The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 23, 1919, Page 13

Packers Seek to Klll Suspicion Millions Spent in “Dear Folks” Ads to Quiet Distrust of Busmess by Public—Colver Warns Wholesalers Washington Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. ESPITE the warning sounded by the federal trade commission a year ago and the senate in- vestigation last winter, the packer combine is seeking to lull to sleep public super- vision of their business. Millions of dollars- of excess packer profits have been used to buy advertising space for the “Dear Folks” letters of Wilson & Co., and the Armour & Co. publicity to direct public thoughts in channels leading away from the profit question. Once more the federal trade com- mission issues a warning, this time to the National Wholesale Grocers’ asso- ciation convention at Cincinnati. “You are told,” Chairman Colver said, “that the federal trade commis- sion carries a sword to smite Ameri- can business. Th&federal trade com- mission carries a shield, which it places over American business when- ever a business concern appeals to it against the aggressions-and unlawful interference of some unfair competi- tor. : “It has found that a meat trust ex- ists. It found that these great pack- ing concerns are rapidly extending their dominion and control over the whole food supply of the nation, and I beligve it is only a matter of time, unless the present tendencies are stop- ped, when these five concerns will ab- solutely dictate to the people of this country what they-shall eat and what they shall pay for it. THREATEN MAKERS OF ALL FOOD PRODUCTS “This development would mean the elimination of «all institutions which have been built up to manufacture and prepare food other than meat foods. It would mean the elimination of you, gentlemen, as distributors. It would mean that unfair advantage, piled upon unfair advantage, can not be met in business competition. It would mean that you are going to be help- less in your own defense.” s Chairman Colver mentioned a recent “Dear Folks” advertisement in ‘which an imaginary meal was described, in the olives and the coffee came from’ Wilson & Co. He pomted out that if there were any efficiency in this ruth- less invasion of outside busmess, it ought to be shown in lower prices; but prices were not lowered. Victor Murdock, federal trade com- missioner, in a statement to the house committee on interstate and foreign commerce, flatly denied the claim made by Edward Morris that the big packers are efficient. - He showed that such independent packers as Kingan & Co., and George A. Hormel of Aus- tin, Minn., made a better profit per pound on their business than did the .combine. Their organization was not loaded down with “overhead” costs, due to high finance and to the employ- ment of secret spies, lawyers, lobby- ists, ete. They bought their stock locally, and sold locally, or in a market reasonably close at hand. The big packers-replied that if the independents were doing enough busi- ' ness to require an outside selling or- ganization, and if they were big enough to be compelled to enter dis- tant markets, the independents’ costs would mount up too. Answering this, Murdock declared that it was the un- fair methods of the Big Five that had kept the mdependents in thexr restrict- ed field. Colver’s latest effort to arouse the country. to the danger of a complete food monopoly has.not penetrated to _ the.twp chambers of the new con- evaded taxation because they have, which ‘everything from the steak to - ‘gress, but there is hope that it wifl finally reach there. Sendtor Gronna .of Nirth Dakota, as chairman, of the senate cosnmittee on agriculture, pré- dicts that a bill avoiding. all mention of public ownership of the stockyards and stock cars—the federal trade com- mission declared public ownership to: be essential—will be passed. It will attempt to “regulate” the .packing" business by cufting off many of the side grafts which the packers now enjoy. However, the organized farmers’ protests are being heard more and more often as the weeks pass, while organized labor is beginning to join the organizations of consumers in taking up the fight. By the end of the summer this congress may have a wholly new light upon what the situ- ation requires. 314,936 TRACTORS IN 1919 A production of 814,936 tractors in the United States in 1919 is estimated by manufacturers reporting to the office of farm equipment control, United States department of agricul- ture. The reports obtained in a spe- cial inquiry by the department show a production of 132,697 tractors in 1918. The manufacturers gave the number of tractors of different sizes manufactured last year and estimates of the number of each size that, will be made this year. The figures for 1919, of course, are merely estimates and represent the aggregate of the estimates submitted by the tractor manufacturers in January and -Feb- ruary of this year. A summary of these reports follows: Number on hand December BLoL LT TTa s s ety o 15,5625 Number manufactured during TOAB N ¥ et inieatins ,697 Number sold in the United during 1918 ............ 