The Stayton mail., July 11, 1918, Image 3

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ARE THE PACKERS PROFITEERS?
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Plain Facts About the Meat Business
T h e Federal T rade Commission in its recent report on w ar prof­
its, stated that the five large meat packers have been profiteering
and that they have a monopoly of the market
T hese 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.
T h e figures given on profits are misleading and the statement
that the packers have a monopoly is unsupported by the facts.
T h e packers mentioned in the report stand ready to prove their
profits reasonable and necessary.
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T h e meat business is one of the largest American industries. Any
citizen who would familiarize himself with its details must be pre­
pared for large totals.
fair return on this, and as.h as been stated, the large portion of the
profits earned has been used to finance huge stocks of goods and
to provide additions and improvements made necessary by the
enormous demands of our army and navy and the Allies.
• at • m • t t • *
If you are a business man you will appreciate the significance of
these facts. If you are unacquainted with business, talk this mat­
ter over with some business acquaintance—with your banker, say
—and ask him to compare profits of the packing industry with
those of any other large industry at the present time.
N o evidence is offered by the Federal T rad e Commission in support
of the statement that the large packers have a monopoly. T h e
Commission’s own report show s the large number and importance
of other packers.
T h e report states that the aggregate profits of four large packers
were $14l»,000,000 for the three w ar years.
T h e packers mentioned in the statement stand ready to prove to
any fair minded person that they are in keen competition with each
other, and that they have no power to manipulate prices.
T h is sum is compared with $19,000,000 as the average annual
profit for the three years before the war, m aking it appear that the
w ar profit w as $121,000,000 greater than the pre-war profit.
If this were not true they would not dare to
statement.
T h is compares a three-year profit with a one-year profit—a m an­
ifestly unfair method of comparison. It is not only misleading,
but the Federal T rade Commission apparently has made a m is­
take in the figures themselves.
T h e aggregate three year profit of $140.000,000 w?..* earned on
sales of over tour 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. N o other large business is conducted upon such small
m argins of profit.
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Furthermore—and this is very important—only a small portion of
this profit has been paid in dividends. T h è balance h as been put
back into the businesses. It had to be, as you realize when you
consider the problems the packers have to solve—and solvè quickly
—during these w ar years.
a
tt
make
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this positive
«
Furthermore, government figures show that the five large packers
mentioned in the report account for only about one-third of the
meat business of the country.
T h ey wish it were possible to interest you in the details of their
business. Of how, for instance, they can sell dressed beef for less
than the cost of the live animal, owing to utilization of by-products
and of the wonderful story of the method of distribution through­
out this broad land, as well as in other countries.
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T h e five packers mentioned feel justified in co-operating with each
other to the extent of together presentin; this pjblic statement.
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T h e y have been able to do a big job for your government in its
ti ne of need; they have met all wa- time demands promptly and
completely and they are willing to trust their case to the fairmind-
ness of the American people with tne facts before them.
Armour and Company
Cudahy Packing Co.
Morris & Company #
Swift & Company
Wilson & Company
T o conduct this business in w ar 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
am ount/ of working capital. T h e additional profit m akes only a
I
Ì i n i i i i i n n i i i i u i K H
FARM AND CITY LOANS
If you «re pitying a hi|{h rate of in­
terest, why not refund your loan at
h lower rate and more liberal term«.
It ia not Rood business to pay a
higher rate of interest than the
market demands, nor is it »food Inki­
ness to keep your surplus funds on
time de|Misits at 3 to -1 perct. peran-
num when ti per rent can readily be
secured on llrst Farm M o r ta ls. If
you have money to loan or wish to
refund or secure a new one, eall or
write S. H. HKI.T/.FL, ¡Slayton,
I • treifon.
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The Call of the East
silk kimonas and wears queer
Japanese footgear. As to her
hair dressing it is beyond descrip­
tion and the piles and coils of
glistening black hair that tower
above the winsome face make
one think only of so much smooth
cut jet. Margaret Loomis, who
is the second “leading lady” for
Mr. Hayakawa in this photoplav
also wears elaborate Oriental
costumes during part of the pro­
duction.
The recent fad for things and
dress Japanese which swept the
country and which is still induc­
ing ultra-fashionable women to
wear “pagoda hats” and carry
elaborate Japanese bags, has
been brought into play by clever
HeuInh Marie Di\, author of
“The Cali of the Fast,” in which
Sessue Ha.vakawa. the’ famous
Japanese actot is starring at the
Star theatre on Saturday July
Demand for Labor
the 13th,
MRS. E. M. G IL B E R T
Aside from the remarkable
piano teacher from Seattle, Wash, dramatic value of the production,
Every community will be
s purchased a borne at West Stay ton tnere are included in it scenes o£ combed for war workers.
War
d will take h limited number of pu­
industries
are
short
nearly
400,-
such true Oriental splendor, and
tt at summer rates.
References
costumes
of such gorgeousness 000 common laborers, and lack
rnished.
that the picture for its beauty of workers in the coal mining
is imperrilling all war
Several persons from this corn- alone would be an imminent pro­ industry
product
on.
Th*»re is also a ser­
duction.
unity attended the camp meet-
ious
si
ortage
o*’ skilled lalmr.
Demure
little
Tsuru
Aoki,
g at Turner Sunday. The
One
of
the
largest
munition
wife
of
the
star
appears
:n
sev­
««tings will continue over next
ere1 of the heav est embro dered ' plants turn n r u ue. v aliber
guns, is short 2,000 machinists.
The war plants of Connecticut
and Maryland are undermanned
35,00.) machinists.
The United States Employment
service will begin an intensive
recruiting of workers for war
work from the non essential in­
dustries. Employment offices
will be increased and the force
of local agents and traveling ex­
aminers will be enlarged and
sent into every community that
relief may be given before the
¡ban against private labor recruit­
ing goes into effect on August 1.
Will Q re for Health
of Women Workers
Health of women workers in
munition plants will be looked
after by women health officers
who are tt be trained under the
direction of the Women’s Divi­
sion of the Industrial Service
Section of the Army Ordnance
Department.
An eight weeks’ course of
study for carefully selecte I wo­
men health officers has opened at
Mount Holyoke College. Mass.
Every hour is valuable in farm The course is under the general
work this year, warns th • De­ direction of Dr. Kristine Mann,
partment of Agriculture. Avoid health supervisor of the Women’s
delays in threshing. Every honr Branch of the Ordnance Depart­
a threshing machin * is kept idle ment. The staff of lecturers
becau e of breakage or bad ad­ and instructors -nclude well
justment means lime lo t in the known specialists in physiology
work of gettin c Ito i fo- the sol­ and hygiene, physi al education,
diers fighting o preserve Amer­ factory organization and labor.
ican principle a J America
Women taking the course are
| | | u u u !
college graduates or of equiva­
lent technical education. Almost
all of them have had experience
in dealing with working women.
First requirement for admission
to the course is perfect health,
and only those were selected who
will inspire wholesome living
among the munition workers.
Chtoride of Lime
This is Chloride of Lime Time
15c can 2 for 25c Beauchamp's
Drug Store.
Rev. B. M. Parounagian deliv­
ered a splendid lecture in the op-,
er^ house last night on Turkey
and Mohammedanism but the
crowd that greeted him was
small.
“East Lynne” is the title of
the big 5-act drama lo be given
July 2ird at Sublimity. Proceed*
for Our Boys.
Star theatre Sunday Doug Fair­
banks in Wild and Wooly-