East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-01-04
CATTLE FAMINE ON
THE PACIFIC COAST
NEARLY HALF MILLION
HEAD LOSS IN TERRITORY
Meat Prices Steadily Advancing
Packers Caught-LOw Price Talk
Was Blind-Zero Weather Effects
Wheat Market.
(From Tuesdays Journal.)

The Pacific coast is today facing it's
worst cattle famine, but the entire
United States Is feeling the grip of a
diminished supply of stock
In the territory tributary to the
Portland market there are at this
time, It Is estimated, 4,241,640 head
of cattle exclusive of milch cows, as
compared with 4,73O.0OO year ago.
The loss of nearly half million head
of cattle in this territory within the
space OF one year is startling and is
caused by two conditions.
Chief among these is the disappear
ing range and the second is the scar
city Of hay together with high feed
prices and low cattle values up to the
past few seasons 1t takes from two
to three years to raise a steer or COW
therefore the loss is not easily replen-
ished.
While the Pacific coast territory is
suffering from the smaller visible sup
ply OF cattle, the country at large is
in just as bad plight.
With available information 1t is fig
ured that the entire country holds to-
day 10000, 900 head of cattle, exclu-
sive of milch cows, as compared with
49,379,0O0 a year ago. 50,073,000 in
1907, and 47,068.000 in 1906. The de-
crease In the country's herd within
the space Of four years is startling.
Meat Prices Are Advancing.
with such a startling decrease in
the amount of cattle visible through
out the country there Is scarcely Won
der that meat prices at this time are
the highest on record for like pc
rod, and are within a fraction of the
highest figure ever reached during
any period. Meat and cattle prices
are always highest in the late winter
or early spring but present values are
SO close to those reached during last
spring-the former high record-that
little difference remains For in
stance, while steers sold here at
slightly better than 81 per hundred
pounds last spring. the market here
on Saturday reached the 81 basis.
Because OF this packers have been
forced to advance the price of steer
beef to lie a pound. This is for an
entire side of an animal. The highest
price ever reached here for steer beef
was last spring. when in limited
way sales were made around II 1-2c
a pound, but this high figure remain
ed only a few days, while the present
value of beef which is the high record
for this time of the season. Is caused
by condition OF general famine ir
the offerings and not TO any tempo
rary state OF the market.
Packers Caught and Are Squeezed.
Even after being caught short last
year and with plenty of time to pre-
pare to make the blow as soft as pos.
sible, packers are caught this year
in a worse condition than they were
last season. While they had more
cattle on feed this year than ever be-
fore. the general supplies available
for them after their own stuff was
consumed, were so much smaller thar
expected that they have become
frightened and have bid higher and
higher in order to secure enough fol
their customers needs.
This they have been unable to dc
and there is probably not packer
on the Pacific coast who has been able
to fill all his orders FOR high class
beef recently and the situation /!
growing worse day by day.
About Those Low Prices.
The cat Is out of the bag now re
garding all the former talk of low
prices for provisions. 1t now devel
ops that the reason why the big pack
ers talked so much about low mea
values was because most of them wer'
short and in order to replenish thei
holdings talked low prices and then b.
artificial marketing of a surplus at on
time placed the values down unit
they could purchase quite freely a
country points.
Now that the big eastern interest
have secured a portion OF their cattl
needs they have placed prices highe
again.
There was only a limited shown
OF supplies in the livestock market TO
day following the good showing G
Yesterday. No sheep arrived at all an
1874 hogs and 100 cattle formed the to
tails
The sale of one calf was made o
IS. but this was the only transactio
that reached recent proportions. Th
lack of higher values Is due entirel
to the inability of the killers to secur
quality. Good cattle are scarce an
best steers would in all probabilit