
any effort to carry out a fair in
vestigation and to determine the rea
son for the high cost of food. He
declares the packers are making a
profit of less than one cent a pound
on beef, and that their business is
conducted efficiently.
Swift asserts that the federal trade
commission is filing its reports at the
present time merely as a part of the
propaganda intended to inflame the
public mind and to force Congress to
pass drastic laws that will place the
packing industry under the arbitrary
control of subordinate officials
through a license system.
HIGHER FREIGHT RATES
EVITABLE
IN.
tion of l the roads a condition that
muut be4 corrected by adoption of a
constructive unified supervision. H
"The present condition of tie, trans
portation facilities may be better un
derstood if we review' briefly " the
changes that have taken place in the
past few years.
"The great prosperity of the rail
roads was between the fiscal years
ending in June, 1918, and June,
1907. : During this period the rail
roads showed continuous increases in
their gross revenues year by year,
and, as a result of that prosperity,
the physical condition of the railroad
properties was- raised to the highest
peak.;. ''?'.;. "
"In the autumn of 1907 the panic
occurred, and from July 1, "1907; the
beginning of the fiscal year 1908, the
financial and physical conditions
showed, with two exceptions, con
tinuous depreciation up to , the time
the railroads were taken over by the
government at the close of the cal
endar year, 1907. Between 1907
and 1914 twenty-eight major rail
way corporations and over fifty minor
corporations wept into bankruptcy.
"During the period above stated
the railways had only two prosperous
years, viz: the fiscal year 1910, dur
ing which there was a quick recovery
from the paralysis which followed the
panic of 1907, and again in 1913,
following a year of banner crops in
practically all lines of agriculture.
During those years the railroads were
fully maintained and probably some
gain was made, but the fiscal years
1911, 1912, 1914. 1915 and 1916 were
all lean years, and in order that the
roads might meet their interest and
dividend obligations, expenses were
reduced beyond a safe limit and the
properties depreciated.
"In the year 1917 railroad
revenues reached a very high level,
but due to the high cost and scarcity
of labor, and the unusual increase in
the cost of materials, the deprecia
tion of the physical properties conl
tinued.
"At the close of the fiscal year
1914 there were in service on Class
I and II railroads 2,325,647 freight
cars. Of that number 847,000 cars
were of the capacity of 60,000
pounds, under, and were practically
all of wood construction. If it had
not been for the meagre earnings of
the railroads in the period from 1907
to 1914 and the loss of credit due
to their improverished condition,
probably all of those cars would have
been renewed with modern cars with
in that time. ,As the railroad dis
abilities extended to 1917, it is fair
to assume that very little was done
in the replacement of those cars up to
the time the government took over
the properties. Those wooden can
were uneconomic, being 'deficient
both in carrying and cubic capacity,
too weak to meet the strain when in
terspersed with can of modern con
struction, and further loss of effi
ciency was suffered in the time con
sumed in making frequent and ex
tensive repain. The pre-war cost of
maintaining those inefficient can
averaged about $130 per annum, as
against $60 per annum, for modern
steel under-frame'' or all-steel can.
It is safe to say that all those 847,
000 can, except those that were no
longer fit to run, are still in service,
and that their war cost of mainten
ance is in the neighborhood of $300
per annum.
"There was a deficiency of $446,
000,000 in car replacement in the
period from 1908 to 1914, in
elusive. At the prices current in the
year 1915, those can could have been
replaced new at a cost of $847,000,'
000. At current prices the cost
would now be $2,445,600,000,
"An expert estimate' was made in
1915 of the depreciation of perma
nent way, bridges; buildings, u etc.,
and the conclusion was reached that
the depreciation had been up to that
time $2,000 per mile of main line;
As that condition has not been im
proved since thenfit is a safe assump
tion that it will 'require $3,000 per
mile of main line to bring the rail
road structure-tup to the required
status at this time, or $780,090,000
on the basis of pre-war cost. Assum
ing' 1e present cost, ' the amount
would be double "'oj $1,560,000,000:
. "Notwithstanding 'the increase of
twenty-five per cent in freight rate
afford the means of attaL. the Re
tired end and turning th operties
over to their owner for . ...lent and
competitive management v, 1th such
governmental regulatory encourage
ment as will insure the peak of serv
ice '.and prevent the exploitation of
either the public or the stockhold-
era." " -
ESPIONAGE
Attorney Clarence S. Darrow, of
Chicago, , visited Eugene V. Debs,
former Socialist candidate for pres
ident, at the Federal prison in At-'
lanta last ' Saturday. While in At
lanta, Attorney Darrow stated that
efforts are- under way to secure a
general amnesty for all penons who 1
have been convicted under the .
espionage law. ' ,l .1'.." I
Shepherd,
price.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.
