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.