The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1918-07-04
SERIOUS PROBLEM TO BE
SOLVED IN NEAR FUTURE

Washington, June 3O.-(Corre-
spondence of the Associated Press)-|
With the population of the world in
creasing faster than the growth in
the meat supply, government experts
foresee serious problem to be solv-
ed in the not far-distant future.
The situation in the United States
has reached an interesting stage.
Withing the last ten years, the popul-
lation has increased about 18 per cent
while the herds of the nation which
brought the meat industry to its pres
ent high development have declined
20 per cent. In Europe the condition
is even more serious because of de-
pletion due to the war. Australia
and New Zealand continue to produce
great quantities of meat, but the dis
tance to the congested centers of
population adds much to the expense
of marketing. South Americas vast
fields and spendid herbage, therefore,
are being looked to as the source of
Argentina is today the most i'm
portant beef producing country in the
world, according to a review of meat
packing in South America by the
Latin-American Division of the Bu-
reau of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce. Uruguay also is becoming a
center of the industry and Brazil,
Paraguay, Colombia, and Venezuela
to a less extent. Out of total of
915,647 tons of beef, mutton and lamb
produced in 1916, Argentina produced
436,4O5 tons, New Zealand and Aus
tralia 2,176 tons, the United States
iSO,522 tons, Uruguay 43,895 tons,
Brazil 1851 tons, Canada 21,723 tons
and other countries the remainder.
Development of cattle breeding in
South America has been a direct re-
suit of the discovery of refrigeration.
Until the practice of freezing meat
was introduced, South American COM
merce in meat was negligible, being
confined to the shipment of low grade
smoked or salted beef, for which
there was little sale. When Amer-
can and British capital established
plants in Argentina and Uruguay,
and later in other countries for freez-
| ing or chilling meat so that it could
he shipped fresh across the ocean,
commanding high prices and being in
great demand, native ranchmen' be-
70 thni, H1rt hn in
PRODUCTION of thoroughbreds.
AS result, millionaire ranchmen
in Argentina and Uruguay are al
most as plentiful as millionaire oil
men in Oklahoma. Frozen meat is
being used extensively 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 new in
dustry usually encounters. Profiting
by American experience, the plants
were established along modern lines
without costly experiment. A market
already had been created in Europe
by the shipment of frozen meat from
the United States. Argentina is now
seekin" to increase her herds to keep
mace with the capacities of the pack
ing houses. while Brazil is endeavor-
inc to aurment the number Of pack
ing houses to handle the plentiful
supply of stock The Brazilian gov
ernment is niving every ENCOURAGE
ment to breeders to improve their
strain Of cattle.
Columbia has offered a subsidy of
100000 to the first packing house es-
tabished in that country. Column
bia has approximately 100000 head
of cattle, which can be exported now
only on the hoof American, British
and Swedish farms are reported to
be investigating the subsidy offer
WHY NOT LEARN RUSSIAN