COUNTY OF HENDERSON
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT
J. K. Carlule . MamU Carlisle
SERVICE BY PUBLICATION
NOTICE ,
The defendant above named will
take notice that an action entitled as
above has been commenced in the
Superior court of Henderson county'
for the purpose on the part of the
plaintiff of obtaining a divorce abso
lute from the defendant; and the said
defendant will further take notice
that she is required to appear at the
next term of the Superior court of
said county to be held on the 29th day
of September, 1919, at the court
house of said county in Henderson
ville, North Carolina, and answer or
demur to the complaint in said ac
tion, or the plaintiff will apply to the
court for the relief demanded in said
complaint.
This 28th day of July, 1919.
G. M. PACE,
Clerk Superior Court.
That further increases in freight
rates will ( be necessary in' order to
enable the railroads of the country to
restore their former equipment, is the
opinion expressed by the Republican
Publicity Association; in a statement, and approximately fifty per cent in
-x 41. 1. At., tv. : j ' ' . . - i: : . . , . ;
Kivmi uui. uirvugu uie president 01 ; passenger rates,, oraerea oy ine rail
road administration, effective June
that organization, - Hon. - Jonathan
Bourne, 'Jr. The statement saysr "
, "From facts' already developed in
the study of the problem of., re
estattluonient of ; our transportation
systems under private management, it
is clearly evident that the people of
America, must make apt in .one," form
or another, the depreciation in rail
road equipment suffered, in the1 past
few years because of inadequate rait
road revenue. fUpaa. ..'an .-. eQcient
transportation system; the prospenty
of every industry and -enterprise de-
pndiU-.The - shortsighted - and - un-
25, 191$ there is a deficit to the gov
ernment under Its guarantee, up to
and : including May of .this.rear,
amounting' to $tf 5,000,000, v;' ft lb
thus evident that; there must W an
other increase in rates! end 'the tmblii
.cannot have ntuVnyhope of aAy tedu'c
non m mese rates until tne deprecia
tion of the physical properties Which
has occurred in the; .past thirteen !
y(6aVs'has 'be'en felde goodThe V
doubtlesa convince J tV public t
0-9 greatetias. ' J tih r'
CONVICTS .
SEEK AJWMESTY
ii.li Luis' .ii'L
Ail'
want eggs at market
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATOR
loWheHi'You.'Can
Get the Good
HIT
JfiMW!
About Your Cod?
Having qualified as administrator
of the estate of A. M. Meace, - de-
teased, all penons indebted to the
estate are hereby notified to present
their claims to me at Arden, N. C,
by the 24th day of July; 1920. or this
notice will be. pleaded in bar of their
recovery. And all penons indebted
to the estate will make payment to
me.
This the 24th day of July, 1919.
JOHN Wv MEACE '
Administrator.
The Boston News Bureau says:
'Warning of danger of coal shortage, C. E. Lesher,
an official of the United States Geological Survey, told
House Committee on Rules that while 50,000,000 tons
of antharacite coal were available at this time last
year, there is now only 40,000,000 tons. Bituminous'
supply is also short, there being available now only
20,000,000 tons, against 294,000,00 last year at this
time. .
We have some on hand now
$8.00 While It Lasts
HendiersonviHe
Laundry, Ice & iFuf 1 Co.
-"PHONE 142 -
TUT
C.
HENDERSONVILLE, N.
3 DAYS, BEGINNING
Monday, .August
MATINEE, WEDNESDAY
SHAICESPEARE'S DELIGHTFUL COMEDY
- f. if'
mm
:ii'0r:ii
r-4 ' . t !(.- " " --tat, f ;;!;,! i i'-'i - t r -,
HORTENSE NIELSEN ao ROSALIND
Assisted by 150 Abbeville High School Students
Beot Trained Studcnb in tlie South
Ant
BiffilE L :7ITS D0IIATED TO PAH0II r.:ii":0?JALiHOSHTAL'
i fr,
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