ARMOUR & CO.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1920, Page 7

ARMOUR & CO.

PROFITEERING IN NEW ZEALAND LAMB. INDICTMENT OF 137 COUNTS. Tim following references to the charges against Armour and Co. of the American Meat Trust, for profiteering in New Zealand lamb, are contained in recent flies of the San Francisco Chronicle:— "New York, October 21.—The Federal Grand Jury to-day, as the result of a secret/ investigation conducted by an assistant of the AUorney-Geuerai's office, returned an indictment Against Armour and Co., Chicago packers, and against the officers of the company individually, charging with profiteering in violation of (he Lever .Act. The company officer* indicted include: ,). Ogden ' Armour, • president; S. E. White, vice-president; Herbert A Phillips, manager of the dressed sheep department in Chicago; Arthur H. Van Pelt, district superiatendent in New York. "The indictment contains 137 counts, each of which describes a sale of New Zealand lambs at an alleged unlawful and unreasonable rate during April, May, and June. The meat, it is charged, cost .Armour and Co. 18.48 dollars per 100 pounds; that the lowest it sold for was ?.3 dollars and the bigheifc 35 dollars. All the sales were made to customers in Manhattan and Brtmss" "Chicago. October £l.—Declarhag that 'with our lamb business as .a whole showing a loss, it seems a rather bittdr joke to indict us for making too jniMfh, money,' officials of Armour and Co. tpday issued a statement commenting on, the Federal indictments returned to New York charging them with profiteering. The statement said: 'The reason« ableriess of profits cannot be judged tor ' consideration of a tew transactions. V?e made some money through the sale of New Zealand lambs, but we did nfcfc make enough on them to offset losses we sustained in the sale of domestic lambs, and with our lamb business as A whole showing a loss, it seoms a. rather bitter joke to indict us for making too much money.'" "