The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-03-15
INVESTlGAHONOF
MEAT SITUATIONS
STARTEDBY CHILD
Food Administrator Will Hold
Series Of Meetings With Cat
T.. tie Raisers Of Territory
SERIOUS SHORTAGE
THREATENS ISLANDS
Official viii Seek To Ascertain
Facts Concerning industry and
Work Out Plan OF Action

As q means of gaining relief in the
meat situation Of the Territory and
AZ a. guarantee that meat prices will
not 90 any higher than they are, Food
Administrator ]. +. Child will embark
on d series of cattle raisers' meetings
in the various cattle raising centers of
the Territory.
Work to this end was begun in the
ONCE of the food administration yester
day when II was arranged that federal
agents would 90 to all parts of the Ter
Z fitory to hold meetings and obtain con
SESSIONS from members Of the cattle
mems association which will make a
stipulated price for meat on the hoof
upon which q scale may be fixed to
regulate the profits of both butchers
and retailers.
In addition to the tabulatiOn of sta
tisties which win result, it is hoped, in
n reduction Of the prices Of cattle, the
food administrator is planning to ar
rive at a definite understanding Of the
exact meat status of the Territory. For
this purpose each eattleman will be re
quired to make a complete report Of
all cattle now on hand and of the pos
tibilities for conservation.
warning Unheeded
A special committee of the territor
ial food commission which made a sur
yey Of the meat situation nine months
ago came to the conclusion that unless
certain steps were taken to prevent the
slaughter of cows and ,heifers, the Ter
ritory would suffer from meat short
flge Those in touch with the condi
tidhs say that the warming Of this com
mittee has been needed neither by the
eattlemen nor the territorial officials
and that there has been an unprece
dented Slaughter Of these animals by
the eattlemen in order to gain the full
benefits Of the high meat prices which
have prevailed for the past year.
Z 10 view OF these facts, the food ad
ministratiOB will seek to learn how
many of these have been killed and to
use this information as a basis for new
regulations that will govern the mea'
business for the period Of the war. II |
IL believed that the relations Of the
eattlemen 10 the Hawaii Meat Co. ami
fnels about their ability TO fx thei |
own prices rs affected by this organi |
kati6h win result from the probe that
Is TO be made.
Authority Unquestioned,
The SfplI authority of the food ad |
mipistrati0n to deal with the situation
is not questioned by the cattlemen o.
by,those most interested in the remedy |
Of ,eXistiny conditions. That the au
th6rity' vested in Mr.. Child is all that
isaqecesssry TO place the cattle busi |
ness on more equitable footing is 1
GENERALLY conceded. 1T Is hoped, in view
offthese facts. that the securing of in
formation will lead to summary ae !
ton on the part Of the food administra !
tion similar to the action taken in the
regulation Of the fish business. Thu
food administration has the right b
limit retail prices on any commodity |
which the war exigency effects The
receipt Of rewards out of keeping with |
the general spirit of fairness that l.
relied upon TO promote the nationa'
power in the present crisis has beeI
charged TO the eattlemPn by those who
have made Investigations.
Australian Meat Cheaper
In reply to cables which he sent ont
respecting the relative cost of import |
ing meat in case of n shortage here |
Food Administrator Child has received
Information which shows that Austral
ian products can be brought here cheap
er than those of the mainland at thu
present time. The Australian quota
ton received yesterday for mutton wa
sixteen and one half cents per pound |
This, however, is at the mercy of ship |
ping conditions which make 1t much |
more difficult than the bringing of the |
meat from California. The same dis |
nrepancy between Australian and Am
.erieap quotations exists in beef prices
Australia quotes sixteen ceuts for beef |
landed in Honolulu. The California
price for, beef IL twenty two and one
half cents Z. o. b. Honolulu.