Show COMMISSIONER GARFIELD'S REPORT REPORT RE RE- PORT ON BEEF INDUSTRY The report of Commissioner Garfield Gar Gar- field on the beef Industry has at last been published It must be somewhat somewhat some some- what of ot 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 ot the serious offenses with which they have ave been charged They Tl-ey have been for a long time tim time accused accused by newspapers newspaper all over the country of extortionate prices demanded and obtained obtained ob ob- of depression of values of cattle cattle cattle cat cat- tle at the various stockyards where their business is conducted of ot enormous enormous enormous enor enor- profits wholly disproportionate to the capital employed and in general general gen gen- eral of ot so on their business that the public under an organized system of ot spoliation were being robbed for their exclusive benefit We find now however that not a single one of ot these charges has been sustained but on the contrary that rigid and searching investigation officially of of- made has resulted In complete complete com com- acquittal Instead of extortion it is shown that no Industry can be found where so narrow a margin of ot profit prevails prevails- the actual records and original entries entries en en- tries to which the commissioner had free access showing that the highest highest high high- est net profit any of the tLe packers made on their sales of beef beet was two and three three tenths tenths per cent in 1902 and andIn andIn andin In one instance that the profit realized In 1904 was one a and d eight tenths eight tenths per cent ent The variations in the market prices f for cattle are exhaustively treated and no evidence of any kind was discovered dis dis- covered or even hinted at tending to show that values of cattle are in the slightest degree improperly affected or controlled by packers at an an of ot 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 nd improper methods employed employed em em- by western packers showing that notwithstanding the high prices for beef prevailing in 1902 the b business business busi busi- iness i- i ness was less remunerative than in years characterized by normal values both for cattle and product He says 0 that the year 1902 instead of being one of exorbitant profits as has been commonly supposed was less profitable profitable profit profit- able than usual In fact during the months when the prices s of ot beef were the highest some at least of the leading packers were losing money on every head of ot cattle catte slaughtered It was not possible to advance the prices of beef In full proportion to the great advance in the prices o of cattle at that time I After all that has been written reflecting reflecting re reo upon the great business interest interest in in- terest engaged in the marketing and distribution of the product of ot one of the greatest of ot CIr c national industries industries industries indus indus- tries It Is gratifying to all fair minded f people that the prejudiced attacks i upon it have failed of verification t and nd the great western estern packers may be ber r congratulated for having passed through such a searching and thorough thor thoro t 4 ough official Investigation The results of ot this investigation r based as It is ia exhaustive data officially obtained and verified by byi i United States government experts J must be accepted without hesitation as the Investigation in n was made under t circumstances that guaranteed complete complete com com- accuracy wt way a i a possible disposition disposition dispo dispo- indeed to arrive at entirely 1 0 i different results I it |