The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-01-02
MEAT PRODUCTION AND PRICE.

price of meat. and the cert9iuty that
meat will not he cheaper in this coun-
| try, We have exported a good des OF
meat from time to time; but Vt is held
that the limit OF export from the
United States has been about reached.
| and that VIC shall now not be able TO
export meat any lougcr, but VIII rc-
| duire all that we can raise for our
own consumption; and it is held that
! this will inevitably result in a pcrma-
| ucnt increase in the price of meats,
We are not inclined to that opiu-
| ion; for, with the tremendous oppor'
| tunities for the raising of meat still
available IN the world, it would seem
| to be impossible that the final word
has been spoken on this question at
| this time And this view is reinforced
| by the news Of huge cattle ranch
| that is being formed i'll Brazil by an
American Canadian syndicate, which has
| obtained nine million acres of land:
and has fenced it with a view Of The
| cheap raising Of meat. The ranch will
comprise $4,000 square miles; and the
prcliminaries Of the enterprise were
| announced at the recent annual meet
| ing OF the livestock men in Denver.
The details Of the plan, it seems.
| have beeu fully perfected. Mr.. Murdo
Mackenzie has been put III immediate
charge of the company affairs, IN
Brazil, at salary Of $4,000 j year.
| The big ranch is in southeastern Bra
| zil. in the province OF Sac Paulo, not
| far from the coast; and at the capital
| Of that province which has the same
name as the province itself the com
pany will build a great freezing plant
and will establish It's shipping port
at Santos. The primary objective ship
ping market is Great Britain. and next
the United States. and it is expected
that within two or three years there
will be such volume of shipments OF
| meats TO Great Britain that there Will
| be no demand for any meats from the
| the United States or Canada. For 1T Is
supposed that the meats can be raiseI
| IL Sac Paulo for practically nothing
as compared with the cost of meat"
raising in the United States and Can
| ada.
With a programme like this In full
operation, there would seem to be
certainty that the price Of meat must
decline and not advance. There ought,
as a matter Of fact, TO bo cheaper
meats in the United States. Cndoubt.
cdly the packers and wholesalers, the
middle men, arc the ones chiefly re-
sponslble for the unnecessarily en-
hauced price of meats, The stock
raisers don t get the big prices which
the consumers have TO pay. The pack
crs govern the markets, paying what
thev please to the stockralsers for their
animals, and selling TO wholesalers at
u rate which governs the market and
compols the retailers to exact far more
from their customers than fair COM
u,ercial price.
In this connection VIC may call at.
| tontiop TO the operations of the Meat
Inspection Bureau. whose report for
the year ending June 50, 1911, is just
out. It SHOWS th5t uullnS
the year inspections were made IN 1886
| number in tho history Of tho service.
There were 5&.00230i animals inspected
during tho year, including l;SoI;Il2 cat
lie. 2.2li125 calves, 299:o,2Gl hogs.
| IL oo5,S22 sheep and 5i,3S2 goats
There were condemned for diseases OF
other unwhoesome conditions 1l15s3
carcasses. OF the nearly 100000 600
pounds OF prepared meat food products
tnat were inspected, 2L0Cooo0 pounds
for export was 955,06so0o pounds. an
increase Of over $50 .h0O.0 900 over 1910.
Prohibited prosrrra,ives and cooriug
matters were not used according TO
chemical analyses made, at anv Of the
Inspected establishments.
This report shows at once the vigi-
lance Of the Inspecting department aud
its extensive activities. Ii prove also
with uncrrtnC certainty and force, the
in.lefcnsible attitude taken by the
British army supply department in its
boycott of American meats, where the
purchasers for the British Army de
cline TO receive bids from American
packers who are under indictment.
The fact that these indictments have
nothing to do with the quality Of the
meat. but were found only because of
the infractiou of our antitrust law,
ought TO have been enough to show
the subsistence officers OF the British
Army the nonscusical nature Of their
plea against receiving bids for sup
plies Of meats by American packers
who arc under indictment. Since that
Indictment had nothing to do With the
quality. soundpess. or healthfulness Of
the meats, the rejection of American
bills simply laid the British officers
open to the charge that they rejected
the American bids for some ulterior
purpose. either 10 favor contractors of
their own liking, or by reason OF
greater commissions offered by other
bidders.
The meat problem is ono of tho great
problems Of the time: but, as usual,