The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-11-16


 foreign pork purchases.
 The conclusions of the conference
 The entire marketing situation has 50 changed since the September joint conference as to necessitate an entire alteration in the plans of price staDl- lization. The current peace talk has alarmed the holders of corn, and there has been a price decline of from 70 cents to 40 cents per bushel. The fact that the accumulations of low priced corn in the Argentine and South Afri- ca would, upon the advent of peace and liberated shipping, become aValla- ble to the European market has ere ated a great deal of apprehension on the part of corn holders. This decline has spread fear among swine growers that & similar reduction in the prices of hogs would naturally follow. More over, the lower range of corn prices would, If incorporated in a 13-to-1 ra- tio, obviously result in continuously falling price for live hogs. In view of these changed conditions many swine producers anticipated lower prices and as a result rushed their hogs to market in large numbers, and this overshipment has added to and aggravated the decline.
 The information of the Department of Agriculture indicates that the sup ply of hogs has increased about 8 per cent, while the highest unofficial esti- mate does not exceed 15 per cent in- creased production over last year. On the other hand, the arrival of hogs during the last three weeks in the seven great markets has been 27 per cent. more than last year, during the corresponding period, demonstrating the unusually heavy marketing of the available supply. In the face of the excessive receipts some packers have not maintained the price agreed last month. On the other hand, many of the packers have paid over the price offered to them in an endeavor to maintain the agreed price. The re- suit in any event has been a failure to maintain the October price basis determined upon at the September con- l ference and undertaken by the pack CTS. Another factor contributing to the break in prices during the month has been the influenza epidemic; it 1 has sharply curtailed consumption ot 1 pork products and temporarily de 1 creased the labor staff of the packers about 25 per cent.
 The exports of 130,O0OOO0 pounds of pork products for October com pared with about 52,000,000 pounds in October a year ago, and the export orders placeable by the Food Administration for November, amount to 17o,OOO,0OO pounds as contrast ed with the lesser exports o1 9S,OOOOOO for November, 1917. The increased demands of the allies are continuing, and are in themselves proof of the necessity for the large production for which the Food Admin istration asked. The increase In eX port demands appears to be amply sufficient to take up the increase IT hog producti Jn, but unfavorable mar ket conditions existing In October af ford no fair index of the aggregate supply and demand.
 It must be evident that the enor
 nous shortage in fats in the Centra Fmuires and neutral countries woul'
 Immediately upon peace result in ao
 ditional demands for pork product
 which, on top of the heavy shipment
 to the Allies, would tend mater1ali
 to increase the American exports, in
 asnuch as no considerable reservoir
 supplies exists outside of the Unite
 States. It seems probable that th
 present prospective supplies would b
 Inadeouate to meet this world deman
 with the return to peace. So far as
 is possible to interpret this fact, It aE
 pears that there should be even | stronger demand for pork product
 after the war, and therefore any alar1
 of hog producers as to the effect c l peace IS uuWdIEuulGu ny IAS In the light of these circumstance if is the conclusion of the conferenc that attempts to hold the price of hog to the price of corn may work out the disadvantage of pork producer It Is the conclusion that any interprt
 tation of the formula should be broad gauged policy applied over , long period It is the opinion Of tn I conference that in substitution of tn
 previous plans of stabilization th , Live Stock Subcommittee of the Agr
 cultural Advisory Board, together wit = the specially invited swine represents ? lives, should accept the Invitation g the Food Administration to join wit ' the Administration and the packers determining the prices at which col l. trolled export orders are to be place o This will be regularly done. The il
 fluence of these orders will be directe " to the maintenance of the common O : ject-namely, the stabilization of Il n price of live hogs so as to secure as f' as it Is possible fair returns to Il tiuna nT n {c nh hn o1y