The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-10-28

the Food Administration, the follow
ing undertaking has been given by
the packers
I'm view of the undertakings on the
part of the Food Administration with
regard to the coordinated purchases of
pork products, covered in the attach
ed, it is agreed that the packers par
ticipating in these orders will under
take not to purchase hogs for lessthan
the following agreed minimums for
the month of November; that is, a
daily minimum of $3.50 per hundred
pounds on average of packers droves
excluding throwouts, throwouts to be
defined as pigs under $50 pounds,
stays, boars, thin sows and skips;
further, that no hogs of any kind shall
be bought, except throwouts, at less
than S16.50 per hundred pounds; the
average of packers droves to be con-
strued as the average of the total
sales in the market of all hogs for a
given day; all the above to be based
on Chicago.
We agree that a committee shall be
appointed by the Food Administration
to check the daily operations in the
various markets with a view of super
vision and demonstration of the carry
ing out of the above The ability of
the packers to carry out the arrange
ment will depend on there being a
normal marketing of hogs based upon
the proportionate increase over the
receipts of last year The increase in
production appears to be maximum
of about fifteen per cent. and we can
! handle shuch an increase. If the pro-
! ducers of hogs should, as they have in
the past few weeks, prematurely mar
ket hogs at such increasing numbers
over the above it is entirely beyond
the ability of the packrs to maintain
thse minimums, and therefore we
must have the cooperation of the pro-
Queer himself to maointain these re-
suits. 1t is physical impossibility
for the capacity of the packing houses
to handle a similar overflow of hogs
and to find a market for the output.
with the producers in maintaining a
sterilization of price and to see that
producers receive fair price for their
products"
(Signed) THOMAS E. WILSON,
Chairman Packers Committee
The plan embodied above was
adopted by the conference.
The Food Administrator has APP
pointed a committee comprising Mr.
Thomas f. Wilson, Chairman of the
packers committee, Mr.. Everett
Brown, President of the Chicago Live
Stock Exchange, Major Roy of the
Food Administration, and Mr.. Louis d
Hall of the Bureau of Markets, to un.
dertake the supervision of the eXecu,
ton of the plan in the various mar.
kets. Commission men are asked tc
cooperate in carrying out the plar
embodied in the packers agreement
1t must be evident that offers by com
mission men to sell hogs below the
minimum established above is not fair
either to the producer or the partici
! pating packers. Mr.. Brown has un
dertaken on behalf of the commission
men in the United States that the!
will Loyalty support the plan. 1t /!
believed by the conference that thii
new planfi based as it is upon a pc
sitive minimum basis will bring bet
ter results to the producer than aver
age prices for the month. 1t does no
place limit to prices and should mar
row the margins necessary to coun
try abuyers in a more variable mar
ket. 1t is believed that the plaI
should work out close to $lS average
Swine producers of the country will
contribute to their own interest b!
not flooding the market, for it mus
be evident that if an excessive over
percentage of hogs is marketed in an.
one month, price sterilization ant
control cannot succeed; and it is GER
tain that producers themselves cal
contribute materially to the efforts o
the conferences, If they will do thei
marketing in as normal way as pos
sible. Theft whole situation as eX
listing at present demands frank an,
explicit assurance from the conferee
represented namely, that every posi-
BILE effort will be made to maintain
live hog price commensurate witt
swine production costs and reasonabl
selling values, in execution of the de
clared policy of the Food Administra
ton to use every agency in its contro
to secure justice to the farmer. TIL
sterilization methods adopted for No
vember represent the best efforts O
the conference, concurred In by tn
Food Administration, and the liv
stock subcommittee of the Agricultur
al Advisory Board, together with spe
clal swine members, and the represen
tatlyes of the packers TO improve tn
present unsatisfactory situation whic
has unfortunately resulted because {
sifsr-sssssHa-1.sz.z=zrzla