Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-15
Growth Of CATTLE
INDUSTRY FAILS To
STOP MEAT IMPORTS

That Georgia continues to import
vast quantities of meat, notWith-
standing the growth of the hog and
cattle industry in the state, is shown
by statistics ocon>piled by Dr. Peter
f. Bahnsen, state veterinarian, and
given out Saturday.
His figures cover the years 1916,
1917, 1913 and 1919. They show that
the state produced more foodstuffs
in 1918 than in any other year on
record, and raised and marketed
more cattle and hogs than in any
other year, but at the same time i'm
ported a greater quantity of meat
from other states.
This is explained by DR.. Bahnsen
On the theory that war conditions
were responsible for both high rec
ords. In 1918 the government made
a drive for increased food productloc
to help win the war. In 1918 there
were trained in Georgia many thou
tonments, and large part Of their
diet consisted of meat.
In 1916 the state of Georgia i'm
ported total of O6,69O,767 pounds
of meat Of all kinds, including dress:
ed. cattle. hogs and sheep, pork and
pork products of all kinds, lard, can
ned meats and other packing house
products.
In 1917 the state imported a total
to Of 755O7 q 3a g9un ndnds in 1s ISIS
a total of SS,537,713 pounds.
Imported Less in 1919
1t will be noticed that the i'm
portations of meat in 1919 were less
than those in 1913 and less than
mates that the 1919 importations
represent about the normal meat i'm
portations under present conditions.
DR.. Bahnsen's figures show that
the total beef importations for 1919
head of cattle, requiring 1,45O cars
to haul them to the packing houses,
and worth $4,056,939 at the low price
of 25 cents pound.
Taking the pork importations for
1919, which was the largest year on
record, the figures show that Georgia
imported the equivalent of 790,2S9
hogs, requiring 10000 cars to haul
them to the packing houses, and rep
resenting an expenditure of $40, $685.
218. In this connection he remarks
that should by any chance trans
portation facilities fail, we would
be in an extremely bad pred1cament.
DR.. Bahnsen's Statement
After showing the above and nu-
merous other figures on meat i'm
portations into Georgia, DR.. Balm
sen makes the following observa-
lions concerning the system Wnlch
forces farm products, especially
hogs, on the market IN very lnltea
period in the fall, thereby quitting
the market and forcing down prices
s'This problem is by no means an
easy one. To be sure, we must eX-
tend our production. But, unIor-
tunately, our system OF agriculture
forces the products OF the farm on
the market during a few months OF
autumn, especially hogs. 1t is a
most difficult problem to extend the
marketing season of our hogs over a
period sufficiently long to prevent the
glut of the fall market with its in
evitable depression of the price OIL
hogs on foot, a CONDITION winch IuS'-
Nv discourages the producer.
"a glutted market, from laool
scarcity viewpoint, lis no DOUBT
source of embarrassment TO the pdch,
err also. But the packer converts
this period of market stagnatlon lnl'
golden harvest of profit for MIN
self by forcing the price OF hogs or
foot to the lowest possible narhe'
level. ..,.,
cit is entirely wrong to tnlnk
that the consumer reaps the benef11
of this depression in the market. nc
small part of the hams and oreak-
fast bacon retailed at sixty GEMS
ner pound and much of the sid:
Or more are the products OF hogs
that brought the producer from ter
to twelve cents per pound on foot.
Prepare for Fall Rush
with shrewd business acumen the
packers annually empty their COOL
And as the price of live stock on
foot is hammered to the lowest point
possible, they replenish their ex-
hausted stores in anticipation OF the
rise in the market which 1neV1taDly
occurs as soon as the market IS nc
longer glutted. In spring and sum-
mer, when because few hogs. are Of
foot advances, the large stores OF
meat purchased at distress prices
from the producers find their way
into traffic in keeping with the then
prevailing high prices OF hogs on
foot.
packers and packing houses are
modern necessities but in common
with other middlemen, they welcome
and help to create opportunities that
enable them. to constantly widen the
gulf of difference between the price
paid to the producer as compared
with the price paid by the con-
sumner.
IT believe the establishment OF
municipal abattoirs in each county
where the hog industry is suftlclent-
ly developed to justify the expense
would prove a blessing to the pro
Queer. It would enable him to nave
his hogs slaughtered when food Is
getting short, independent of the
packer, instead of being compelled
to sacrifice them to the unscrupu-
lous greed of the packers. The pro
Queer could better afford to hold his
meat in suitable storage until nor
NAL market demand called for his
product than to sacrifice his hogs
on foot, at ruinous prices; a system
that has enabled the packing indus
try to accumulate fabulous wealth
while the producer is still earning
his daily bread by the sweat of his