The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-03
MEAT PROBLEM
BECOMING SERIOUS
Population of World Is Increasing Faster
Than Growth of Meat Supply-Situ-
alton in the United States Has
Reached Interesting Stage.
Reached Interesting Stage.

Washington, d. c., July 3.With the
population of the world increasing fast.
er than the growth in the meat supply
government experts foresee serious
problem to be solved in the not far dis.
fant future.
The situation in the United States
has reached an interesting stage. With.
in the last ten years, the population has
increased about lS per cent while the
herds of the nation which brought
meat industry to its present high de-
velopment have declined 20 per cent. In
Europe the condition is even more Sc
rios because of depletion due to the
war. Australia and New Zealand CON
tinue to produce great quantities OF
meat, but the distance to the congested
centers of population adds much to the
expense of marketing. South America S
vast fields and splendid heritage, there.
fore, are being looked to as the source
of supply, now as well as after the war
Argentina is to-day the most impor-
tant beef producing country in the world
according to a review of meat packing
in South America by the Latin American
division of the bureau of foreign and do
mestic commerce. Uruguay also is be-
coming a center of the industry and
Brill, Paraguay, Colombia, and Venez-
uela to less extent Out of a total
of 9l5,647 tons of beef, mutton and
lamb produced in 1916, Argentina pro
duced 436,405 tons, New Zealand and
Australia 262,l7 tons, the United States
S0,522 tons, Uruguay 1896 tons, Brazil
1851 tons, Canada 2l,723 tons and 9TH
er countries the remainder.
Development of cattle breeding in
South America has been direct re.
suit of the discovery of refrigeration
Until the practice of freezing meat was
introduced, South American commerce in
meat was negligible, being confined Ia
the shipment of low grade smoked OF
sailed beef, for which there was little
sale. When American and British CAPT.
tai established plants in Argentina and
Uruguay, and later in other countries for
freezing or chilling meat so that it could
be shipped fresh across the ocean, com
manding high prices and being in great
demand, native ranchmen began to i'm.
prove their stock by the introduction Of
thoroughbreds.
As result, millionaire ranchmen in
Argentina and Uruguay are almost as
plentiful as millionaire oil men in Okla
lahoma. Frozen meat is being used ex-
tensively by the allied armies and the
flow of gold in the worlds commerce
has been showing an increasing trend
toward South America.
Meat packing in Argentina has been so
successful because it was spared the
hardships which a new industry usually
encounters. Proftting by American ex
perience, the plants were established
along modern lines without costly exper-
iment, A market already had been Gre
ated in Europe by the shipment of frozen
meat from the United States. Argentina
is now seeking to increase her herds to
keep pace with the capacities of the
packing houses, while Brazil is endeavor-
Ing to augment the number Of packing
houses to handle the plentiful supply Of
stock The Brazilian government il Civ
ing every encouragement to breeders to
improve their strain of cattle.
Columbia has offered a subsidy of fI0.-
900 to the first packing house established
in that country Columbia has approx.
mately 100000 head of cattle, which
can be exported now only on the hoof
American, British and Swedish farms
are reported to be investigating the sub
Eidy offer.