122 FARMERS' UNION AND FEDERATION 



* 



"In the dairying business exces's profits ranged from nothing to 182 

 per cent; banking nothing to 82 per cent; contracting, nothing to 

 596 per cent; clothing manufacturers, up to 191 per cent; chemicals 

 as high as 377 per cent. 



"A flour miller with $90,000 capital showed an excess profit of 236 

 per cent. In 1916 he made $48,000 profits and in 1917 he made $260,- 

 000. Another, capitalized at $25,000, made $27,000 in 1916, and in 

 1917 raised it to $81,000, an excess of 437.67 per cent on his capital. 



"A $500,000 meat packer made 14.30 per cent, while a $72,000 con- 

 cern made 204 per cent. 



"On $10,000 capital, a soft coal miner made 504 per cent excess. A 

 retail coal concern showed 80 per cent on a $1,250,000 capital, making 

 $185,000 in 1916, and $285,000 in 1917. 



"Department stores ranged from nothing to 331.69 for one with 

 small capital. Several with capital as high as $300,000 showed no 

 excess profits. Paper manufacturers ran from none to 176 per cent. 



"On $50,000 capital, a concern in the retail clothing trade, made 

 1,181 per cent, jumping profits from $68,000 in 1916 to $127,000 in 1917. 



"Electrical machine makers ran from no excess to 91 per cent ; ma- 

 chine tool manufacturers from none to 788 per cent; dry goods con- 

 cerns up to 117 per cent. 



"These figures are to be supplemented by further data as soon as 

 prepared. A list of names of all firms making more than 15 per cent in 

 1917 is to be submitted. No attempt will be made to take typical ex- 

 amples from these returns. 



"The report is the second section of a roundup of profiteering evi- 

 dence for the use of Congress in framing the war tax bill." 



Remember these profits were made above their 1916 

 profits, and "from nothing" means not any profits above 

 those of 1916. 



What to do With the Returning Soldiers. 



Instead of the government planning to place returning 

 soldiers on land and financing them free to produce products 

 in competition with those who have to do their own financ- 

 ing, and thus aid in bankrupting more of them by forcing 

 prices below cost of production, the government should seek 

 out all profiteers such as those mentioned in the foregoing 

 number and establish soldiers in such business. Why put 



