The Republican journal., 1915-05-20
More Live Stock Now Than .
Year AGO.
Government Statistics Contradict Reports
That Prices Win Reach Unprecedented
Figures,

That Prices WIN Reach Unprecedented
Figures.
For the first time in many veara IN.
formation collected by the denartmant
shows that all classes of live stock II tha
United States are incre asinp ii nnmhars
Thus the real facts contradict. ahsolnto.
ly, sensational reports that prices for
meat and shoes would rise to unnreco-
dented figures in the immediate future
1t has even been said that Government
statistician predicted meat at 80 cents q
pound and shoes at $40 a pair within the
next two years. Such a prediction. the
real Government statisticians saw il
quite unwarranted
On January LIST, for example, the mum.
Der of beef cattle showed an increase of
"a per cent over the number a wear
ago, and an actual increase of 1,2l2. 600
head. Hitherto the number of beef
cattle in the United States has declined
steadily since 1910. There are also more
mich cows in the country than last year
the increase being rs per cent. or in
numbers 525. 900. Swine, however, show
ed the greatest increase of all classes
SO per cent. On January l. 1914, there
were only So, 933, 900 swine in the coun-
try; on January |, 1915. 64,618, 900.
This is accounted for by the fact that
the production of swine can be increased
more rapidly than that of other classes
of live stock and consequently an en-
larged demand can be met more readily.
The prediction of 50-cent meat and $lO
shoes was accompanied by the declaration
that France alone has taken from Amer
lea nearly 300. 600 horses within the last
II hat
at war have drawn upon our resources
in the same proportion. The facts are
that more horses were on the farms of
the United States on January l, 1915,
than there were a year before. the in
crease being 233, 900 head. or III per
cent. So far from France alone having
taken 300, 900 horses from US, the total
exports since the war began have GER
tainly been much less than 100, 900 and
very likely not over Is, 600. Since there
are approximately $4,000, 900 horses al.
together in the United States, the drain
on account of the war is scarcely alarm.
ing.
1t is, in fact, pointed out by Government
statisticians that the market value of
farm horses has actually declined to such
an extent that the average is now about
Sc head less than year ago. This de-
cline is most noticeable in the cotton
States ana in those States which make
business of breeding horses for sale in
other sections. Mules have declined
even more than horses, their value being
now Sill. so per head less than year ago.
The explanation is to be found in the de-
preston on account of the cotton situa-
ton in the South, which is the great
market for mules. An improvement in
this respect will do much to restore the
demand for horses, 50 that Government
specialists, while ridiculing the notion of
horse famine, are convinced that farm
ers will find it profitable to use good
work mares for breeding more stock.
AS for hides, the situation is not quite
so clear, but even here there has been
much gross exaggerafion. From two
6fths to less than one-half of the leather
used in this country is i'm ported, about
Is per cent of the foreign hides coming
from Argentina, Is per cent from Can
ada, II per cent from Mexico, 1-2 per
cent from European Russia, and Z IL
per cent from France. Since the out
break of the war importations have
shown a certain falling off. those for
September, 1914, for example, being
only 34,000.000 pounds, instead of 49,
10000 pounds the year previous. There
is, however. little reason to suppose
that this decrease will be permanent or
of sufficient Importance to create any
scarcity. Since the great bulk of the
hides comes from countries
that are not at war, shipments are not
lnterfered with in any way, and the only
new factor to be considered is the possi-
blity of an increased demand by the
warning countries.
1t is believed, however, that the Unit
ed States is now in better condition to
face such a situation than for years
past. The tide. it seems has turned.
Instead of live stock steadily decreasing
year after year, this year for the first
time, as has been said, all classes show
an appreciate increase. Including horses,
mules, mich cows, beef cattle, sheep
and swine, there were on January l,
1915. 7,712,00O more farm animals in the
United States than on January l, 1914.
The increase in the total value was $751;
O24 600, or 1.3 per cent. 1t is quite true
that this increase is not yet proportional
to the increase in population, which is
2 per cent; but the fact
that there is an increase, that the tide
seems definitely to have turned, is re-
garded as sufficient answer to alarm
ing exaggerations and misleading figures.