Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1918 — Page 3

| SATURDAY, JULY IS, IMS 1 <

GOSSIP by OUR CORRESPONDENTS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT INTEREST YOU

FAIR OAKS The Fourth passed off unusually quiet in these parts. N. A. McKay and wife visited their son Frank and family at Gary over Sunday. Charles Hall and family of Paxton, Illinois, spent the Fourth here with relatives. Mr. Clark of Lee came the first of the week and visited a few days at Bert Warne’s. Mrs. Fyfe' and children of Wheatfield came Tuesday and visited her brother a few days. James Clifton and son have the contract to rebuild a large stock barn on the ranch for Mr. Hqjficker. Mr. Boyle, son and daughter of Muncie, drove over Tuesday and visited a few days at Matt Karr’s. - Jkmy Bringle left Saturday for a ff -ile of weeks’ visit with friends lE’.lndianapolis, Rushville and Roan-

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 they 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 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 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 sftles-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 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 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 additional profit

G. I. Thomas of Remington, in company with another man, was here Friday looking after his property. IMatt Karr and son Sam left here the latter part of the w r eek in their Ford for Minnesota on a business trip. The weather has not been very good growing weather the past week, being too cool, but it has been fine to work. Uncle John Casey and sister, Martha, who visited Burroughs’ and Crawfords’ a few days last week, returned to Marion Saturday. Paul Wegging of near Aix, the junk dealer of wide acquaintance. Was here Tuesday cleaning up the old scraps left by other dealers. The painting and stenciling of the walls of the school rooms will be finished in a few days. The plumbers came up Tuesday and got busy again. Roy Brouhard has been having a pretty serious 'time with a badly lacerated jaw, the result of having some teeth pulled. He has been unable to work since then. Orval Bringle came utp from Remington the Fourth and took his wife and baby home with him. Th former had been unable to go home owing to sickness the past couple of weeks. _ „ ‘ .

THE TWICE-A-WEEK DEMOCRAT

Trustee .Hanrrnerton was here Monday evening and helped to make arrangements and map out a program for the dedication of the new school building and commencement, which takes place August 3. While visiting relatives here last week Uncle John Casey received a letter from his sister at Gas City stating that his daughter, Fawn, had just been married to a fine Italian singer by the name of Oriaho Potinio. a well-to-do restaurant keep, er in. Marion. She had been employed as head cook for him for nearly a year, but now she holds a more important position.

GIFFORD

Services Sunday evening at 7:30 by Bert Warne of Fair Oaks. Mrs. Minnie Hilton of Moody was in our town shopping Tuesday. Ira Daniels of Rensselaer was seen in our burg Monday evening. Miss Lena Hurley and Miss Ethel Allie spent Tuesday in our burg. Charles Hall and Miss Vesta Jones were married at Rensselaer Tuesday. Mrs. Chester Caster and daughter Beatrice spent the last of the week in Gary. - Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Smith and eon Paul were Medaryville goers Tuesday. _

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, sayand 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 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 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 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 of by-pro-ducts, and of the wonderful story of the methods of distribution throughout this broad land, as well as in other countries. The five packers mentioned feel justified in co-op-erating 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 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

The railroad superintendent was out over this division of the Monon Tuesday. The little son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Scott is on the sick list at this writing. Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Hall and children spent Saturday and Sunday with relatives at Fair Oaks. Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Nuss have moved here from Lacross and occupy the T. M. Calahan property. Charles, Scott and family spent from Wednesday until Thursday evening with his brother near Medaryville. j Mr. and Mrs. Orvile Fisher and children of Kersey and Teddy Keen spent Sunday with home folks here, Mr. and Mrs. Nate Keen. Mr. and Mrs. William Hayes and children and Mr. and Mrs. Jud Zook and children called on Mr. and Mrs. Guy Zook and children Sunday. “Food will win the war,” and everybody in our vicinity is using their garden products and corn meal to save the wheat and meat, to be sent to our soldier boys “over there.” The draft of the week of July 22 will take several of our farmer boys. It is reported that Harry Walker, Albert Hurley and Alva ■Hall are to be taken at that time,

<?nd also Edward Wilson of Monon.. Our oil man, Ross Ramey of Rensselaer, was slow this week and we had to do without coal oil for two days, which was hard on the oil stoves, and when he did come ten gallons was all we could get until Tuesday. William Clevinger, who has heen stationed at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, is home on a furlough and is visit!ng friends at Gifford. He has been in the'hospital for about four pionths and is not looking very good owing to his sickness. Mr .and Mrs Jake Myers renewed word from tbeir son Dick, who had been in training at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for about a year and was lately sent from there to Jersey City, that he had arrived safely in France. \\ < A joyful bunch, consisting of twenty-six Gifford people, went to Kankakee, Illinois, to spend the Fourth, Harry Gifford of Rensselaer taking them over in his truck, starting early Thursday morning and getting back Friday after an enjoyable day. This bunch is also planning to attend the state fair this fall.

LEE

C. A. Lefler and family spent Sunday at Ji. C. Anderson’s.

The Home Missionary ladies met with Mrs. Walter Jordan Tuesday afternoon. Mrs, Frank Eldridge’s sister and family of Chicago spent Saturday night with them. Mr. and Mrs. Braddock of Rens-selaer-were here this week visiting G. A. Jacks and wife. J. H. Gulp and family and Elmer Gilmore and family ate Sunday dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Roy Gulp. W. L. Stiers’ family went to Valparaiso Monday, where they rented a house and will move there soon. Miss Lural Anderson went as far as I.<- fayette Monday with Mrs. M'aTgg’? Hoover on her homow t’d journo r Glen Culp is checking up his interest in the hardware firm of Culp & Sons, preparatory to going to the training camp about the 22nd of this month. On Wednesday Mr. and Mrs. Braddock of Rensselaer accompanied Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Jacks to visit Thorston Otterberg and family of Barkley toWnshlp. On Friday of last week Mrs, H. C. Anderson, Miss Lural Anderson, Mrs. Rebecca Jacks and Mrs. Maggie Hoover autoed to Medaryville to visit Mrs. Alice Pogue and famjly.

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