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Show HUGE PfiOFJTS IN I&JMIES Startling Facts Revealed by Treasury Department. WOhST IS IN FOODSTUFFS Profiteering by Producers of Common Necessities, Bad Enough in 1916, Was Enormously Increased in 1917 In Most Instances. Washington, Aug. 17. Amazing prof-Its prof-Its In almost every branch of American Ameri-can Industry were brought to light when the treasury department completed com-pleted Its long-awaited report on profiteering. prof-iteering. The report covers 31,500 corporations, corpora-tions, the names of which are withheld. with-held. It was prepared In response to the Borah resolution, adopted by the senate after President Wilson, In his revenue address to congress on May 27, declared that there was "abundant fuel for the light" In the treasury department de-partment with regard to profiteering. The treasury department takes the position that It would be a violation of existing law to make public the names of corporations and their earnings. earn-ings. The senate resolution Is not sufficient suf-ficient to suspend the law; It would require a Joint resolution, the treasury department holds. The most extraordinary profiteering revealed by the report was in foodstuffs. food-stuffs. Producers of nearly all the common necessities of life were shown to have made enormously increased profits in 11117 over 1016, although their .' earnings In 1016 were In numerous "fnsps far above the 100 per cent mark. Meat packers' profits were shown to , have Increased substantially. One large packer made $10,000,000 more in 1917 than in 1910. In the iron and steel Industry sensational sensa-tional profits were disclosed. In coal nd oil profits mounted to unparalleled Bgures. Public utilities of virtually every character also enme in for a. liberal lib-eral share of the increased prosperity. Large Profits of Dairies. Among the dairy concerns large increases in-creases of profits were shown. One company with $000,000 capital made H16G.0OO in 1917, against $25,000 the rear before. The small dairymen made the largest percentages of increased in-creased profits. One little concern with a capital of $2,400 made $11,659, bs compared with $4,000 for 1910. Fruit and vegetable growing industry's indus-try's profits increased considerably over those for 1916, although they were fairly large for that year. One concern's profits were 240 per cent more for 1917 than for 1916. Concerns with small capital showed the largest Increases. Wheat, corn and barley growing was not so profitable, according to the returns. re-turns. One concern with $425,000 capital cap-ital Inst money. Stock breeding showed substantially . Increased profit In nearly all the concerns con-cerns listed. The Industry also showed large profits for the previous year. One concern's profits were 255 per cent more in 1917 than in 1916. A large number of industries listed B3 "miscellaneous agricultural industries" indus-tries" showed some strikingly large profits, beginning in 1916 and increasing increas-ing rapidly in 1917. Food Men Gain Riches. Of 210 concerns listed under the caption cap-tion "Bread and other baking products," prod-ucts," profiteering of an amazing character char-acter was shown. For example, one company capitalized at $40,000 increased in-creased its profits from $50,000 in 1910 to $107,000 in 1917. Few of them showed Increases of less than 20 per cent on their capital stock. In the canning Industry one company com-pany which earned 377 per cent in 1916 earned 1,047 per rent in 1917. Another, capitalized at $9:1,000, made $247,000 In 1917. against $6(1,000 in 1910. A $50,000 concern which made $25,000 in 1916 made $142,000 In 1917. The manufacture of syrups, molasses molas-ses and glucose netted much increased profit. One company Willi S350.000 capital earned $:i0;i.000 in 1917 against $176,000 In 1916. Ice cream was an especially big money maker. Of more than 500 Hour, feed and grist mills listed only a few failed to show largely increased profits. One $2,500,000 concern made $752,000 in 1916 and $1.20(1.000 in 1917. There was a general upward rise In most packing companies' profits. The largest concern listed had a capital nf $100,000,000. upon which it earned $19.-006.000 $19.-006.000 In 1917, against $:10,000 000 in 1916. Startling Profits In Leather. Leather manufacturers, including the dealers in hides, and makers of boots and shoes nnd trunks ami valises, made profits In 1916 and 1917 that are startling. One shoe manufacturing concern. Willi $1,000,000 capital, made 313 per cent In 1916. hut no excess In 19!