Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 93 



Chicago. In 1885, this concern was capitalized at $300,000, in 1886 

 at $3,000,000, in 1896 at $15,000,000, later at $35,000,000, in 1906 at 

 $50,000,000, and in 1922 it was $150,000,000. It has packing plants 

 in several American cities and also in South America and Australia, 

 but the figures here presented apply only to its business in the United 

 States. It has over 400 branch houses in the principal cities and towns 

 of the United States, and owns and operates 7,000 refrigerator cars. 

 Its output of meat of all kinds in one year was almost 3 billion pounds. 

 Its sales in 1922 totaled over $650,000,000. It paid $317,000,000 to 

 live-stock producers. Its profit on meat sales is only about 2 per cent, 

 but the capital is turned over several times during the year. It paid 

 its 45,000 stockholders a 6 per cent dividend amounting to $9,000,000. 

 In 1922 its Chicago plant converted into dressed meat 375,000 cattle, 

 109,000 calves, 868,000 sheep, and 733,000 hogs. 



According to the 1920 census, 1,305 packing establishments in the 

 United States paid out in 1919 for raw materials, chiefly live stock, 

 $3,774,901,000, and their manufactured products had a total value of 

 $4,246,290,000. 



Federal inspection of animals and meats is rigid and includes all 

 animals at central markets and all carcasses and packing-house prod- 

 ucts intended as food. This safeguards the public health and has 

 been an important factor in gaining admission for our meats into 

 foreign countries. Dr. George Ditewig of the Meat Inspection Divi- 

 sion, U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry, describes the federal inspection 

 as follows:' 



"Federal meat inspection is conducted under the provisions of the 

 act of Congress of June 30, 1906, commonly designated the Meat 

 Inspection Act, the purpose of which is to prevent the use, in interstate 

 or foreign commerce, of meat and meat food products which are unfit 

 for human food. In brief, this law authorizes the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, at his discretion, to make, through inspectors, an ante-mortem 

 examination and inspection of all cattle, sheep, swine, and goats to be 

 slaughtered and the meat and meat food products of which are to be 

 used in interstate or foreign commerce; it also directs the Secretary 

 to make, through inspectors, a post-mortem examination and inspection 

 of the carcasses and parts thereof, and an examination and inspection 

 of all meat food products, of all such animals prepared for human con- 

 sumption at any slaughtering, meat canning, salting, packing, render- 

 ing, or similar establishment for transportation as articles of interstate 

 or foreign commerce. If, on such post-mortem inspection, the articles 

 are found to be wholesome, within the meaning of the law, it is the 

 duty of department inspectors to mark them 'Inspected and passed,' 



U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook, 1915, p. 273. 



