The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-11-06
THE REVIEW SPECIAL.
FARM NEWS DEPARTMENT
John II. D. Gray
Editor
Live News About Crawford County
Farms and Farmers

pldCcu luC udoAS "
cost of hogs to the packers.
AS the result of long negotiation
between this body and the packers
committee, representing the, forty-tive
packers participating in foreign or
ders, together with the allied buyers
all under the craftsmanship of the foot
administration, the following under
taking has been given by the packers
I in view of the undertakings on the
part of the food administration with
regard to the co-ordinated purchases
Of pork products, covered in the at
tached, It is agreed that the packers
participating in these orders will un.
dertake not to purchase hogs for less
than 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 1870 pounds,
Istags, boars, thin sows and skip. Fur
Their, that no hogs of any kind shall
be bought, except 'throwouts.' at less
than $3.50 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.
1--WE agree, that committee shall
be appointed by the food administra-
ton to check the daily operations in
the various markets with view to
supervision and demonstration Of the
carrying out of the above. The ability
of the packers to carry out this ar
rangement will depend on there being
normal marketing of hogs based on
the proportionate increase over the
receipts of last year. The increase in
production appears to be a maximum
of about fifteen per cent and we can
handle such an increase.
If the producers of hogs should,
as they have in the past few weeks
prematurely market hogs at such in
creasing numbers over the above, it
is entirely beyond the ability Of the
packers to maintain these minimums
and therefore we must have the coop
Grafton of the producer himself to
maintain these results. 1t is a physi-
cal impossibility for the capacity of
the packing houses to handle a SINH
lar overflow of hogs and to find mar
ket for the output. The packers are
anxious to cooperate with the pro-
ducers in maintaining. a, sterilization
of the price and to see that the pro-
ducers receive fair price for their
products. m rs
"(Signed) Thos. E. Wilson,
Chairman Packers Committee"
Tho v1o~ hnd ~ nvo xyoc cd In NJ.
ed by the conference. The food adj
ministration has appointed q commit
tee comprising Thomas E. Wilson,
chairman of the packers committee;
Everett Brown, president of the Chi
cago Livestock Exchange; Major Roy
Of the food Administrations; 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 to
cooperate in carrying out the plan
embodied In the packers agreement.
It 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 under
taken on behalf of the commission
men in the United States that they
will loyalty support the plan. It is be-
lieved by the conference that this new
plan, based as it is upon a positive
minimum basis, will bring better re-
suits to the producers than average
prices for the month. It does not lin
it top prices and should narrow the
margins necessary to country buyers
in more variable market. 1t Is be-
lieved that the plan should work out
close to $500 average.
Swine producers of the country will
contribute to their own interest by not
flooding the market, for it must be evil
dent that If an excessive over per
centage of hogs is marketed in any
one month, price sterilization and con-
troll cannot succeed. And it is certain
that producers themselves can con-
tribute materially to the effort of the
conferences, If they will do their mar.
keting in as normal way as possible.
The whole situation as existing at
present demands a frank and explicit
assurance from the conferences rep.
resented, namely, that every possible
effort will be made to maintain a live
hog price commensurate with swine
production costs and reasonable SELL
ing values, in execution of the de.
clared policy of the food administra-
ton to use every agency in it's control
to secure justice to the farmer. The
sterilization methods adopted for
November represent the best efforts
of the conference, concurred to by
food administration and the livestock
subcommittee of the agricultural ad.
visory board, together with special
swine members, and the representa-
tives of the packers, to improve the
present unsatisfactory situation which
has unfortunately resulted because of
the injection of uncomfortable factors.
We ask the producer to- cooperate
with us in most difficult task. The
conference concluded by rising vote
Of appreciation. to Mr.. Hoover for the
able manner in which the greatest
crisis that has confronted swine pro-
ducers has been handled, and to ex.
press belief that the swine producers
are and have been given support of
unestimable value by the whole food
administration.