Norwich bulletin., 1914-02-28

NWT1LC6u Sp0Cld41y T UT u0 bullSlll.t
 Is 1t any wonder that meat is high when you consider the fact, reported by the U. s. Department of Agrtcul- ture, that there is a shortage of over 1S80O 900 meat animals in the country. zs compared with the supply in 1910, only four years ago?
 That is to say, while the population of the country has increased during that four years by some 1000, 900, the number of beef, mutton and pork an- imals has actually decreased. Taking 109 consumers as a unit, the depart znsnt reports that for each such hun seven less sheep and three less hogs than in 1910.
 We've been talking a little, lately, about the farmers' opportunity along the line of increased production. Here is something with 8 direct bearing on that contention.
 Meat is scarce. For that reason sven if there were no other-it would &e high.
 The source of all meat is on the farms. The reason there isn't enough is that farmers don't raise enough.
 Therefore, by old fashioned rules of logic. farmers are responsible for the scarcity Of meat.
 This locks, first off, like a copper. riVeted sort Of argument. I'm not zo- ing to deny that 1t Is real argument. It Is perfectly manifest, anyway, that the reason why meat animals are scarce is that not enough are raised. It is just as clear that, if we had pitched in and raised 1S,e0o, 009 more than we have there wouldn't have been any scarcity as cnrapared with 1910, Furthermore, thsEe is no doubt that. IaaA xA.A | o0o.000, we could have got big lot of money for them.
 This is strong point in favor of increased production. And l want you to see it clearly because 1t tends, when viewed alone, to rnoisten ID my pre- vtous nreachment in favor of just that sort of thing.
 But I'd rather be fair and square in my arzufyin, than score points. I don't wanE to hold up. as a shield, an argument which has holes in 1t through which somebody could prod ms sorely.
 And this very one has several holes in it.
 Don't fsI to notice that thene'e dimeTencs between a scarcity of meat and high prices for meat.
 TinS two things are really very dif. ferent propositions.
 An old rule ef tha political eeono- mist vas that demand g6xSFnsd sapz ply and that supply controlled price. That is, they maintained that wheasv CT a big demand fer anything arose, somebody would promptly set himself to supply Hs-aFld that the price he would get would vary Reessaing as his supply exceeded CT Ean short a& the demand.
 It was 8 very nice theory, and it worked like a charm in those caseS wherein if worked at all. Which par sicular cases. it doesn't need to be said. were the only ones tine profes- g1ona1 economists were ever willing or able or willing to zee.
 But there are exceptions This meat business is one of them
 It tseezns to make a bsq differences who the price is going to. whether it rises with leasened supply or not There fg no reason to suppose, from anything vifabie in the way of facts, that the farmers who must raise meat if fl fs tO be raised are getting any more if aA much profit for raising 191a.
 Oh. yes, the consuzaers are paying more, much more; double in some cases. But fhe farmer who raises the meat on tf16 hCOf Is getting very lit tie if any more for his product of car ca@ses, When hs does get trfffins advance. it is more than eaten up be- fOrefaand by thS increased cost to him of ssaCh feed as he may have to buy.
 That Is to say, tiae ono set of n1en, the farmers, who c0sxia put a stop fin two EearG to the whole proseEenn. of meat shortage ff we could get any profit from doing so, arS denied any possibility Of that profit by the mar- truiztf0us of EfS market. Even the dsDartzss@nt of aericnifMrs admits as nas1e8a> While it claims an traeBNasxs ii, ths value Of livestock 1t adds that Ntzs cost of production has probably frcsAased fa0rs rapidly than the fa-. czeAee in the selling price of live RteckS
 Yoh bet it has.
 Why, even i, convinced bsassNer as ! ama in tzas wisdom and necessity of tncsesGad bS6dneslen--e*sn have sSsd of my sheep and thesSsy helped In nay s1aaa1 way to reduce ths mutt ton ss4sfsxaft