Show r PROFITEERING IS BARED BY REPORT Treasury Department Tells How the American Public Has Been Made to Pay BI BIG INCREASES OVER 1916 Producers of Foodstuffs Made the Most Enormous Profits and Nearly Every Other Branch of Industry Piled Up Huge R Riches ches Washington A Aug g. g 17 The The treasury departments department's report on profiteering just completed In response to a senate resolution and covering corporations corporations corpo corpo- rations reveals re the fact that astonishing astonishing aston aston- profits have hn been made in al almost almost al- al most every ery branch of Industry in America In 1910 1916 and 1017 The names of the concerns are not made public The treasury department takes the position that it would be a violation of Jt existing law to make public the names of corporations ns and their earn earn- In lags ings s. s The senate r resolution on is not suf suf- j to suspend the law it would require a Joint resolution the treasury department holds The most extraordinary profiteering revealed by the report was in food food- stuffs Producers of nearly all the common necessities of life were shown to have e made enormously increased profits in 1917 over o 1916 although their earnings In 1916 were In numerous cases far above the per cent mark Meat packers' packers profits were shown to have hae Increased substantially One Onel l large rge packer made more more In 1917 than in 1916 In n the Iron and steel Industry st sensational sensational sensa sensa- profits were disclosed In coal and oil profits m t to unparalleled unparalleled figures Public utilities utilities' of virtually every character also cam came in ln for a liberal lib lib- liberal eral share of ot the increased prosperity Large Profits of Dairies s. s Among the dairy concerns l large rge Increases increases in In- creases of profits were sI shown shop O n. One One company with capital made 1 In 1917 against th the year before The small dairymen made the largest argest percentages of ot Increased increased In in- creased profits One little concern concerti r.-Ith r. with a capital capita of 2400 made as compared with for 1916 Fruit and vegetable growing Industry's industry's industry's indus Indus- try's profits increased considerably over over th those se for 1016 1916 although they were fairly large for that year One i concerns concern's profits were per cent more for 1917 1017 than for 1916 Concerns with small capital showed the largest I L l Increases Wheat corn and barley growing was wad not not so profitable according to the re re- turns One concern with capital cap cap- Hal ital lost money Stock breeding showed substantially lly Increased ed profit in nearly all the conI concerns cont con con- I t cerns cerna listed The Industry also showed p b large profits for the previous year to One concerns concern's profits were per percent percent 1 cent more In 1917 than In 1916 A large number of ot industries listed f. f ns as miscellaneous agricultural Industries Industries industries Indus Indus- tries showed some strikingly large profits be beginning In 1916 lOW and IncreasIng Increasing ing rapidly in 1917 Food Men Gain Riches Of concerns listed under the capr caption cap cap- r Lion tion Bread Brend and other baking products products prod prod- f. f profiteering of an amazing character chars charr char char- s r acter after was shown For example one company capitalized at Increased increased in In- r 0 creased its profits from in 1916 1016 r. r L. L to In 1917 Few of them themI I showed increases of less than 20 per percent I cent on their capital stock In the canning industry one company com corn J pany which earned per cent in tn 1916 earned 1 1247 47 per cent In 1917 Another capitalized at made In 1917 1017 against In 1916 A concern which made In 1916 lOW made In 1917 I f The- The manufacture of syrups molasses molas molas- ses and netted much increased profit One company with capital earned 3 in 1917 against in 1916 1016 Ice cream was an especially big money maker Of more than flour feed and J grist mills listed only a few failed to toS S show largely Increased profits One concern made In 1916 and in 1917 1017 There was a general upward rise Inmost in inmost inmost most packing companies' companies profits The largest concern listed had a capital of upon wl which It earned 49 In 1917 1017 against in 1916 Startling Profits In Leather Leather manufacturers Including the dealers In hides and makers of boots and shoes and trunks and valises made profits In 1910 1916 and 1917 1017 that are startling One shoe manufacturing concern with capital made per cent In