The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-21
Number of Consumers Has Increased
and the Supply Has Not Kept Pace
with the Population.
EXPORTS ALSO HAVE GROWN
AREA OF AVAILABLE GRAZING LAND
IN THE WEST DECREASING.
Delinquent Banks Warned to Make
Returns-AppeaI in Behalf of
Grand Army Members.
pecial to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20.-A great deal
has been printed and a great deal more said
about the conditions affecting the price OF
beef, which has been greatly increased dur
ing the present year. The funny cartoons
and the thousands of meat consumers place
the blame at the door of the meat, or what
is generally known as the food trust. Fred
c. CroXton, an attache of the Labor De-
partment insists that the formation of
combinations has not been the cause of the
enormous rise in the price of meat He has
made a very careful study of the question
and argues that an examination of the con-
dtions of the demand and supply in the
beef trade to-day will demonstrate that
considerable advance in prices must neces-
sarily have resulted whether there had been
any combination or not "It has been
found" says Mr.. Croxton, that IA per cent.
of the expenditure of the average wage
earner's family goes for meat, of which be-
tween and 10 per cent. is spent for beef.
With several years of steady employment
and with better incomes in general than
had before prevailed, it was natural that
the individual demand for meat and also for
its better grades should be on the increase.
Population itself increased N.7 per cent. in
the last decade. In the urban and semi-ur-
ban population this increase was 35.9 per
cent, while among the rural population 1t
only 9.5 per cent Growth of city pop
ulation means growth in the demand for
beef, as the proportion which it bears to all
meats consumed is doubtless much greater
in the cities than in the rural districts
1T thus appears that the individual is
demanding more meat than a few years
ago, that there are 20 per cent. more indi-
viduals in the country to demand it, and
that where this increase of population
has been greatest the preference for beef
among meats is most marked. Exporta-
ton has also made an increasing call for
our fresh beef. Comparing the domestic
exports for the five years which ended June
30, 1901, with the five years preceding. it ap-
pears that the number of cattle exported in
creased nearly 20 per cent, the total guam
tity of fresh beef increased 47.4 per cent.
tallow 51.1 per cent, while canned beef
showed a decrease of SlS per cent. and
salted. picked and other cured beef de-
crease of 1874 per cent.
with this view of the increased de-
mand it is interesting to inquire into the
supply. The four Western slaughtering
centers, Chicago, Kansas City, ct. Louis
and Omaha, slaughtered in the five years
from 1897 TO 1901. inclusive. but 2.1 per cent.
more cattle than the preceding five years.
And those cities not only slaughter 65 per
cent. of the country's total of wholesale
establishments, but they may be considered
as fairly representative of general con-
ditions in the industry.
lit seems that several years of low prices
had discouraged the raising of cattle. There
was an advance in the early fall Of 1889.
which tended TO bring into the market all
available animals. The next spring prices
declined somewhat, but since that time
there has been a gradual advance, and un-
til the end of 1901, heavy marketing of
cattle.
This brings the matter down TO the short
corn crop of 1901, which has doubtless given
long been ripening. That crop was less
than three-fourths the size of the crop Of
either 1900 or of 1899. This meant high
prices. No. cash corn sold at Chicago,
Jan. l last, for Go 11-16 cents a bushel;
the average on the same date for the
twelve years preceding had been less than
80 cents. 1t takes to prepare a grass-fed
seventy bushels of corn; the value of this
amount last January was $4i.50, as against
$2524 for the corresponding dates during
the preceding decade. This meant diff
ference of nearly $40 in each steer"
1t will be observed that Mr.. Croxton has
not discussed our diminishing area of avail
able grazing land in the West which
direction as those other tendencies The
points that he raises have been, however
worked out with such studious care as TO
entitle them to most careful consideration