The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-08-09

Armour. says the price Of beef is hlgl
In the Argentine Republic and that Will
! so few ships engaged In the meat carry
/ ing business, as Is the case at present
there Is small reason to look for an!
early and material assistance from tina
country
| Texas. once a great source Of cattl'
supply. Is, said by men who ought Il
| know to be producing 20 per cent fewel
beef animals than II raised a few year.
ago. The Texas live stock business
lapsed with the cutting up of IargC
ranches and with the greater attention
to diversified farming. Observers Of
the cattle industry say that the STATE
could not bring its beef supplies up tc
the standard Of a decade ago In fewer
than ten years. and then only by a care,
full conservation OF heifers for breeding
purposes. There was great rejoicing
among breeders OF fine cattle a few years
ago when the passing OF the typical
Texas steer. with the long horns. was
announced. Commission men would vel
come some of that cattle clan now IL II
were available.
Some abnormal things are happening
now and then in the Western cattle bust
ness. The law of ecoAomics Is that beef
animals should be worth more in Chicago
than In Kansas City. This law has been
COnIThNcncu ldlelN-nOl the IlIlcs Dul
on occasion. Iowa live stock Eravitates
naturally to the Chicago markets for the
best of trade reasons. but IL has actually
happened within the last month that Chi
cago commission men. playing fair with
their Hawkeye customers. have advised
them to ship their cattle to Kansas City
because prices there were better than
prices here In Chicago. And Denver mas
been paying more for grass steers than
the animals would be worth to the trade
in either Chicago or Kansas City. An
other circumstance, unusual but not so
striking. is that hogs have comma nded
better prices at times in Fort Worth.
Tex. than In Chicago.
A shortage of Cattle.
In the six principal markets OF the
West-Chicago. Kansas City. Omaha, ST.
Louis, St Joseph. and Sioux City-there
is a shortage OF approximately 5000
head Of cattle since January |. compar-
ed with the receipts for the same period
in 1913. Arrivals at every market have
and the killing centers beyond
the Mississippi have suffered more than
those east Of the river. Kansas City is
short about 10000 head. The decrease is
attributed largely to the drought in the
Southwest last summer. Kansas City
traders are quite sure corn fat cattle
will command 81 a hundredweight in
their local market before the end Of
August.
Stock men of the Department Of Ag-
riculture bases it's forecast OF relief on
false premises. taking it for granted,
apparently. that the experience OF 1912
will be repeated. Relief then came
with the availability Of corn for feed
ng purposes. but the dificulty now is
more fundamental. according to private
expert opinion. in that the cattle are
acking decidedly in numbers. A Den
rer authority. disputing the Washing
on optimists. predicts that cattle
'carcity will reach an acute stage next
'ear.
Corn is about six cents a bushel |
higher now than IL was at this season |
asst year. Dry pastures in some parts |
ave resulted in the sending OF half |
at steers to market. FatteninE on |
orn at present is an expensive proc
SIS, and there does not seem to be any
prospect that corn prices will drop ma
erially.
Values Spur Producers.
Current values for beef cattle have
purred producers all over the country
o save their calves and mature them
nto the heavy steer class. While that
OlSg veal sGdICc anu COSNlSs IL
5 welcomed as the right preliminary
ampaign to re-establish the old sh-
oned cattle business. The cOnserva-
on Of calves-male and female-will
OF. in the view of careful observers,
e a market factor for two or three
ears. Considering the increase in
opulation. many packers doubt IL II
yer will be more influential than in
eeplng prices somewhere near the
resent level Recent remarkable ad-
ance in the market value OF Western
Inds is given as another reason why
he future of the cattle industry does
OF appear rosy. from the consumers
IA ndpoint.
Some cattle men OF the Northwest
ay the government could do a vast
cal to restore the old conditions and
stimulate production of beef and ,
luton IL II would make the broad eX-
anses OF Federal lands availsbl for
raZing purposes. They contend that
lie Washington authorities are too
UGH obsessed by dry farming and ir- :
CATION ideas and too little impressed
it'll what they could contribute, II
ley would. toward a rehabilitation of 9
lie cattle business.
Mr.. Meeker, of Armour & Co. says 1
lie people are now learning. as the 9
ackers have contended, that the price
meats is a purely economic question.
overned solely by the law of supply =
Id demand Producers answer that
Id been the exact truth in the heyday U
the Beef Trust" the cattle industry
ould be on a much more satisfactory l
isis today than II is.
Now there is a common fear. shared '
packers. producers. shippers and
mmission men. that the beef steak Is y
be denied the American people.