Newspaper Page Text
, A Y MORNING, JULY 10, 1918,
MILI7EDGEVILLE, GEORGIA.
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
profiteering and that trey have a monopoly of the market.
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.
The figures given on profits are misleading and the state
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 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
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 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 poundo f 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
portion of this profit has been paid in dividends. The
balance has been put back into the businesses. 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 ordinary amount of working capital. The addi
tional 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 enor
mous demands of our army and navy and the Allies.
* • * * *
If you are a business man you will appreciate the signifi
cance 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.
* * * 4c
No evidence is offered by the Federal Trade Commission in
support of the statement That the large packers have a mo
nopoly. The Commission’t 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 keep com
petition with each other, and that they have no power to
manipulate prices.
If this were not true they would not dare to make this pos
itive statement.
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 util
ization of by products, and of the wonderful story of the
methods of distribution throughout this broad land, as well
as in other countries.
The five packers mentioned ^eel justified in co-operating
with each other to the extent of together presenting this
public statement.
They have been able to do a big job for your government
in its time of need; they ha\ e met all war time demands
promptly and completely and they are willing to trust their
case to the fairmindness of I he American people with the
facts before them.
ARMOUR AND COMPANY
CUDAHY PACKING CO.
MORRIS & COMPANY
SWIFT & COMPANY
WILSON & COMPANY
t0 OBJECTOR
!s JOE HILL HALL
F“ ,y !l ; l ’nele Joe Hill llnil
is getting the repute-
P p t' 10 < Lampion objector
house of representa-
lol, K t ay ° f 11,0 I ,rpsent
1 J ''"'l to the riittllcutlon
L nu ' Prohibition amend*
m s,iluUon of lh0 United
( " hoils '' over-rode his ob-
I 0 '^helming majority.
l> ted 'o the passage of
„ nK t*oorglans in the
! to vote in state and
llus tall being one of
assures on the calen-
| 1#B nt * e,#,0 n. and being
l#st ‘ lni,n u -’ consent mat-
►bi., ' r 10tle hlm by an-
I ‘ “ n F majority and pass-
Me llouse haH suggest-
hr bJV 111 bo objecting
1 • e chaplain before
1" over
^ “Baby Bond’ 1
UNITED STATES WILL
FREE OCEANS OF SUBS
Secretary of Navy Says U-Boats Aro
Being Sunk Faster Than Germany
Can Build Them.
New York. July 9—The United
States launched Thursday a greater
tonnage in ships than she has lost
during the whole war, Secretary Dan<
iols said in an address at the Fourth
of July celebration of the Tammany
society.
.More Ilian 400,000 deadweight tons,
he said, are going into the water from
American shipyards its a part of the
Independence Day celebration, while
the total American tonnage destroyed
by submarining is estimated at 2->2
229 tons, including 67,815 tons sunk
before the United States entered tlu«
war.
••We aro launching today,” Mr. Dan
iels continued, "more than the Ger
mans sank of the ships of all nations
in the last month, for which we have
official figures. The recenty enem
submarine activities off our coast re
sulted in the Iobs of 25,411 gross tons
of American shipping. During this
time 130,000 deadweight tons of chip
ping were built.
"Today one of the most Impressive
Fourth cf July celebrations will he
the launching of fourteen new destroy
ers, and scores more will be launched
and commissioned before the end of
the summer. With an increasing num
ber thereafter, until these best foes
of the submarine, In co-operation with
craft of the Allied nations, will free
the world forever of the assussains of
ho seas, for German U-Boats are be
ing sunk faster than Germany can
build thorn."
2,722,563 Ton* Built
Mr. Daniels said that against the
total American ship loss was to be
placed a construction of 2,722.563 tons
since the European war began, 1,726,-
o which had been built since the
United States entered the war. There
was in adition, ho added, 650,000 tons
of German shipping taken over and
now a single day’s contribution of
400,000 additional tons launched. He
noted the Joy with which German and
Austrian papers hailed the appenrnnee
of submarines off the American coast.
“The submarine," hesaid, “will he a
source of destruction as long as one
sk. Iks in the ocean, but as a possible
effective menace in determining the
result »f this war, depth bombs, de
side would he bound to leaud to its
science unite to insure its utter v iuipo- realization,
tence as a decisive factor.” "Our enemies today,’’ continues the
Mr. Daniels paid warm tribute to newspaper "have the opportunity of
tho valor of the American Army as obtaining a peace not prescribed by
shown in the lighting in France. With
;i
uiiimiiuiiiiiiimmiiiuimmiiiiuiuiiiiHmmmmiHimiiuiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiUhiiitiiu"
GROW BIGGER CROPS
-AND-
PERMANENTLY IMPROVE YOUR SOIL
W —BY FERTILIZING WITH-
CAMP WHEELER HORSE MANURE
all SHIPMENTS MADE FROM CAMP. NEAR MACON. GA.
ATLANTA
BUTLER & PINSON
Silling Agents
GEORGIA
little training they had gone up
against the “best troops of the kaiser’’
he said, “and proven themselves every
bit the equal of Prussian veterans."
We glory in the courage and abil
ity displayed by all of our troops, but
1 may he pardoned as head of the na
val service for an especial pride in
tlie exploits of marines who at Chateau
Thierry and other points have upheld
the best traditions of the corps.”
PEOPLE OF GERMANY
READY FOR PEACE
Cut Off From Overseas Raw Material
Central Empires Are Experiencing
Inconveniences.
the war map but based ou the equi
poise of tho military and economic
forces of both sides.
“Tho policy of truth demanded by
Phillipp Seheidemann (socialist lead
er) requires an admission that the
economic forces of the German people
are not inexhaustible and the fact that
we are cut off from overseas raw ma
terial is being increasingly felt.
“The more candidly wo speak of
this matter tho more readily will our
eremics believe us when we say that
this oppressive situation can only in
duce us for years to make greater mil
itary offorts, hut not to accede to con
ditions dishonoring the German peo
ple and damglng their interests per
manently.
"The conclusion of a poaace with
honor thus corresponds to the inter
ests of our adversary In the same de
gree us our own."
Amsterdam, July 9.—In a leading ar
ticle the socialist newspaper Vorwaert
of Berlin declares that the desire cf
the German people for a speedy peace
with honor is so strong that a sensl- War savings Stamps steadily ta
ble accommodation from the other crease in value.