THE ALLIANCE HERALD, JULY 11, 1918
SHUMWAY FILES FOR
DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION
8tate land ( mml-v)..ii. i ii s Out
Announcing 111- andii;ac for
i i Term.
O. L. Shumway, state land commis
sioner, on Friday tssunl u statement
announcinK bis ea4l41 for nomin
ation on the Democratic ticket for a
second term. His statement wap al
follows
"Often Mint which we most desire
to do W9 -annul do. hut the floor of
opportmily opens unexpectedly In
other ways
"A year and a half ao 1 came into
thin ofBec expecting to do hit! things
With water power, and mincrol laws
and developments.
Hut the Mohrarn, I.oup and the
Plntte (the first two named heinir
among the heat water power streams
In the world because fif their steady
flow) are still unharnessed In I few
places
A mineral statute is on the hooks,
but a atroke of the pen on the part of
the district court of LotMtMtOT county
has almost our work of several yearfl
and rendered the legislative act tem
porarily useless. It must remain un
til October.
A conference commute composed
of Representatives Fuller. Ollls and
Cornln, and Senators Kohl, Adams
and Hushee, recommended $10,000.
for revnluinK and rechceklnR school
lands To this excellent rei omiiii nda
tlon both branches of the legislature
aRreed.
As a result about fifty counties
have been reappraised The returns
iTe not so much as anticipated, but It
Is placing In the school rund MCD
tionlh more than It has the entire
. ;ir and a half, anil It will continue
to be expended from the appropria
tion to Increase the Income.
Ilascd upon returns the value of
schoo lands has Increased two mil
lion dollars alM will probably in-
i rease another million before me
( lose of l!MH. These three million
dollars of asseis needed only an as
sertion on the part of the stale board
to realize an income from them for
the state schools for the value was
already (here The assertion was
made by ronpTra isement . The next
hietinium will see these tangible as
sets of the state, earning money on
values more In harmony with the true
value of the estates, as the agricul
tural possibilities of the lands are
belter understood and encouraged.
Mineral values are yet to be dim
D tMtreted and realized upon. The
lew thousand dollars that we have re
ceived must be refunded or the courts
must settle matters so that executives
can proceed. Otherwise there will
he no returns from minerals unless
the United Suites taki-s a hand, which
is possible.
There has been criticism rff our
mineral activities, but after n careful
analysis of the work that we nave
trieil to do, I cannot see where we
could have Improved It by making n
change in the policies invoiTefl.
It Is true that unmerited and some
times vicious, criticism hurts. (MM is
sometimes discouraged Ifl well doing
when exploiters of the public get busy
and friends are silent. Hut my policy
has been, and will be. to play the
game regrndless, and as I helievo, on i
the square. It may hurt aome old
friends and may make some enemies,
but I will take whatever comes as a
r nil from an open and above board
policy of getting fair returns for the
schools from school property.
The next legislature should nppro
prlate enough to take an inventory of
all state lands. We should have u
iiihi ui everj larui, a simemem or j
what improvements tnerr are. and
the uses to which the lands are devot
ed, and if used bv settler, resident or
non-resident, the probable best uses
to which each tract may tie put,
whether it contains potash lakes or
other visible valuable substances, or
If a field whece oil development is
likely. It may cost $ :o,OOo or I2.r,
000, but It will be worth it.
loafer I will make Other recommen
dations. At present it is my Intention to file
'for re-election. The public should
pass upon the policies and service of
the Office, by approval or otherwise,
for the guidance of the department,
and as an expression of public desire
in protecting and administering state
and school property.
MICKIE SAYS
fist vjp soNve o? -THa-
COPN J6&T UKfc f COMBS
IN, WITHOUT WNftKVN' MO
COWtftCTlONS N6d NUTHtN
SOME OP THE IKliEtUCCTunu
UCrHTS aboum' -Twta HEP-E.
NECK O' tHE VJOOOS'O LOSE
THEIR. R.PuT&fONS PEP.
SEiNf EOO.tCTEO
V
xsaxaBV lie. I r
IIUY WAR SAVINGS STAMP
iniiiiimiiMiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiniiiiiiiitmj
On and after July 17th,
The Rodgers store will go
on a strictly cash basis and
all accounts must be paid by
August 1. This system will
enable us to sell for less by
avoiding the loss and expense
of bookkeeping.
A. D. RODGERS.
ttttm
-
0
Are the Packers Profiteers ?
V
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 ihe meat packing business but to every citi
zen 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 pre
pared 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 mani
festly 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 thrGe cents
on each dollar of sales 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 mar
gins 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 es. 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 ne
cessity 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 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, say and 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 Com
mission'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 busi
ness. Of how, for instance, they can sell dressed beef for less than
the cost of the live animal, owing to utilization of by-products, 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-operating 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 com
pletely and they are willing to trust their case to the fairminded
ness of the American people with the facts before them.
Armour and Company
Cudahy Packing Co. .
Morris & Company
Swift & Company
Wilson & Company
