The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-11-06
WESTERN CATTLE

Mr.. A. E. DeRicqles, Manager of the American Liv
Stock and Loan Company, writes on the above subec
as follows:
AS regards the recent prices paid for Western
cattle and the profits made not made by the own
ers 1t is safe to say that in general way prices
have been very satisfactory to the producer and that
his profits above normal in more than majority
of cases. However, when anyone starts in to analyze
costs and conditions andcompare them with previous
years the result is somewhat startling. good ex-
ample of this can be shown in own experience and
is given here for your information. Our Western
steers that have been sold this fall netting about
$4,000 as compared with $73S1 for the same type in
1913 Now, supposing we had to go back to the old
days when money was very scarce and trade or ex-
change of products was the only method of doing
business. What could we exchange one steer for in
1917 compared with 1913? On the basis of present
prices the 1917 steer that nets $10500 could now be
exchanged for 1872 tons of cotton seed cake, while
the 1913 steer that sold for $73S1 would have given
us 27 tons. And in like manner 1917 steer would
have brought 62 bushels of corn, while 1913 steer
los bushels, 166 miles of barbed fence wire as CON-
pared with EOS miles of wire for the low priced 1913
steer. So we have the strange situation Of bigger
pile of dollars for steer, but considerable de-
crease in the number of things needed by ranch
man that these increased dollars will get hence
conclude that meat animals have not advanced in the
proportions things that the producer of meat
animals has to buy all of which may partly explain
decreased production of fat animals Have dollars
deprecated In value.
Mr. Daniel Willard, Chairman of the Advisory
Committee of National Defense has said that any
business not necessary for the winning of the war
should be given very little consideration suppose
he means that the country needs the freight cars for
coal rather than pianos, or that work war trucks
should replace pleasure in motor factories. In
just that way should the live stock men, if possible
make their plans to produce meat animals out of their
output and use their feed for that purpose rather
than for extending their operations into other drec
tions. This is time for specializing and those who
inclined in that direction will receive scan con-
sideraton from those who have the best interest of
the country at heart 1t is that sentiment that has
done a lot towards knocking the bottom out of the
New York stock market So all of you fellows out
West who have been getting these letters these many
years get your pencil out and figure that one Mon
tana fat steer will feed two soldiers for year and
the hide will make boots and shoes for them and if
you add ten pounds per head weight your cattle
by giving little extra attention that you are helping
to win the war; and that your business according to
Mr.. Willard is in Class Division, and that you are
helping Mr. Hoover get his wheat and meat so neces
sary he says for So let us all resign
from our honors and get on the main job which after
all is generally found nearest to us if we will only
look.