Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-01-27
TEXAS CATTLtMEN
CLAIM FARMERS
ARE TO BLAME
Increase in Price Of Feed Stuffs
and Decline Of Cattle Indus
try Alleged TO Have Showed
Up Price Of Meat,

Especial Dispatch to the Morning ~JournniI
san Antonio. Texas. Jan. 26.-iaocal
cattlemen arc Of the opinion that the
present high piico Of beef Is largel!
due To q considerable Increase IN the
price OF feed stnffs and to a gradual
decline In The stock industry. Ike T..
Pryor. up to 4 few months ago presi-
dent of the Texas cattle Raisers' ASSOC
| citation. when interviewed on tho qncs-
ton said:
'aThere are several conditions thot
have led up to the present prices.
Taking all Of them into consideration
lit would appear 60 me that the cost
OF meat is normal. In the first place
The consumer IL no longer content
with low. or cNea average grades Of
meat. What he wants is the best. IN
view of the fact that the choice cuts
on Il beef, Tor Instance. are few, thus
alone would have q tendency TO force
up the price. Feeding steers has be-
come a very expensive undertaking
during recent Years. Formerly one Of
them could be put in fine condition
for the market for about $40 and
sometimes even sS-today it costs
NlOllf go ~ ihAifi AH' NhAff"A ~
The ranges recently have been poor
and the price OF corn has been con
Istantly going ~.
another factor entering strongly
into the question Is the Capitalization
of the people of this country in the
cities and the resulting abandonment
Of farms. Fol ONE time past every
body has been rushing into the factory
and farming has been neglected. The
price for cattle on the ranch has not
advanced apprcciably, though ] am
not now prepared to say definitely
what its relation To the present prices
of beef are. According to all indi-
cations II is the price Of feed that Is
responsible for the conditions that
have led TO the meat boycott in the
north and cast
j. r. Gibbons. manager Of the Hous-
ton Packing company, expressed sim
liar opinions. He assigned the gear
city Of hogs as one OF the cuuses of the
high price Of meat. The hog market,
he said, had been so poor for some
time That Chicago packers had been
Obliged to pay nine cents and over per
live pound. Mr.. Gibbons attitude to-
wards the boycott was one of indif-
ference. He said;
at is any mans privilege TO elm
mate meat from his table. Meat Is
no higher in proportion to any other
article OF diet at this time. In my
opinion the agitation win be over In
a weeks time"
While top steers Of about LOO
pounds have recently brought as much
-. q a M $500. .-4. ...t4lf tIL4 Avn p /
age price for them has been $3.50 and
even lower az times. This price. OF
course. means delivery at the stock
yard. All shrinkagc is borne by iitel
shipper. The average feed steers viii
butcher at least 65 per cent saleablo
meat. which at current prices paid by
the butchers would brins the packing
house about $50 gross. or nearly twice
the price paid for.lse steers. The 80
per cent waste, however. Is not all loss
by any means. because from it are
manufactured many OF the by-prod-
ucts Of the packing house.
About 10000 calls have been issued
for the laymcn's intcrdenominational
missionary movement convention to
be- held in san Antonio ON February
20 and a. The local branch Of
the organization has been very busy
for SOM time making the necessary
arrangements The convention Go u.
held viii be one of many which are to
culminate in q national congress at
which viii meet on May
. this year. The purpose of thisl
is said To- De The spreading
Of Christianity 10 every country with
IN this generation. The laynlens or
sanitation viii eonfine it's efforts to
the collection OF funds % be used with
.nd leo eicu similar conf. ntionS