Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-12-20
PUBLIC SHOO[DIDAHO ALREADY
EAT Lamb; W|TH'HAS PASSED ITS.
NO RESTRICTION QUOTA IN DRIVE
Federal Food Administra-
ton Realizes Consumption
Necessary to Keep Pro
ducers in Business.

The federal food administration
never requested that an embargo be
placed on the eating of lamb. but this
impression has been so widespread the
consuming public has virtually ceased
to eat this variety Of meat. resulting in
heavy losses to the feeder At the pres
ent time the lamb market in the west
ern Cnited States has shrunk about IS
per cent and hundreds of thousands
OF lambs cannot be marketed at any
price. The public can feel at liberty
to eat lamb or mutton just as it does
other meats. except on meatless days,
the federal food administration has as
sured.
Where the western states, including
Idaho, find lamb and mutton prices
soaring so far as the consumer is con-
cerned when he buys it dressed over
the block. due to the scarcity of lambs
on the market, the eastern market is
glutted with lamb, the bulk of which
cannot be sold. The latter condition
10 due to the propaganda carried on
leaving the impression that the con-
Stunning public should not eat lamb and
because growers claim they were
and other western states to the east
because of the high price of feed at
home. The annual output of lambs
from this state alone is between 1900
900 and 100000 head. The heavy
shipments east made scarcity of lamb
in Idaho and other western states,
forcing the prices up while by the same
action and the anti-lamb campaign,
H.. Ia a Ia
west and east
IDAHO NEEDS PACKING PLANT.
Hugh Sproat, president Of the Idaho
Wool Growers association, declares
that the situation brings forcibly to
mind the proposition that Idaho should
have a large central packing plant
where it could handle its own lambs.
Ito is an established fact" said Mr..
Sproat, that our lambs taken from the
range in prime condition, lose no less
than seven pounds in transit to Chi
cago and other eastern markets The
lambs are fat when they leave the
range but the trip east Is long and hard
on the animals. In the eight or 10 days
taken to make it they consume their
own fat to the extent of seven pounds
for each animal.
"If the state of Idaho has centrally
located packing plant, the sheep could
he quickly transported from the ranges
to the plant without loss and this seven
pounds of fat per head would be saved.
As fatssare needed to help win the
present war. il would seem to me such
n plant for this state would be of great
7alue.
IDAHO DRAINED OF SHEEP.
Growers this year shipped their
lambs east to avoid the prevailing high
prices of feed. They could be fed
cheaper in the east than they could at
home and the market was the place for
them. The result was that practically
all of the lambs disappeared from the
Idaho market. However. there were
plenty of them in the middle west and
east. The anti-lamb campaign inaugu-
rated through apparent misapprehen-
sion forced down the consumption.
Consumers thought the food admins
tration did not want them to eat lamb,
so many OF them stopped doing so.
The lamb market was therefore hit
hard"
Regarding the attitude of the admin
istration Mr.. Sproat received the fol-
lowing telegram from Mr.. Cotton,
United States food administrator in
charge of the packing industry:
NO RESTRICTIONS ON LAMB.
The food administration has placed
no restriction on use of lamb save only
the meatless day The administration
fully realizes that lamb must be eaten
to keep producers in business at fair
profit and desires that there be no fall
ing off in consumption which will in
jure that industry. | have so wired
certain food administrators"
RIDENBAUGH NOTIFIED.
5. w. Mcclure, secretary of the Ma
tional Woolgrowers' association has
issued the following statement to
sheepmen in Idaho through John F.
Ridenbaugh, secretary of the Idaho
Woolgrowers' association
To Sheepmen-At the present time
the lamb market in the western United
States has shrunk about 60 per cent
so that hundreds of thousands of lambs
on feed cannot be mark eted at any
price, and we do not believe any fed
lambs are selling at a price covering
the cost of production. My advice is
that as a result of the anti-lamb cam
paign, the public is not consuming
lamb. The public is under the mis-
apprehension that Mr.. Hoover, through
the United States food administration,
has advised that lamb should not be
eaten. Mr.. Hoover has given no such
advice. | wired Mr.. Hoover setting
forth the fact that there was no mar
ket for lamb, and Mr.. Cotton. his first
assistant, wired me as follows:
Washington, ID. c.. Dec. 15.-Your
two kilograms to Mr.. Hoover. The
food administration has asked no re-
'strction on nse of lamb except it's re-
auirements of meatless days, lambs is
mot to be eaten on meatiSss days.
tSigned) COTTON
Will you please give this telegram
the. widest publicity? Ask your local
paper to, publish II so that the farmers
OF the country who are feeding lambs