Arizona republican., 1915-04-05

| paid for live stock during the past three years have not on the average | yielded a fair return, particularly to | the range man and those who raise young stock for further finishing in i the feedlots. The feeder who bought stockers or feeders has not fared so well. but taking the entire three year period into consideration, his returns have been fairly remuner ative. despite the violent fluctuations 1 in market prices. For the past four months, however, stockmen have generally been marketing their fat cattle at a loss. The decline of from
 $50 to $2.00 per hundred pounds on beef cattle in December and Janu
 ary resulted in great losses to most of the feeders.
 These ruinous fluctuations are not
 unusual; while frequent, they occur
 withot any regularity. Under pres
 ent conditions, when a feeder fills
 his feed-lots with stock for fatten-
 ing, he is speculating on the price
 he will receive when ready for mar
 ket. This speculative element has
 driven many out of the business and
 deterred others from engaging in it. Stable, and reasonably profitable prices are prerequisite to the sue cessful production of live stock. Hu- ! man nature prompts everyone to buy as cheaply as possible. The slaught-
 erer is not different from the rest of us. He avails himself of every l chance agency or influence affecting l prices ana when conditions favor,
 ne forces large declines in the mar
 ket. This in turn affects produCtior
 and the situation gradually rever ses
 itself, the buyers later paying much
 higher prices.
 l These ups and downs in the mar
 ket do not exist to so great an ex-
 tent m any other live stock produc-
 ing country on the globe It may
 be that so long as the present cen-
 tralization of the meat packing and
 other allied industries at large mar kets continues, 1t will be difficult to
 correct the evils flowing from wide fluctuations in prices. l believe that
 this association should take the in-
 itiative in arranging for a confer | partment of agriculture. and all in terests concerned in raising, ma;ur- ing and marketing live stock, for the purpose of securing, if possible, more
 stable, and fairly remunerative prices.
 The difficulties of financing i've stock loans on a reasonable basis is another burden weighing heavily on ] our industry. This subject will be ! discussed by Mir Bassett of our ey- ecutive committee, and I will only
 say that stockmen pay too high d
 rate of interest for the money they borrow at the banks, loan companies,
 and elsewhere.
 The fear that the removal of the duty on live stock and meats might
 make the live stock business in this country less profitable has also been la deterring influence in extepding production. It was vigorously as- serted by the. supporters of the. Un- derwood tariff bill that the placing
 of meat and live stock on the free list would result in cheaper prices
 This proved to be a delusion, so far as the consumer is concerned.
 Live stock conditions in other Icountries change as they do here
 land no one can foretell when this
 country will receive larger importa
 tions of meat products, which may
 temporarily affect our prices here
 An import duty would tend to min
 imize live stock fluctuations caused | ah nf and
 would instill confidence instead of
 fear in the minds of the producers The powers in Mexico have levied
 an export duty on cattle about twice
 as large as the import duty this
 government took off. Some enter : prising Mexicans are now slaughter l. ing confiscated cattle in that coun- try and shipping the meat free into the United States. We cannot shiI
 meat into Mexico without paying ar import duty. Canada can ship live stock and meats into this country
 free, and has been doing so. while we pay an import duty on live stock : and meats shipped into Canada Ar
 gentina stockmen and slaughterers absorbed the amount of the duty which this government removed During 1914 the United States re- , ceived more than onehalf the hide. exported from Argentina, and they
 came here without paying any duty
 Boots and shoes and leather goods are not any cheaper now than prev , ious to the removal of the duty or hides
 The placing of live stock, meats
 hides and wool on the free list ha! been of no real benefit to the con | sumer, and has given packers ant those operating in other countries { decided advantage; it has taken iron , cur government a large sum of muc'
 needed revenue; and has tended t, I make the raising and maturing O l live stock in this country a more ur certain business. At the time of ,h, ? consideration of the tariff bill w t pointed out these facts to congress 1 l also believe there is an oppor 3 tunity for economy in the marketing . IOf live stock and particularly in th t distribution of it's products. Ther t seems to be too wide margin bet s ween what the producer receives fo k live stock and prices paid by tn s consumer. This question is still re : ceiving the attention of the specia Q committee appointed to study thi r phase of the situation and I trus n some recommendations will soon b t submitted by the department of az P lriculture
 r Foot and Mouth Disease : We are still fighting the most seri e ious and extensive outbreak of foo