The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-01-31


Industry to consider The situation In III
The conference lasted for three d'
Executive committee OF tIc dfty packi,
for pork products and With the membe
foreign pork purchases.
; The conclusions of the conference
The entire marketing situation has
loo changed since the September joint
conference as to necessitate an entire
ALTERATION In the plans Of price stabt-
ilization. The current peace talk has
ALARMED the holders Of corn, u there
has been n price decline Of from 20
icents to 40 cents per bushet. The fact
THAT the accumulations OF low priced
corn in the Argentine and South Afri-
lea would, upon the advent OF peace
and liberated shipping, become avail-
liable TO the European market has Gre
,ated q great deal Of apprehension on
the part of corn holders. This decline
has spread fear among swine growers
that q similar reduction in the prices
of hogs would naturally follow. More
over. the lower range OF corn prices
would, II Incorporated 10 a l3-to-l re'
Ito. obviously result In q continuously
falling price for live hogs. ln view
of these changed conditions many
swine producers anticipated lower
.prices and as q 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
tply Of hogs has increased about s per
cent. while the highest unofficial! eSti-
mate does not exceed Is per cent In
creased production over last year. I'd
the other hand. the arrival OK hogs
durina The last three weeks In the
seven great markets has been - per
cent more than last year, duFinG Ne
CORRESPONDING period, demonstrating
the unusually heavy marketing of the
available supply. In the face Of the
excessive receipts some packers have
moi maintained the price agreed last
month. On the other haDd, many
of the packers have paid over the
price offered to them in an endeavor
to maintain the agreed price. Tie re-
suit in any event has been a failure
70 maintain The October price basis
determined upon at the September con-
ference and undertaken by the pack
ers. Another factor contributing TO
the break in prices during The month
has been the influenza epidemic: II
has sharply curtailed consumption OF
pork products and temporarily de-
creased the labor staff Of the packers
about rs per cent.
The exports of l30.6OO,0O0 pounds
of pork products for October con
pared with about 100000 pounds
10 October n year ago. and the
EXPORT orders placeable by h FOOD
Admipist ratiOn for November, amount
to 17O,O0O.000 pounds as contrast
ed with the lesser exports OF
$4,000 OO for November. 1917. The
increased demands Of The allies are
continuing, and are In themselves
proof Of the necessity for h large
production for which the o Admin
'istratior~lskcd. The increase in ex'
port demands appears 10 he amply
sufficient to take up the increase In
hog production, but unfavorahle mar
ket conditions existing in October af'
ford no fair index Of the aggregate
supply and demand.
II must he evident that the cnOr
NOUS Shortage in fats in The Contra
Empjres and neutral countries Woult
Immediately upon peace result IN al
ditionai demands for pork products
which. on top of the heavy shipment:
TO tie Allies, would tend materiali!
TO increase the American exports, In
asmuch as no considerable reservoir o
~supp,ies exists outside OF the Cnltet
States. 1t seems probable that th'
present prospective supplies woul b'
INADEQUATE to meet this world dcman
with tie return to peace. SO TAR as I
e.. IS possible to interpret this fact. II ap
pears that there should be even.
stronser demand for pork product
after the war, and therefore any alarm
of hog producers as to he effect o
'peace is unwarranted by the outlook.
Ia the light Of these circumstance
II is the conclusion of the conference
that attempts TO hold the price. of hog
10 the price Of corn may work VI Z
the disadvantage of pork producers
II is the conclusion that any fntefpre
,tation of. the formula should pc
broad cauged policy applied over
long period. 1t is the opinion OF III
conference that N substitution Of tn
previous plans OF stabilization tn
Live Stock subcommittee of the Ayr,
cultural Advisory Board, together VII
the specially invited swine representa-
ttives, should accept the invitatioh .
the Food Administration to join Wit
Characterization an6 the X III