The Washington times., 1913-07-22
SOUTH AMERICA MAY
CUT LIVING COST
Government Expert Will Urge
Beef Producers There to
Ship Meat to U. S. !

Or. A. D. Melvin, chief Of the Bureau
Of Animal Industry. Department of Ag-
riculture, who is going to the big meat
producing countries OF South America
TO stimulate export trade in beef
products to the United States, will sail
from New York Saturday on the British
steamer Verdi. Preparing to leave
Washington, DR.. Melvin declared that
the situation with respect to the beef
supply in this country is serious. The
Americans, he says, are the greatest
meat consumers in the world. exceed
ing even the British. who have hereto
fore held the reputation Of being the
greatest meat eaters. DR.. Melvin Will
carry with him a number of assistants
DR.. Joss another expert Of the Bureau
of Animal Industry, will leave Port
land. Ore, in the next week or two Tor
Australia, on a mission similar to the
one that carries DR.. Melvin to Argen-
tina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil
Blow At Cost of Living.
The dispatching of these two experts
to seek a new source OF meat supply
for the United States under the pend
regarded by administrative officers as
regarded by Administrative officers as
the most important blow ever struck
by the Government at the high cost vi
living.
1t Is believed that heavy imports from
South America or Australia Will cause
an immediate lowering or meat prices.
DR.. Melvin and DR.. joss Will lnvesti-
gate the slaughtering, canning and gen
eral packing house business OF the
countries to oe visited. They are TO de
termine If conditions of slaughter VIII
meet the American standard, and are
to instruct the foreign packers OF the
conditions to be met in exports 10 the
United States.
1t is contended that South America
and Australia produce a surplus of beef
sufficient to reduce the present eNorol-
tant. prices in this country If the flow
OF export trade only can be directed
this way
Information has reached the Depart
ment of Agriculture within the last DAY
or two that American packers VINO
have for several years maintained es-
Establishments in South America ALREADY
are awake to the possibilities OF III
creased trade with the United states.
They are preparing to increase their
facilities, but whether or not this pro-
misses any substantial relief seems
doubtful, for the concerns that are
showing the chief activity are members
OF the so-called Beef trust.
For instance, a representative of Ar
mour & Co. has informed DR. Melvin
that the company has completed plans
for the erection of an abattoir just out
side of Buenos Ayres that would be
the most complete and extensive OF
any in existence. The department also
Is IN possession of information that
their plans in the Argentine, Paraguay.
and Brazil and that altogether the cat
tie business in South America is on
the boom in anticipations Of the free
entry into this country Of fresh meat
Cattle Production Falls Of.
The population of the United States.
according to the statistics at the de-
partment, has increased normally in
the past twenty years, but the in
crease in cattle he $ fallen far below
the relative increase in population
and immigration.
"One of the reasons of the lack of
beef cattle in this country" said DR..
Melvin, lis a failure TO permit cattle
men to lease a public range where 1t
can be fenced and water developed,
and the most got out OF the public
range in that way. At present the
has no satisfactory leas-
ing system so that cattlemen would
be justified in making plans for the
future. In brief, the present policy OF
thai the cattlemen Of small resources
who were once so numerous on our
Western ranges no longer exist"
DR.. Melvin said that the growing
shortage of the beet supply Of the coun-
try has been a serious cause for alarm
in recent years.
I'VE no longer have the former abun~
dant supply Of cattle raised chiefly on
the free range, slI he. ne :arge
IS being cut UP and fenced OF into
farms or diverted to sheep grazing. In
addition there is great increase IN the
price of corn and feeds, which has
made cattle feeding risky and eX-
pensive undertaking.
Estimates by the Bureau o: sta
tistics OF the Department of Agricul-
ture show that in the last six years
the number of beef cattle il. the United
States has fallen from Il, ,5o6,9O0 TO 80,
uSo, 900. a decrease of about IS, 500, eco, or
30 per cent. Market reports show that
receipts Of cattle at six Western mar
kets from January l TO March IL rave
decreased to the extent of $500 while
sheep show q decrease uf 2.36GU0, and
hogs at eleven markets have fallen
more than $4,000.
This decrease is reflected in the
number OF animals slaughtered un-
der the meat inspection act In Jam
uary and February. as comps red with
the same months OF last year. the de-
creases amounted TO 1881 cattle. |
2l,22S calves. 2Sl,3O4 sheep and 89G,-
S6S swine.
Home Demand Increases.
The home demand for meat, on the
other hand, has been increasing along
with the population. According to
the census we have $4,000, 900 more
people TO feed than we had twenty |
years ago. Americans are great meat
eaters. A recent estimate made by |
the animal industry bureau shows the !
annual consumption of meat a head !
Of the population TO be 162 pounds
Of which beef constitutes 80 pounds
and veal 71s pounds. This is about
25 pounds a head greater than the |
British consumption of beef and veal !
and approximately 40 pounds greater |
Than that of France and Germany"