lOla 1910 but no excess In 1917 1017 Scores of boot and shoe manufacturing manufacturing manufacturing turing concerns whose capital was from to made all the way from 20 to more than 1000 er cent In 1916 1016 The p profits of the brewers ranged from 25 to per cent in 1016 1916 and their excess profits profits' In 1917 were from 5 to 50 ro per cent most of the large breweries making an average profit of or 42 to 50 per cent In 1916 lOla and an excess excess ex ex- ex cess profit of 10 per cent In 1917 The distillers of whiskies and spir spirits its made profits in 1910 1916 that ranged from 0 9 to per cent while their ex ex- excess excess excess cess profits last year were from 12 to per cent Coal Men Pile Up Wealth The Pennsylvania Pennsyl and West Nest Virginia Virginia Vir Vir- ginia soft coal mining companies made enormous excess profits In 1917 1911 according according ac ac- according cording to the report The large companies companies com com- all made profits In 1916 ranging from 2 25 to 10 per tent Cent In 1017 1917 all of the large bituminous operators the report shows made unusual unusual un un- usual profits One mine made 1626 1026 per cent on its capital In 1916 lOW and per cent l In n 1917 1011 Another made mode 1872 per cent in 1916 1016 and per cent in 1917 1017 Profits of the bituminous bituminous operators were smaller averaging averagIng averaging ing 50 0 per cent The big oil producing companies of Illinois Indiana New York Pennsylvania Pennsyl Pennsyl- vania vanla Ohio Kentucky Tennessee and West Virginia made malle from 28 to per cent in 1916 and enormous excess profits In 1917 The Texas Oklahoma and Kansas oil companies showed similar profits for both years All o of the garment manufacturers rs made gigantic profits in 1916 those for forthe forthe forthe the larger companies ranging from 25 o to 75 per cent that 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 1000 to made excess profits that ranged as as' as high as per cent The report also shows that the small dealers In tn furniture and other household household household house house- hold goods made enormous profits last year ear with excess profits as high as per cent i Retail dealers in tobacco made enormous enormous enormous enor enor- profits off ott the smokers of the country the highest being per percent percent percent cent and the average approximately SO 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 1016 but they went still higher in 1917 The largest listed how however ver did not show any nay extraordinary increase in profits over those of 1916 One company with capital al in 1916 earned 17 then boosted Its capital stock to and then earned 23 A concern which earned In 1916 made in 1917 1017 A company made in 1917 against 4 in 1916 A tin plate mill with capItal capital capital cap cap- ital made net profit in 1917 against In 1916 or an Increase increase increase In in- crease of 72 per percent 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 SO 80 SOper pet per cent on their capital stock while they nearly all made excess profits in 1917 1017 of from 3 to 35 per cent Profits of the large public utilities companies In 1916 1010 and 1917 ranged from 11 to to r 25 per cent Steam and electric railroads in 1916 made from 17 to per cent profits w wl lIe in 1917 they made profits In excess of ot 1916 that ranged between 15 and 20 per cent according to the report report re re- re- re port Marine fire and life Insurance concerns concerns concerns con con- cerns enjoyed unusually large Increases Increases increases In In- creases creases In profits One company earned per cent more on its capital capital cap cap- ital stock in 1917 1017 than In 1916 Another Another An An- other capitalized at increased its Income from In 1916 to in 1917 How Dry Goods Men Fared A list of 2092 2002 clothing and dry goods merchants Including department stores showed profits for 1917 In excess excess excess ex ex- ex- ex cess of ot those over 1916 as high as 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 T The e grocers grocers grocers gro gro- cers made only a small profit In 1917 1017 in excess of their 1916 profits Of the 1633 concerns concerns listed In the report however only a dozen show profits of less than 20 per cent on their capital stock In 1016 1916 the year before the United United United Unit Unit- ed States States' entered the war and the profits of ot some concerns that that year were as high as 1813 per cent Most of ot the grocers both large and small con concerns erns the report shows made average average av av- av profits in 1916 of ot from 50 to per cent |