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11
THE A U R O R A O B S E R V E R
NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT
No one has the temerity to defend the actions of the
N. C.. WESCOTT
E ditor and P ublisher Germans in Belguim, for there is no longer any question
Entered as second class matter March 28, 1911, at the postoffice at Aurora ; that what has occurred there is the systematic and delib
Oregon, /under the A ct o f March 3. 1879.
erate policy of the German government, prepared for in
advance, and carried through without justice or mercy.
DEFICIENCY APPROPRIATIONS
The proposed war fund bill which would have laid a The German violation of Belgian territory and the disre
tax o f 1 mill on all taxable property failed to get on the gard o f all treaty obligation was a national crime, but
ballot as its sponsors were unable to complete the petitions these pale into insignificance when compared with thej
in time to file on the date required by law. The state vile actions that followed—the burning o f villages, the j
officials who created the state military police must now shooting o f peaceful priests, doctors, and teachers, the
apply to the state legislature to provide for the $250,000 wholesale destruction o f homes, the execution of women
deficiency due to the organization of the military patrol. nurses, the outraging of young girls and married women,
And the legislature will be compelled to contend with 6 and many other Prussian deeds that can only be whispered
per cent limitation law, in making this deficiency appro from man to man. While no one dares to defend these
priation. It is much easier to create deficiencies than to acts of cruelty, rapine and murder, a few German sympa
provide funds to meet them. When the legislature meets thizers still deny them, but the deeds which Germany Jias
one of its first acts should be a declaration that the state admitted and has officially described and glorified, are her
emergency board is not a legislative body and has no awn condemnation, and prove to the rest o f the world that
authority to create new state organizations nor to “ ap ¡no struggle is too long and jio sacrifice too great to de
propriate” state funds for aqy purpose.
stroy the menace o f Prussian militarism.
THURSDAY. JULY 11, '.918.
j
AURORA GARAGE
IS NOW CARRYING A PULL LINE OP PARTS
• FOR CHEVROLET and FORD CARS
ACCESSORIES
Greases
MILLER & ISAACSON, Props.
Are the Packers Profiteers?
Plain Facts About the M eat Business
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.
been used to finance huge stocks o f goods and to provide
additions and improvements made necessary by the enor
mous demands o f our army and navy and the Allies.
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.
If you are a business man you will appreciate the signifi
ance o f these facts. I f you are unacquainted with busi
ness, talk this matter over with some business acquaint
ance—with your banker, say—and ask him to compare
profits o f the packing industry with those o f any other
large industry at the present time,
The figures given on prpfits are misleading and the states
ment 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 o f the largest American indus
tries. Any citizen who would familiarize himself with its
details must be prepared for large totals.
The report states that the aggregate profits o f four large
packers were $140,000,000 for the three war years.
This sum is compared with $19,000,000 as the average
annual profit for the three years before the war, making
it appear that the war profit was $121,000,000 greater
than the pre-war profit.
This compares a three-year profit with a one-year profit—
a manifestly unfair method 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 o f $140,000,000 was
earned on sales o f over four a half billion dollars. It
means about three cents on each dollar o f sales—or a mere
fraction of a cent per pound of product.
Packers’ profits are u negligible factor in prices o f live
stock and meats. Nor other large business is conducted
upon such small margins of profit.
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 thd packers
have had to solve-andsolve quickly-duringthese war years
To conduct this business in war times, with higher costs
and the necessity o f paying two or three times the former
prices for live stock, has required the use of two or three
times the ordinary amount o f .working capital. The ad
ditional profit makes only a fair return on this, and .as has
been stated, the larger portion of the profits earned has
N6 evidence is offered by the Federal Trade Commission
in support 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
çompetition with each other, and that they have no power
to manipulate prices.
If this were not true they would not dare to
positive statement.
make this
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.
They 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 o f by-products, and o f the wonderful story of
the methods o f distribution throughout this broad land, as
well as in other countries.
The five packers mentioned feel justified in co-operating
with each other to the extent o f together presenting this
public statement.,
They have been able to do a big job for your government
in its time of need; they have met all war time demands
promptly and completely and they are willing to trust
their case to the fairmindedness o f the American people
with the facts before them.
Armour and Company
Cudahy Packing Co.
Morris & Company
Swift & Company
W ilson & Company
Free Air