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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (July 11, 1918)
PACK TWO Are the Packers Profiteers? Plain Facts About the Meat Business The Federal Trade Commission in its recent report on war profits, stated that the five large meat packers have been profi teering and that they have a monopoly of the market. These conclusions, if fair and just, are matters of serious con cern 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 pack ers were $140,000,000 for the three war yean. 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 mis leading, 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. Furthermore and this is very important only a small por tion 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 ordin ary amount of working capital The additional profit makes only a fair return on this, and as has been stated, the larger 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. If you are a business man you will appreciate the significance of these facts. If you are unacquainted with business, talk this matter 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. No evidence is offered by the Federal Trade Commission in support of the statement that the large packers have a monop oly. 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, and that they have no power to manipulate prices. If this were not true they would not dare to make this positive statement. Furthermore, government figures show that the five large pack ers 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 of by products, and of the wonderful story of the methods of distri bution 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 of together presenting this public statment. 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 of the American people with the facts before them. Armour and Company Cudahy Packing Co. Morris & Company Swift & Company Wilson & Company Even a small chew of Real Gravely Chewing Plug satis fies. It gives more real to bacco comtortthanabigchew of ordinary tobacco. Peyton Brand Real Gravely Chewing Plug 10c a pouch and worth it m P fife Gravely lattt iomuchlongrit cast! mo mora to chaw than ordinary plug P. B. Gravely Tobacco Company Danville, VirgioU LIVE CECIL NEWS HEMS Jim O'Conner, of the Last Camp, spent the week-end In lone. Miss Sarah E. May, of Lone Star ranch, left for Wasco on Sunday. W. G. Palmateer was a business ealler in Arlington on Wednesday. Master Jackie Hynd left for lone to visit among friends for a few days. Mr. and Mrs. Pettyjohn and family spent Thursday with the Barnes fam ily. Mrs. John Nash left for Portland, where site will visit for an Indefinite time. Fred Pettyjohn and family return ed home on Monday from Butter creek. W. Dunn returned to the Last Camp on Friday after spending a week in Keppner. Miss Violet Hynd left on Sunday to visit with Miss Bernice Franklin In Pendleton for a few weeks. Homer Nash came In on Tuesday to work for Leon Logan, who is starting with his heading. J. H. Franklin, who has heen working on the Jack Hynd ranch, left on Sunday for his home In Pendleton. Mrs. W. O. Palmateer and daugh ter, who have been spending the past few weks in Eugene, returned home on Thursday. John Ewing, who has been spend ing his vacation assisting Jack Hynd with his haying, left for Portland for a few days among his friends. Mrs. T. W. May of the Lone Star ranch, was called to her home in Cawker, Kansas, where her mother Is lying dangerously ill, on Thursday. Jack Hynd and son Herb, accom panied by Gilbert Mahoney, who has been working at Butterby Flats ranch for the past few days, autoed to Heppner on Wednesday. F. Phillips, who has been doing some work on his ranch near Arling ton, accompanied by his son returned on Monday to work on the George Miller new home which is nearlng completion. Dave Hynd and Miss Annie Hynd of Rose Lawn, Sand Hollow, arrived in Cecil on Sunday from Walla Walla where they have been spending the past few days. They left for Hepp ner on Monday. The following Cecilites took In the doings at lone on the Fourth: Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Nash, Mr. and Mrs. Herb Everett, Walter and Bob Pope, Misses Annie Hynd, Minnie Lowe, A. Henriksen and son Clifford, Jack Hynd and son Herb, Mrs. T. H. Lowe. They returned home in the early hours of the fifth, all reporting a good time. Cecil comes to the front again In the raising of funds for the Red Cross. Mrs. Jennie Lowe, postmis tress of this place knit a pair of red, white and blue socks which she do nated to the lone Red Cross chapter to be disposed of on the Fourth. The ladles of the Red Cross sold tickets on the socks, realizing from this source $49.50. Mr. Iloltmann of lone drew the socks and then turned them over to the ladies again to be sold. Jack Hynd, of Cecil, bought them for $8, turned them In again when they were sold to F. N. Chrlstenson of. tone at $6 and then to A. Henriksen of Cecil, who paid $8, and passed them up for further sale, C. W. Mc Namer getting the socks for $5. He has handed them over to the Red Cross for further dipoition and the total sum so far realized from this pair of patriotic socks Is 76.50. Just how much more the ladles will be able to realize will be settled when they have placed the socks on sale again. FOR BALE Best combine liarves. ter, 16 or 20 foot cut. in goo run ning order except draper. Terms reasonable. Inquire Sherman Wake field ranch on Heppner Flat. , FOlt SALE Sixteen-foot Holt Combine in good condition. Price reasonable. Inquire Gazette-Tlmea Good 7-Room House For Hale' And half-acre lot. An Ideal home. Terms reasonable. Fruit trees and shrubbery and good garden, Mrs. W. E. Walbrldge.
