Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-02-02
FARMERS NOT GETTING
BENEFIT OF HIGH PRICES
Grains at Present Prices Fed to Stock
at less-cestins Much More TO Pro.
ducs Beef and Pork at Present Time
Than in 1912 and 1s1s-strons Ad.
dress in House.

price paid Tor live stock In the prln.
cipal live stock markets in the country.
Apparently but few people realize the
great loss that is being sustained every
day by our farmers and stock men. /
undertake to say that II the some de-
noralization Of earnings and actual
losses sustained by our farmers and
feeders during the last few months
were visited upon the railroads of the
country they would be given instant
relief.
"Unquestionably the live stock In
dustry has received a staggering blow
The men who today are engaged In
furnishing the meat supply Of the
country are doing it at a loss that will
total many millions Of dollars.
II have before me Chicago paper
OF yesterday, Jan. %. from which l
quote the following:
Cattle.
Beef steers. good to choice ..$S.00@S.75
Beef steers, fair to good -. 7.00@S.0O
Beef steers, common to fair. 5.25@7.00
Yearlings .~............7 .00@9.50
Beef cows ............... 4.50@6.75
Fat heifers, fair to selected. 5.00@S.00
Bulls 5.0046.75
Hogs.
Bulk OF sales .... 36.40@6.55
Common to good mixed -. 6.25@6.45
Fair to choice medium W.T.. 80. 64596.55
LightweightS .............. 6.o096.6O
Fair to selected butchers -. $500 $50
Select 260@ 800 lb. packers ..6.4oaD6,50
Bears. according to weight. 3.O0@4.00
Pigs OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 5.75@6.35
Stage .................. 6.0096.25
From these limitations II will he
seen thxt the average price paid for
fat cattle at the Chicago market on
yesterday was $3.50 per hundred and
that the average price paid for hogs
was &S.0s per hundred pounds.
Prioe Relations Cease.
~Mr. Speaker. as a general rule
there is corresponding relation be-
tween the price OF fat cattle and hogs
and the price Of corn. the principal
food on which hogs and cattle are ma
tured. Today there is no relation
whatever between the price Of fat cat
tie and hogs and tho price Of corn. Fat
cattle and hogs are selling today in the
principal stockyards Of the country for
considerably less than the actual cost
Of the corn to produce them.
OBVIOUSLY there should also be e
corresponding relation between the
price paid for cattle and hogs and the
prevailing price Of fresh beef and pork.
When the domestic and foreign price
of fresh meats advance should not the
price Of fat cattle and hogs also adj
vance? Since the outbreak Of the Eur
opean war all food stuffs have rapidly
strange to say the price at which the
70 hna NH 90
sell his hogs has declined from $3.50
Jan. 20. The average price Of cattle
has declined from $40 on July IS last
to $3.50 on Jan. 20.
Cost More 60 Produce.
II suppose some one will claim that
inasmuch rs hogs sold on Jan. % for
almost as much az the average price
OF hogs In January. 1912. that the far
mers should not complain. In compar-
ing prices we must not lose sight Of
the comparative cost Of production.
While IT is true the average price Of
hogs on Jan. 20 last was almost as
high as the average price OF hogs in
January. 1912, we must also remember
It costs great deal more to produce
fat hogs today than It did In January,
1913, corn on the Chicago market sold
for ~ cents per bushel while today It
sells for better than 20 cents per bush
ell. "A farmer could make money feed.
ing cattle and hogs at the prevailing
prices in 1912. whereas he can not help
losing money feeding stock at the pre-
vailing prices Of today.
Who Aecoivos Advance.
1.-THE American consumer paid more
for his pork in December than he paid
in July, but the American farmer sold
the hogs out Of which that pork was
made for 20 per cent less in December
than the price he received in July.
The price Of pork in London
increased rs per cent from July IS to
Dec 10. 1914 while the average price
at which tho American farmer was
compelled to sell his hogs declined dur