Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-01
FRAMES PLAN TO REDUCE .
HIGH COST OF MEATS
p. T. Moran Would Have Gov
eminent Curb the Kill
ing of Calves.

Reduction Of the cost Of living through
legislation prohibiting the slaughter of
calves under certain age, and the use
of Alaska for producing reindeer meat. is
planned by r. T. Moran, chairman of the
special committee of the Chamber OF
Commerce on the high cost of beef. Mr..
Moran has Just completed a summary of
the situation.
He has received approval of his scheme
from farmers and cattlemen throughout
the west and 1t is understood several
members of Congress have at present leg
islation Of this sort under consideration.
The summary compiled by Mr.. Moran is
in part as follows:
The cost of high living is problem
which the domestic economists must
teach the people to solve for themselves.
The luxuries of dress. diet and amuse-
mentS which were unknown twenty years
ago should be eliminated from the items
of the cost of living at the present time.
Cutting out luXuries, the great bugbear
left to be solved for the people is 10 find
means of reducing the price of meat
and foodstuffs. Since supply and demand
regulate to a great extent the price of
an article, it behooves us as members of
the Chamber of Commerce of the District
of Columbia to examine all the informa-
ton the local farmers and the bureau OF
animal industry can give, End to assist,
by agitation and recommendation, In the
reduction of the cost of living principally
by the high cost of meat, brought about
by the scarcity of cattle Many farmers
have been interviewed as to why this
condition exists and they declare that
the chief cause of this scarcity is the
slaughter of young calves. "A calf at six
weeks will bring the farmer almost AS
high price as a steer at one year, so
there ~s little compensation for the labor
and expense of raising them and they
are for that reason hurried to the mar
ket.
South American Laws.
Laws have been enacted in South
America making it a penalty to slaughter
female calves, hefers or cows under six
years of age. The result of these laws
has been very beneficial.
IF the federal government would en-
act a law to prevent the butcher from
killing calves the farmer would take
more kindly to raising herds OF cattle;
The United States is the greatest veal
consuming country in the world The
number of calves slaughtered has in
creased 100 per cent in the last ten years.
From the Department of Agriculture
the following interesting information is
secured:
The south is especially adapted to
raising cattle because of the long grazing
season. the enormous areas of cheap
land and the mild winters. The only
drawbacks are the prevalence of ticks
on the cattle and the poor stock. These
hindrances can be overcome easily. and
the farmers of the south are urged to free
the PASTURES of the cattle tick and to in
crease the number and quality of their
stock by the use of pure bred bulls. The
result will be larger and better cattle,
more profitable to raise than the native
stock
.'The soil will become more fertile by
such measures and the cotton crops Will
become a source of greater profit.
..The western states have no longer the
a bundant supply of cattle raised cheaply
on the open range The range is being
cut up into farms or used for sheep graz
ing. The reasons assigned are the in
crease in the price of corn and other feeds
which has made cattle raising more ex-
pensive. the great distace to the slaugh-
ter house and the difficulty of obtaining
reasons cattle raising began to decline
and the present scarcity is the result.
The time has now come when steps to In
crease the supply Of meat should be TAX
en-. Municipalities should establish. under
state laws more slaughter houses.
Urges Support of q. S.
with all these facilities at hand it
seems that the things most needed are
encouragement and help from the fed
eral government to stamp out the tick
evil in the south, to facilitate cheap rails
ing of cattle in the west by sending inn
migrants to supply the need for labor.
This would be healthier and better adapt
ed to the immigrants (who often come
from an agricultural country than con-
ore.ztine them in the overcrowded east
ern cities, where often idleness leads to
vice and physical degeneracy. Encourage
cattle raising by federal laws (similar to
those of South America) to prevent the
slaughter of calves
..Something should be done speedily, as
tho climatic condition of the United
States requires the people to use more
meat than the poor of Europe or Asia
live upon, or the result will be disas-
trous to future physical race develop
ment. And as the welfare of the work
ing man should be the prime considera-
tion of a nation that would be progress
sive. it behooves those in authority who
love our republic to use every legitimate
means to keep the laborers supplied with
nutritious food at reasonable prices.