96,470 Number sold for export dur- INET918 ol hiniT i, ' 36,351 Number on hand December 381, 1918....... T e 15,401 Manufacturers’ estimate of production for 1919 ..... 314,936 Number of tractors of different horsepower which manufacturers es- timate they will produce in 1919: Makers’ rating No. of belt horsepower tractors 9,:10 and 123 riidledve e 422! 16 aNdET8] irs ovs 51t sfos s v s s 48,545 00/ and 22 T S e e o “.. 157,671 24 and 26 A Sl vl e i e 40,875 27, 28,80 and 32 .......... . 27,465 36:and 86 ... i v e . 5435 40, 45 and 50 ............. L 1,780 60, 65, 70, 75 and 80 ........ 1536 Not given . -... ceereneeaens 23,409 HOG PASTURES Forage crops can be made to re- duce the amount of grain required in producing hogs. The effect of the suc- culent crops is necessary for the best results in growing pigs. W. F. La- - Grange of the North Dakota Agricul- tural college reports that a farmer at Chaffee who raises many hogs said re- cently that he has been using alfalfa, sweet clover and rape several years and that if he had to get along with- out these he would have to go out of the hog business. . POISON, POTATO BUGS A good remedy for potato bugs is to spray them with either paris green, one-half pound to 50 gallons of water, or arsenate of lead, two and one-half pounds to 50 gallons of water. The latter sticks to the leaves longer than the paris green. For a small pateh, the spraying can be done with a | whisk broom-and pail. A regular sprayer will give the best results.— NORTH DAKOTA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. % VERTISEMENTS [The GramSavmg ‘“‘Ifoundthefol- é‘«(m e ———— lowing saving 7% \ with the Grain- ; Saving Stacker: Wheat, 10 bu.to every 1000 bu. threshed; ‘oats, 25 bu. to the 1000; barley, 15 \ Kennard, Ag ronomist, Uni- [\ \\\\\\\\\\ versity of Min- v, \\\\\ \\\\“\\\\{\\ é\&\\ e nesota. The Grain-Saving Stacker is the ordinary gear- less wind stacker with the most smporiant sm- provement since wind stacking came into use. The deviceinthe hopper saves thegrain which other- wise goes to the stack and is wasted. It has saved many thousands of bushels—an enor- mous gain, at prevailing prices. Under even average conditions it will 3 - Save Enough Grain to Pay the Threshnng Bill The manufacturers of America’s standard threshing machlnes named below are preparedto furnish machines equipped with the Grain-Saving Stacker. Full information will be given you by any in this list, many of whom you will recognize as the manufacturers of the best-known tractors and farm implements. rite any f these for descriptive circular. LIST OF MANUFACTURERS United States Port Huron Engine & Thresher Co., Port Aultman & Taylor Machinery Co., Huron, Mich. Mansfield, O, The Russell & Co., Massillon, O, * Avery Co., Peoria, Tl Russell Wind Stacker Co., Indianapolis, Ind. A. D, Baker Co., Swanton, O. Sawyer-Massey Co., Ltd. (U. S. Agency), Banting Manufacturing Co Toledo, O. Moline, 11l Batavia Machine Co., Batavia, N. Y. Swayne, Robinson & Co., Richmond, Ind. Buffalo Pitts Co,, Buffalo, N. Y. The Westinghouse Co., Schenectady, N. Y. Cape Mfg. Co., Cape Girardeau, Mo. (Canada) J. 1. Case Threshing Machine Co., Racine, Wis. Robt. Bell Engine & Thresher Co., Ltd., Clark Machine Co., St. J ohnsvme N.Y. Seaforth, Ont. Ellis-Keystone Agricuitural Works, Dominion ’l‘hresher Co., Ltd., Pottstown, Pa. New Hamburg, Ont. Emerson-Brantingham Co., Rockford, Ill. Ernst Bros. Co., Ltd., Mt. Forest, Ontario Farmers Independent Thresher Co., John Goodison Thresher Co.,Ltd.,Sarnia,Ont. Springfield, Iil. Hergott Bros., Ltd., Mildmay, Ontario A. B. Farqubar Co., York, Pa, MacDonald Thresher Co., Ltd.,Stratford. Ont. Frick Co., Waynesboro, Pa, Sawyer-Massey Co., Ltd., Hamilton, Ont. Harrison Machine Works, Belleville, Ill, Stewart Sheaf Loader Co.,Ltd., Winnipeg, Man. Huber Manufacturing Co., Marion, o) Sussex Mfg. Co.,Ltd., Sussex ew Brunswick. Keck-Gonnerman Co., Mt. Vernon, Ind. Waterloo Mfg, Co., Ltd., Waterloo, Ont. Minneapolis Threshing Machine Co., R. Watt Machine Works, Ridgetown, Ont, Hopkins, Minn, George White & Sons Co., Ltd., London, Ont. The Grain-Saving Device Originated with The Indiana Manufacturing Co., Indianapolis, Ind., Who Also Originated the Wind Stacker View [ookmg m(o hopper showing gram trap near stacker fan; alsoauger nning from benealh trap for retum- SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! THE FORD TIRE & RUBBER CO. Has just established offices in St. Paul and Minneapolis to sell guaranteed tires and tubes direct to you, Mr. Nonpartisan Leaguer, not only Ford owners, but, as we carry a - tremendous stock of every size manufactured, we will sell. EVERY automobile owner his tires and tubes at factory prices. : Look over our prices! 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