Show commissioner RE PORT ON BEEF INDUSTRY the report of commissioner garfield on the beef industry has at last been published it must be somewhat of a surprise to those who have been indulging in wholesale adverse criticism upon the methods of the chicago packers as it discloses facts and figures which clearly show that the great food producers have been innocent of the serious offenses with which they have been charged they have been for a long time accused by newspapers all over the country of extortionate prices demanded and ob talked of depression of values of cat tie at the various stockyards where their business la conducted of enor profits wholly disproportionate to the capital employed and in gen eral of carrying on their business that the public under an organized system of spoliation were being robbed tor their exclusive benefit we find now however that not a single one of these charges has been sustained but on the contrary that rigid and searching investigation of fic lally made has resulted in corn acquittal instead of extortion it Is shown that no industry can be found where so narrow a margin of profit prevails the actual records and original en tries to which the commissioner had tree access showing that the bagh est net profit any of the jackera made on their sales of beet was two and three tenths per cent in 1902 and in one instance that the profit realized in 1904 was one and eight tenths pet cent the variations in the market prices tor cattle are exhaustively treated and no evidence of any kind was dla covered or even hinted at tending to show that values of cattle are in the slightest degree improperly affected or controlled by packers at any of the chief centers of the industry on the whole the report completely dissipates the prevalent idea that great fortunes are being amassed by illegal and improper methods cm aloyed by western packers showing that notwithstanding the high prices tor beet prevailing in 1802 the bust ness was less than in years characterized by normal values both tor cattle and product ha say that the year 1902 instead of being one of exorbitant profits as has been commonly supposed was less profit able than usual in tact during the months when the prices of beet were the highest some at least of the leading packers were losing money on every head of cattle slaughtered it was not possible to advance the prices of beet in full proportion to the great advance in the prices of cattle at that time after all that has been written reflecting ting upon the great business in terest engaged in the marketing and distribution of the product of one of the greatest of our national indus tries it is gratifying to all fair minded people that the prejudiced attacks upon it have failed 0 verification and the great western packers may be congratulated for having passed through such a searching and thor ough official investigation the results jot this investigation based as it Is upon exhaustive data officially obtained and verified by united states government experts must be accepted without hesitation as the investigation was made under circumstances that guaranteed corn alete accuracy with a possible dispo indeed to arrive at entirely different j esulis |