Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-08-07
Thursday. August 7, 1919.


The following letter in the New
York Sun contains so much Of COM
mon sense and fact as can be testified
to by every farmer in Maine. that we
reprint to show to our farmers what
other farmers in other states are
thinking.
To the Editor Of The Sun-Sir:
Anent the prohibitiye cost Of meats
and the causes thereof. a great fac
tor which has been overlooked or for
gotten is the elimination Of the local
butcher.
Not so many years ago every town.
every village, had its small abattoir
where locally raised stock was butch
cred and sold. This made a market
for locally raised surplus stock, Of
which there was always an abund-
ance. Where are these local butch
ering establishments now? Echo
answers
Twenty years ago the city in which
! am writing possessed at least
twenty Of these abattoirs and stock
was daily seen passing through our
streets on the way TO them Evil
IDENTIFY stock raising and butchering
were profitable to both farmer and
butcher. and a great convenience to
the consumer as well. Why have we
none of it now? Our farmers have
hundreds of acres Of land lying
practically idle which is well adapted
to stock raising.
About the only meat now coming
from the farmer is veal from the
slaughter of the calves from the
mich cows. The farmer is now no
longer a farmer in any real sense:
he Is a milk producer. But why
should he not raise his calves and
produce beef and raise sheep and
hogs at the same time? He can
produce enough grain and hay to
feed his stock and in so doing produce
enough natural fertilizer to keep ur
his land.
The answer is that the Western
packers have run out both the farmer
and the butcher. the latter first, and
with his going went the market for
stock It was deliberate operation.
With huge cold storage plants es-
E tablished in every centre of popula-
NA0AAs ~Asa AA4~A oCAfC1y A0Sh1ttSSs
the local butcher" now no longer a
butcher, could get his meats dressed
at less cost than he could produce
them. with labor and buying risks
eliminated. The packers prices were
made to meet the eliminating
problem. The plan worked, and wher
the local butchers were out and stock
raising practically a thing Of the
past, then the local dealer and the
consumer danced to the music Of the
monopoly's prices. And there Is
where we are now.
There IL NO good reason why the
uncultivated. practically waste. land
Of today Of all our State should not
produce enough meats to supply all
our population. to the betterment OF
the land and the betterment Of the
people. The reason why this is not
done II the packers monopoly. Il II
not time the departments Of agricul.
ture Of the nation and of the States
took up this problem Of rehabilitatine
the local production Of meats? Tar
the packers products sufficiently to
give the local butcher a chance once
more. even II we have to pay more
OF even 30 without their meats for q
time.
The natural laws Of trade Will
make business for all Many will
prefer to pay more for the packers
ripper and possibly better product
while the masses will have an op-
portunity. as Of yore. to get good
meats at reasonable prices.
F. l. HITCHCOCK.
Scranton, Pa August T.