Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-29
SUPPLY CONSIDERABLY LIGHTER
THAN ON WEDNESDAY, OF LAST
WEEK; MARKET STRONG.
PACKERS MAKE PURCHASES
LARGELY AT $3.50 TO s7.e5
Considerable Business Done at $40
Cattle Steady to Strong on Light
supr!y-Desdock in Sheep House
Followed by Stronger Market-Re-
view Of Conditions.

Chicago, Jan. 29.-Hcg supply was
considerably lighter today than We'd
nesday Of last week and everywhere
on the map prices were marked up
The market was strong to cents
higher, with plert! of $40 business
packers buying largely al s7.so@7.65.
The big packers have been trailing
IN the hog mar!ie, Lately. They are
Wakcning up gradually to the fact that
scarcity confrCnts them.
Accustomed from time immemoriai
TO I'LL their cellars with cheap product
at this junctu"e they can not persuade
themselves that new supply condition
has been established They have been
huggins the illusion that hogs were be-
ing held back to put on weight and
that. sooner or later, big run Of lard
yielders must show up
Now they are realizing what most
people in the trade have known for
some time past. With only about
month Of the winter packing season left
they have accumulated little or nothing
in their cellars. This means that they
will be doing a hand o-mouth trade
all summer.
Little lard has been put away, while
consumption is enormous There Will
of course. be lot of lard made when
the summer run Of sows sets in. but
that is some distance away. BY the
time it appears on the market horizon
there will be a place to put every
grass widow" available.
Packers are not going to put up any
6i2c droves this packing season, and
when they talk that way it is merely
for effect.
Cattle.
Cattle were steady to strong on a
light supply.
Weather being unseasonably warm
all over the country is claimed to be
checking beef consumption, but wealth
er alone can hardly be blamed for this
situation. since retail beef prices are
being held relatively too high in COM
parison with wholesale beef cost, and
likewise the selling price OF beef
steers. Consumers will not go against
the butchers strong demands for high
rates. and with the Lenten season
opening next week, there is small pros
pect of material broadening OF general
beef demand
The trade is needing very moderate
beef supplies. Eastern shippers are
running their plants on short time and
local packers would welcome some
restricted marketings OF the lower and
medium grade steers in view OF their
inability to move this class Of beef
freely.
Western shippers, and especially
these Iowans, are registering strong
complaint over their inability to get
cars FOR shipment to Chicago. At sew
eral points west orders are reported to
have been in the hands OF railway
agents many days before cars have
been available, hut this is a situation
long troubling the livestock traffic. .
case Of incapacity of the roads both
to furnish cars and haul them into
market on time after the stuff is
loaded.
Just now, however, failure to get
cars in some sections doubtless can
be looked upon as more or less for
tunate circumstance affecting cattle
prices, since the trade certainly IS
getting all the beef needed. in view of
the inability of beef sellers to clear
supplies they nov: have in coolers
Sheep.
A deadlock existed in the sheep
house during the morning, but indica :
tons pointed to a strong market at the
close.