The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1916-03-24
Northwest Hog Market


by Senator Jones for his views on
the condition of the market for hogs
in the Northwest, intimated in a
statement that on account OF its
location in relation to other market
centers the Pacific Northwest is
virtually a market in itself and
ether efore is somewhat. limited in so
far as the demands for meat pro-
ducts are concerned" This fact, he
says, coupled with the enormous
increase in production has been
cited by some market authorities as
indicative of the overproduction OF
hogs in the Northwest territory.
Students of hog and cattle condi-
tions in the Northwest as we'll as in
other parts of the U. S. are laugh
ing at Brands statement. Itwould
be joke but for the fact that it
comes from an official of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, whose business
is supposed to be along the lines of
building up, and not destroying the
hog industry. If there is an over
production of hogs in the North
west, if the market is limited, why
the present splendid price for hogs.
why the contracts for early summer
delivery at even higher prices than
are being paid today; if there is an
over-production perhaps Mr.. Brand
can explain why from 1856 to 932
carloads of hogs have been shipped
every year since 1908 Q915 in
cludedD from Nebraska and South
Dakota just to meet the require
ments of one Seattle packing house
alone? To this should be added the
hogs shipped from these points to
packers in Spokane. Tacoma and
Portland, also the enormous amount
of finished packing house products,
which are constantly being shipped
here from Missouri River points.
1t is true that for short time
hog prices were lower in the North
west than in the East. 1t will prob
ably never occur again. The explana-
) ton as to why it did occur is simple
enough. The great European War
came on suddenly, wheat jumped
sky high, eastern growers dumped
their hogs on the market by the
thousands, yes by tens of thousands,
the beef trust finding itself with
e this surplus stock on hand, sought
e to demoralize the Northwest hog
growers, swept off their feet by high
> wheat prices, turned their hogs.
. most of them in an inferior condi.
: ton, on the market. This surplus
e glutted the Northwest market
n temporarily but the Northwest
f packers soon cleaned it up. Then
the prices of hogs again began tc
jump and today every grower in the
/ Northwest who continued in the hog
/, business is reaping his financial re-
e ward and, who temporarily abandon
q ed the game, are sorry they did Sc
!, and are hurrying to get back into it
Students of conditions in the
Northwest say that instead of there
u being an over-production there il
= really an under production. Tit
fact that Northwest packers sa.
j they will be shipping hogs in from
r the Middle West before the summe
. is over is pretty good evidence tina
this is true. They will probably pa.
for these hogs a dollar more thai
the prevailing Omaha prices. Their
is not a packing house in the North
west that could not take care RICH
~ today of more hogs if they coul
~ get them. This will be particular
o. true with the ending of the Euro
pean War. U. S. meats will the
IS. be in great demand abroad, an
Northwest packers expect to Shi
via the big canal their products, nc
ms only to Europe, but to the Atlanti
h, seaboard.' Investigation justifie
the statement that they can we
afford to do this in competition wit
oh Eastern packers. Furthermore tn
3, markets of the Northwest are grow
d. ing day by day; the population is Q
st the jump. Hogs from now on wi
Id be in greater demand, it is predic
~ ed, than ever before in the histor
%. of the Northwest, and it is up
OF the Department of Agriculture,
in it wishes to serve the purposes fl
he which it was created by the Peep
n;r to encourage, not discourage tt
great hog industry which years
NE experience has proved is the re
Ich mortgage raiser on every SUGGEST
me American farm.