The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-04

According 10 Statistics, a Large Part Of the Population Will Have 10 Do Without IT,
People Eat Less and L~ess--On!y 5a.3 as Much Per Capita S n
f84O,-Many Causes Contribute 10 This Condition.

washington, D. C-That a time is rapidly coming when a large part
Of the population of this country must go without meat Just as many OF
supply and surplus, which has recently been published by direction OF sec
rotary Wilson, and which was written by George K. Holmes, chlet OF tn
Mr.. Holmes desn not assert that the day is near when many Americans
must 20 hungry for meat. The facts he has set FORTH, however, nave IT,
tracted much notice among high officials of the Department OF Agriculture
They admit that his statistics tend Ito snow a growing mea scalclS Will
Nothing is more common III these days of prosperity than the remark
that every one is eating more meat. This is not the case, according &c Mr:
on meat supply, surplus and the like, and finds the stock of meat animals
in the country diminishing relative to the population n the consumption
Instead of considering cattle. sheep and swine the principal food ami,
mails, separately, Mr.. Holmes, for comparative purposes, has consideTed
them as merged into a composite animal. He finds that mere was wa VIZ
of a composite meat animal per capita of population in i84e The ratio
declined to $50 Of a composite animal in 1860, to 1913 in 1880 rose tt
900 in 1890, but fell more decidedly to 700 of a composite ANNA per in,
divldual of population in 1900. In other words. by the late enumeration
nearly SO per cent. more than that in 1910.
But the consumption per capita is much below tn stock PEI a pa
have increased enormously. With a lower supply of meat animals IN the
country per capita than formerly and with exports of meat growing, the
tendency is for the consumption of meat at home to gfow ies m less less
of meat animals to population then at 100, the ratio fails to 2 a IN looV'
followed by a rise to 1914 in 1890. and by a great fall to $50 IN isoU. ~. IN
other words, compared with 1910. each individual in the country u.s. N tne
ating about three-ffths a. much meat.
From 1890 to 1900 the domestic consumption. stock OF meat
declined almost exactly one-fourth per capita of the population. 49,, ~
study of Mr.. Holmes report, with q view to ascertainlng ms i,aacCss
bear IN the present high prices of: meat. One OF the oremo omGlas o.
said that the inevitable conclusion was that this country had seen tn las
Of low meat prices; that the tendency of the future would be for meat
prices to rise even higher than they were now; tat n mou 90 4i m int
per capita in the country would keep growing lower as ne opu tTnt ~
creased, and consequently that prices Would tend upward, tna t mMe
and more the family of small means would have to go without meat using
1t much more seldom than at present - .-.
This official also pointed out that the difficulty of getting farm help
was constantly growing, but that the population Of the country "a con 5
stantly enlarging. This means a less number or w ssocA eNa 1--we m GU
prices abroad arr drawing an increasing export of meat and meat products
away from the country: