Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-08-04
Meat Production on
Increase But Less Than
Population Gro,Oth

The meat production has not kept
and that its failure to do so, combined
with increased cost of production and
diminished purchasing power of the
money unit, has contributed to higher
prices, not only in the United States
but all over the world, is stated in
Part of the exhaustive report on the
meat situation IN the preparation Of
which specialists of The department
have been engaged for some time. ms
country, it is said, is participating In
worldwide movement. and 1t IS not
expected that the situation Will undergo
any radical change in the immediate
future. On the other hand II Is pc
lieved that there will be gradual
growth and expansion in the world $
production of beef, mutton, and pork
which may or may not equal the rate
of increase of the meat eating popula-
ton,
In America this gradual expansion
appears to have begun already, Be
tween 1907 and 1913 there was
marked decline in the number OF cattle
in the country, but in the last TWO
Years this not only has stopped but
has given way to. perceptibie IN
crease. The estimated NUMBER Oh
farms and ranges on Jan. l, 1916, o.
AL 900, is, however still much below
the corresponding figure for 1907, -
534 900. With the exception OF tenn
porary checks due to losses from hog
cholera, there has been in recent
years persistent increase in the pro-
duction Of swine. On January !, 1916,
the number in the country was estl-
mated at 6S,008,000. as compared with
$500, 900 in April, 1910. On the other
hand. the number Of sheep declined
during this period from 52.5OOo0O in
1910 to 492O0.000 in 1916. AS the de-
crease, however, is not sufficient to
offset the increase in cattle and swine,
it may be said that the total produc-
ton of meat in the United States is
increasing, but that this increase is
not vet proportionate to the growth in
population.
The available supply of meat would
be much greater if it were not for the
enormous losses caused by disease ana
exposure. Since 1900 it is estimated
that from 100000 to 1,475,000 cattle
have died each year from disease and
from 900, 900 to 100000 from exposure.
With sheep, the losses from disease
have been about the same. but from
exposure much larger With swine the
relative prevalence Of hog holera is
perhaps the determining factor in the
annual loss. In 1894 this was as low
as 200, 900. but in 1914 il amounted TO
1000, 900. If these 100000 hogs had
been saved, it is said they would have
produced enough meat to furnish every
family in the United States with forty
pounds Of pork.
Despite these facts the United States
remains the greatest meat-eating as
we'll as the greatest meat producing
nation in the world. Approximately
twice as much meat is consumed in
this country as in Germany before the
war, and the total normal consumption
in Russia, Great Britain. and France
is less than in Germany. The per
capita consumption is also far greater
in this country than anywhere else
with the exception Of Australia and
New Zealand.
Our own exports now consist largely
of pork and pork products. and these
are derived to a great extent from
corn In the fiscal years 1914 and 1915
we imported more fresh, chilled, and
frozen beef and mutton than we ex-
ported and more beef of al! descrip-
tons was imported in 1914 than was
exported In this limited respect we
have joined the great majority. Prac-
tically the whole Of the worlds export
trade in meat is maintained by nine
countries-Argentina, Australia. Can
ada, Denmark, Mexico (uEder normal
conditions). New Zealand, the United
States and Uruguay.