Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-15
lHECATTLESUPPLY
By Frederic J. Haskin.

While the possibility of the price OF
beef reaching 80 cents a pound during
the coming winter is being discussed
throughout the country, many solutions
of the problem of the American cattle
| shortage are being advanced. Some pro-
pose law placing an embargo upon
| veal production, and at least two bills
have been introduced in Congress to that
end. Others propose a campaign Of edu-
| cation among che farmers to encourage
them to grow more beef cattle, and 1t is
said that the packers have raised fund
Of 100000 for such propaganda. Still
others say that the thing to do is to edu-
cate the people to the fact that steaks
and rib ioasts are not the only parts Of
beef that may be eaten with pleasure to
the palate satisfaction to the body and
profit to the pocketbook. and in further
ance of that idea the Department OF .Agri-
culture is calling into requisition it's forces
of publicity. Yet others say that tariff
free beef from Argentina is the solution
of the problem, and SO beef has gone on
the free list and Argentine beef has be-
gun to move toward the United States.
But 1t would seem as difficult a prob
lem to keep the farmer from selling his
him to raise his cattle for beef, so the
nrst proposition may not work as well
In practice as in theory. When the
farmer is brought face to face with sew
| enty-nve-cent or dollar corn 1t will he
diffcult to induce him to feed cattle when
ne can get more out Of his corn unfed
than he can In beef, SO there. arises an
other difficulty. The people have been
proverbially slow to change their methods
OF buying meat, and all the bulletins the
government could issue would still leave
both writer and reader sticking 70 their
steaks and rib roasts and the third promo
sition fails. Tariff-free beef, according
to the democrats, rnay help the situation
some. but there Is already discussion of
the merits OF Argentine beef brought into
the United States, and some say that
what has come has; been found available
only for the cheaper hotels and restau-
rants.
There has been proposition that the
government go to the aid of the cattle
raiser just
Federal Assistance as it has
for Cattle Man Urged. go 9 n e.. e to to
the crop growers, by placing long time
deposits in national banks where the
cattlemen can borrow it with their
cows and calves as security. 1t is con-
tended by those. who favor this idea
that 1t takes so long to convert a calf
into finished steer that the farmer
needs some financial assistance while
waiting for his beef to grow.
according to many of those whose
opinions are usually considered worth
while In such matters. the United States
must look to the Argentine for its
day OF hope In beef prices little of
this beef has been coming into the
United States by way of London. but
this has been a negligible quantity.
Now line of steamers brings beef to
New York direct from Argentine pack
ing houses. 1t is sewed in cheesecIoth
and wrapped in burlap. The Importers
declare 1T Is chilled beef and measures
up to the standard of beef from gold
American native steers They point
out that it is from cattle driven to
market and therefore, freer from
bruises than the beef of American cat
tie hauled to. market They assert
that the cattle are gentle and sleepy
eyed as pets, and that the beef has
been handled under the most approved
conditions. $50
The opponents of the Argentine beef
assert that it was. frozen before chin