-. Scores of boot and shoe manufacturing manufac-turing concerns, whose capital was from $100.0(10 to $1,000,000, made all the way from 20 to more than 1,000 per cent In 1916. The profits of the brewers ranged from 25 to 175 per cent In 1916. and their excess profits in 1917 were from 5 to 50 per cent, most of the large breweries making an average profit of 42 to 50 per cent In 1910. and an excess ex-cess profit of 10 per cent In 1917. The distillers of whiskies and spirits spir-its made profits In 1910 that ranged from 9 to S23 per cent, while their ex cess profits last year were from 12 to 400 per cent. Coal Men Pile Up Wealth. The Pennsylvania and West Virginia Vir-ginia soft coal mining companies made enormous excess fits in 1917, according ac-cording to the repi . .. The large companies com-panies all made profits in 1916 ranging from 25 to 150 per cent. In 1917" all of the large bituminous operators, the report shows, made unusual un-usual profits. One mine made 1,626 per cent on its capital in 1916 and 4,337 per cent In 1917. Another made 1,872 per cent in 1910 and 5.9S3 per cent In 1917. Profits of the midcontinent bituminous bitumi-nous operators were smaller, averaging averag-ing 50 per cent. The big oil producing companies of Illinois, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia made from 28 to 396' per cent in 1916 and enormous excess profits in 1917. The Texas, Oklahoma1 and Kansas oil companies showed, similar profits for both years. All of the garment manufacturers made gigantic profits In 1916, those for the larger companies ranging from 25 to 75 per cent tliat year. They showed excess profits In 1917 of from 5 to 55 per cent. Small dealers In flour and grain, with capital stock of from $1,000 to $S,000, made excess profits that ranged as high as 519 per cent. The report also shows that the small dealers in furniture and other household house-hold goods made enormous profits last year, with excess profits as high as 350 per cent. Retail dealers in tobacco made enormous enor-mous profits off the smokers of the country, the highest being 3,176 per cent, and the average approximately 80 per cent in 1916. These profits were doubled during 1917. Auto Builders Wax Fat. Most of the automobile companies hit high marks in earnings in 1916, but they went still higher in 1917. The largest listed, however, did not show any extraordinary increase in profits over those of 1916. One company with $31,000,000 capital In 1916 earned $17,-000,000, $17,-000,000, then boosted its capital stock to $96,000,000 and then earned $23,-000,000. $23,-000,000. A $19,000,000 concern which earned $4,60S,000 In 1916 made $5,258,-000 $5,258,-000 in 1917. A $16,000,000 company made . $4,713,000 In 1917, against $4,-109,000 $4,-109,000 in 1916. A tin plate mill with $49,000,000 capital cap-ital made $54,000,000 net profit in 1917, against $19,000,000 in 1010, or an increase in-crease of 72 per cent on its capital stock. Transportation, public utilities, and light and power companies, with very few exceptions, fared exceedingly well during 1916 and 1917. Their profits in 1916 generally ranged from 6 to 80 per cent on their capital stock, while they nearly all made excess profits in 1917 of from 3 to 35 per cent. Profits of the large public utilities companies in 1916 and 1917 ranged from 11 to 25 per cent. Steam and electric railroads in 1916 made from 17 to 207 per cent profits, while in 1917 they made profits in excess of 1916 that ranged between 15 and 20 per cent, according to the report. re-port. Marine, fire, and life Insurance concerns con-cerns enjoyed unusually large increases in-creases in profits. One company earned 493 per cent more on Its capital cap-ital stock in 1917 than in 1916. Another An-other capitalized at $700,000 increased its income from $324,000 in 1916 to $3,77S,000 in 1917. How Dry Goods Men Fared. A list of 2,092 clothing and dry. goods merchants, including department stores, showed profits for 1917 In excess ex-cess of those over 1916,- as high as 191.43 per cent on the capital stock. The concerns making the enormous profits, however, were the smaller firms. Retail grocers and provision brokers made their enormous "war profits" in 1916, the report shows. The grocers gro-cers made only a small profit in 1917 in excess of their 1916 profits. Of the 1.633 concerns listed In the report, however, only a dozen show profits of less than 20 per cent on their capital stock in 1916, the year before the United Unit-ed States entered the war, and the profits of some concerns that year were as high as 1.S13 per cent. Most of the grocers, both large and small concerns, the report shows, made average av-erage profits in 1916 of from 50 to 200 per cent. |