Evening journal., 1913-08-15
MEAT SITUATION.
GROWS SERIOUS
In Face Of Home Famine COun-
try May Close Doors Against
Imported Cattle
DISEASE WILL KEEP
ARGENTINE STOCK OUT

By The United Press.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15.-Not only
does the United States face a famine
in its domestic meat supply but
stringent rules covering meat i'm
portauons may debar meat and cat
tie importatlons from other great
meat-supplying nations. The situa-
ton is critical
This was the statement made 10
the United Press today by Or. D. A.
Ramsey. chief of the inspection divi-
sion Of the bureau of animal indus
try The crisis in meat exhaustion,
which has been approaching for
years, has been FASTENED by the
great drought over Kansas, Iowa, In
diana, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma,
and the southwest. simultaneously
contagious diseases Of live stock in
Argentine, Australia, New Zealand
and the Indies, the only sources OF
supply, have developed.
THE Department of Agriculture
now has inspectors in Argentine,
Australia and New Zealand, studying
conditions there so that we may for
mulate entrance inspection regula-
tions for dressed meats and live
stock" said Dr. Ramsey. "Advices
indicate that in Argentine particularly
there are epidemics of the virulent
hoof and mouth disease and ticks.
These diseases will prevent the
lentrance of Argentine meat, for this
country must protect itself. We have
had several scourges of this nature,
land it has cost the country millions
of dollars. Even now, and DR..
Ramsey pointed out red spotted map
) you see that we have a great dis
! trict from Florida to eastern Texas
! quarantined against the tick disease
There Is a great deal OF tax ABOUT
: how free meat in the new tariff measure
will relieve the stringency. ! cannot
? foresee that result. Dressed beef now
only carries 10 per cent. duty, and even
if meat is free it will have to come
! in under the departments meat inspee-
tion rules. and Argentine the greatest
! sourse Of supply at present, does not
! live up to them.
! s1heir method of killing is not as
sanitary as ours Of course after the
linspection and entrance rules are for
, lmuated the department may keep a
! staff of inspectors down there who Will
! certify all meat before it leaves port
!. Otherwise all dressed meat and live
stock will have to be examined in quar-
antine
"The drought in the middle wes
. has been most serious. It means tina
I. Mexican cattle and the grass fed cat
! tie from the southwest that have here
: tofore been driven to the middl
= western fattening corrals, will hav
no haven. The visible supply or bee
in the drought section is being sol
bv the thousand heads in the opel
4 market now, because stockmen hav
] no feed and forsee a famine this win
ter. The immediate result of cours
I will be a lowering of prices becaus
the supply exceeds the demand Bu
& later in the season when the deman
" becomes greater and prices soar, tn
y supply promises to be gone.
= DR.. Ramsay pointed out that with ex
= cellent crops last year, the meat Inn
ports for 1912, for the first time IN IN
! history of the country, exceeded eA
IS ports. = ~. an..r,
ment Of agriculture figures today tina
le the outlook for the corn crop was nc
n much better than fifty per cent a
IL against over 50 per cent last year. .
s. Aunust |. the date when the last off
a. cial figures were compiled, the cor
to crop was estimated at 1915 per cen
Since then the drought in the midd
= west has taken on its most seriol
= phase and wrought its greatest dan
age. i,
fE Oats. it is estimated, viii not vie
of over 60 per cent as against sl.5 per Gel
Sc, last year On August /, the percen
seS age was 1871 per cent as against 30
nd per cent over the corresponding periC
he OF 1912.
.ss During the first five months of tn
in year, twenty per cent. less live stoc
Of was slaughtered than during the fir
as, five months of 1912. This decrea'
r1n %, also occurred before the drough
Sc when feed was plentiful. Depar
to menr Of agriculture officials tods
nd declared they saw no remedy to pr
KS vent the approaching meat famin
not Sheep, hogs and cattle have great
ar decreased in number, and Of this ba
m. ance thousands are being rushed
re. the market today. with no demand
asst The first warning of a meat famii
ers was issued in June by the depaI
e. ment of agriculture. Since then &
~. meat supply has steadily grow
smaller, and the drought and &
quarantine of thousands of head
cattle in the southeast has broug
a climax