Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-10-15
From the New York Herald.

I'll SuWSlSHl OIi lllo HULL. 4l1l ~ WY r
day market history that he who runs
may read.
Cattle on the hoof will be selling for
$11 before October has passed. Before
Christmas s12 will be paid for them,
but the real scarcity will not be felt
until 1915. That is a prophecy uttered
by live stock commission men In CHI
cago and in other western market CEN
ters.
For every additional cent a pound
paid for beef cattle on the hoof the re-
tail price for dressed beef advances
from 3 to 6 cents, according to cuts
and quality. With live hogs on a 3
cent basis and better, he
will find no comfort in turning to pork
ribs, bacon or ham. Calves already are
on a Sill plane and going up. veal rs,
of course, forbidden to all but the few
who do not haggle over prices.
Mutton and veal stew. In that quar-
ter lies temporary hope, but the fiocks
of sheep are not hat they used to be,
human population considered in the
reckoning.
From Washington the department OF
agriculture flashes the n word of
cheer. 1t forecasts a condition of re-
lief for the consume next year in a
r%eplenished supply of cattle at home.
Commission men here say the de-
partment experts are wrong. Packers
would like to believe the prediction Is
we'll founded, but they don't. Cattle
men in the west and northwest, doing
some ~forecasting on their ovl account.
say the Washington prophets will be
COMPOUNDED by unwelcome facts.
Farmers Echew 1t.
Beef for the table in this country
never will be materially cheaper than
1t is today, and it is likely to he more
costly by far If the preponderance of
western expert judgment is reliable.
There Is cumulative evidence that the
day of the beefsteak is fast passing.
country have more money, more COM
forts, more ~conveniences and more:
luxuries than they ever had before,
but they are cutting out beefsteak en-
tirely for their own use. They are
using it less and less as a lief d'ouvre
for dinner and s~upper-dinner at
noon and supper at 6.
Because meat animals are decreas-
Ing in this country the character Of
the great Chicago packing plants is
changing in a way that would astonish
the visitor who has not seen them for
10 years. The packers are turning to
the preservation Of fruits and the man.
%ufacture Of fruit products. AT the
yards" one nay now spend hours In
specting sample of jellles, jams, mar
malades, preserves, grape juice and
dozens of other attractive
ties that bea not the slightest rela-
ton to cattle or to dressed meats. This
metamorphosis is likely to continue
until Chicago loses it's old sobriquet
Of the pig sticking town" and become
known to the world as the marmalade
city.
Chicago packers declared that their
meat business is being conducted to-
day at a loss and hat they operate
their plants because, the overhead
charges being heavy, the loss caused
by idleness would be SO much greater.
This statement may be taken with a
grain of salt, but the extensive turning
to new lines Of endeavor would seem
are not piling up a. they did in the
old days for the meat barons.
Argentine Help Small.
1t is generally agreed that the new
! tariff law. which admits dressed meats
free of duty has brought little relief
to the consumer unless it be in New
York and adjacent cities. where Ar
gentine beef is available. New York
may be paying as much as ever for it's
beef, but opinion out here is that if it
did not have the Argentine product as
a part Of Its supply beef prices in the
metropolis would be still higher than
they are. On the same line of reason
ing it would follow hat with New
York and the east not drawing SO
heavily IN western American supplies,
I some benefit is reflected back to ths
consumer in this part Of the country.
This help is SO small, however. that 1t
Is scarcely appreciable.
Canada Is to date Of little aid to the
consumer on his side Of the line. The
Underwood tariff act has not stinlulat-
ed beef or cattle imports from that
quarter. The reason for it's failure to
do SO is said to be hat Toronto and
Montreal are scurrying into the back
I ,.~$~ ~ +1o v~oyy3,@~r rs ~1%-.r
enough raw material to supply the
home markets with dressed product.
) Commission men in Chicago have
ceased to direct their efforts toward
Canada. In fact some kinds of cattle
bring more In the Toronto livestock
Chicago or Buffalo. northeast Canada
is too deeply engrossed in wheat rails
ing to give attention to cattle, and thus
aid in building up the supply of ami
mails on the oof for the killers Of this
country.
Mexico Negligible Factor.
Mexico is a negligible factor, due to
) the fact that the war has demoraiized
business and decimated the cattle
herds. 1t will take years to re-establish
the livestock industry in the republic
to the south on a basis that would be
of material interest to the United
States.
Even Argentine. according to rep
re~sentatfves Of local packers, has g.
Ooo,o 900 fewer cattle than it had four
or five years ago. Mr.. Arthur Meeker,
the leading figure in the business Of
Armour & Co. next to Mr.. J. ogden
Armour. says the price OF beef is high
In the Argentine republic n that
with SO few ships engaged in the meat
carrying business, as is the case at
present. there is small reason to bok
for any early and material assistance
from hat country.
! Texas, once a great source OF cattle
supply, is said by men who ought to
know to be producing 40 per cent fewer
beef animals than 1t raised a few years
ago. The Texas livestock business
lapsed with the cutting up of large
ranches and with greater attention to
diversified farming. Observers of the
cattle industry say that the state could
not bring It's beef supplies up to the
standard Of a decade ago in iewer than
10 years n then only by a careful
conservation OF heifers for breeding
purposes. There was great rejoicing
among breeders Of fine cattle a few