Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-29
HITS CATTLE FEEDERS HARD
Closing Of Port Of Boston Shuts Out
Christmas Trade with London.
GREAT BRITAIN IS ALSO EXERCISED
Secretary of Agriculture Says such
Action Is Absolutely Necessary
in order to stamp out
Disease,
CFrom a staff Correspondent

From a staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2S-(special Tele-
gram.)-The action OF the Department of
Agriculture in closing the port OF Boston
to export cattle has caused a commotion
in every cattle feeding state in the coun-
try. At this season of year. cattle feeders
OF the west ship their export" steers to
Boston for the holiday trade in England.
stockers In Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and
Wyoming are bought up early in the sum-
mer and fed on the farms of the central
west and New York and are crowded to
Boston and Portland late in November and
early in December for the English holiday
markets. The Christmas beef Of London
is raised on the ranges Of the west and
fattened especially in the cornbelt for this
trade and is crowded into New England
ports at this season of the year for direct
transport to England. The reason that
Boston and Portland are selected for this
particular branch of the export trade is
that these New England ports afford better
facilities in November and December than
New York. Philadelphia and Baltimore pos
sibly can. The latter ports are crowded
with other goods, notably grain, cotton and
manufactures in the fall and winter months
and fat cattle, requiring a great deal Of
space are not desired.
BY closing the port OF Boston at this
time the secretary of agriculture has cut
off the principal port of export for English
Christmas beef and very naturally protests
are pouring in by the score from Illinois,
! Ohio, Indiana. New York, Nebraska, Iowa,
Kansas and. in fact, from every state where
cattle are bred or fattened. But the secre-
a.. a.t..
sary to the stamping out OF the hoof and
mouth disease. which is epidemic in New
England. He realizes that the order has
worked a hardship to some. but he will
not recede from his position because strin-
gent regulations are absolutely essential.
London is worried.
BOSTON, Nov 2s.--The cattle bureau Of
the State Board of Agriculture up to today
had received about 100 individual reports
| OF the presence of the foot and mouth
! contagion which has caused the secretary
! OF agriculture to prohibit the expectation
| of cattle from Boston and to establish a
quarantine OF cattle, sweep and swine in
| New England.
| 1t was stated that all reports received
here come from localities within seventy
| fve miles of Boston. The closing Of the
| Brighton stock yards, the principal ones
in New England, by the State Board OF
| Agriculture will cause an interruption to
| traEnc which under ordinary circumstances
aggregates 500 to 700 head of cattle day.
| DR.. Samuel e. Bennett, inspector of the
United States Bureau OF Animal industry,
said:
Inspector Bennett Talks.
"The British government would close her
ports to all our ships on slight pretext.
All they would look at 1t is that there is
! foot and mouth disease in the United States,
1t makes no difference whether the cattle
are yarded in Massachusetts,, or in Kansas
or In Iowa. 1t was only a short time ago
that Argentine republic was shipping a
great many cattle over to Liverpool. A
great many ships were on the sea, but the
word was carried ahead Of them that there
was a cattle disease in Argentine republic
and when the vessels got there they found
every British port closed against them.
Those ships had to put to sea- slaughter
their cattle in midocean and throw them
overheard. The ports we're closed to them
for three years. Three years time would
mean the loss of upward of 100000 Of ex-
port cattle from the ports of the United
States.
81 do not look for any long period OF this
trouble
THE Cunarder. Sylvia which sails tomor-
row for Liverpool, was booked to take 664
cattle and $50 sheep; Sycamore, sailing
Sunday for Liverpool, 500 cattle, and 1854
sheep, and Columbian for London, 500 cat
tie. and 1900 sheep. other bookings of live
stock for steamers leaving here within the
next ten days are as follows: Englishman
Liverpool, 351 cattle; Marion. Liverpool
800 cattle; Uultonia, Liverpool, 543 cattle;
Armenian, Liverpool $50 cattle, and 1000
sheep; Kingstonian, $50 cattle and 1900
sheep; Virginian, London, 425 cattle. The
shipments figure up more than $4,000 in
freight"
Cattle were being loaded ON two ocean
liners tonight. The British government has
been asked by cable whether these cattle
will be allowed to land at British ports,
being informed at the same time that the
cattle are either western or Canadian and
in good condition. The steamers will not
sail until an answer to the cablegram is re-
ceived.
some Animals Exempt.
J. A. Hathaway, one OF the largest ex-
porters of cattle in the country, who con-
trolls several stock yards. among them
those at Watertown and Brighton considers
the order Of the secretary Of agriculture
forbidding the expectation of cattle from
New England a serious blow to dealers in
live stock.
Tonight he said
Within the last few days 1 have received
500 cattle and 75O sheep. They are all in
sound condition. AS soon as / learned of
the order / communicated with the Wash
ington officials to find out what could be
done about moving these cattle and sheep.
Swift & Co. took similar action. Our ef-
forts proved successful for tonight We re-
ceiyed word that that portion OF the stock
pn hand could be moved Immediately. Dur
Ing the day the cattle and sheep at the
Watertown yard. and those of Swift & Co.
at Somervllle were inspected and found
ali right. Tonight they were shipped here
and placed on steamers, which will sail
tomorrow.
believe these shipments to Europe will
be the last for some time from New Eng
land, or at least until conditions change
Certainly none of the exporters can make
move In this direction until the restric-
tions have been lifted.
ships May BE Crowded.
NEW YORK. Nov 2s.-The Journal of
Commerce tomorrow will say: The belief
was quite generally expressed by represen-
tatives Of transatlantic lines here that the
closing OF the port Of Boston for cattle for
export would result in a portion OF that
trafic coming to New York, though to
what extent they were not prepared to say.