The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-03

washington, ID. c., Fen. line
establishment Of municipal meat
markets In Americah cities. where.
by some plan Of cooperation be-
tween the cattlemen, the packers
and the municipal governments, beef
can be sold to the people at fair
prices Of which the cattlemen will
get q fair share-that is the most
interesting constructive suggestion
which has emerged from the pres
eut confusion Of the livestock bust
ness.
This suggestion seems to- have
originated at the recent convention
Of the American National Livestock
association In Ell Paso, where the
principal cattlegrowers Of America
met to discuss their serious
troubles. The bottom is falling out
of the market for their product, the
country is being flooded with cheap
meats and hides from the Argen-
tine, Mexico, Australia and other
foreign parts, and many of the
weaker growers face bankruptcy.
It is evident that the stockmen
have done some deep thinking since
the collapse Of war time prices.
And If they have not formulated a
complete and consistent program,
they have at least reached some
interesting conclusions.
The stOckmen seem agreed that
their industry faces q crisis, and
that radical measures are necessary
to save it. They seem further
agreed that the retail price Of meat
has not dropped nearly rs fast nor
as far as the prices which they are
getting for cattle on the hoof. In
this conclusion almost every retail
buyer Of meats, such as you and l.,
will agree with them.
Cut Out Middlemen.
From this they deduce that the
proper way to make cattle-raising
profitable for the ranchman and
meat cheap for the consumer is to
simplify distribution. eliminate
large numbers Of middlemen, and
So bring those two sufferers, the
producer and the consumer, closer
together.
Hence the suggestion for munic-
ipal markets. A committee was ap-
pointed by the stockmen to confer
with government experts in the
bureau Of markets of the depart
ment Of agriculture and. evolve a
definite plan.
The other ideas evolved by the
cattlemen were not so original.
They want a protective tariff Oh
meat and cattle, although they seem
to realize that this is not a real
solution of their problem, but
merely palliative. They want the
government to regulate the pack
ers, but they are opposed to the
Gronna bill which would form a
government livestock commission.
There is general conviction
among the cattlemen that they
should be given some form of pro-
lection from the infiux of foreign
cattle and meat. One hears men
describe themselves as protection
democrats" The cause Of most of
the present trouble is the enormous
importation OF Canadian and Mexi-
can cattle, Argentine beef, and
Australian and New Zealand lamb.
When it comes to the question
Of marketing cattle, and handling
stOckyards, there is wide differ
ence of opinion. This was brought
to focal point by the discussion
over the bill introduced in the Unit
ed States senate by Senator Gronna
of North Dakota. Briefly this bill
proposes a federal livestock COM
mission to regulate and control the
entire industry including the stock
yards and the packeries.
This proposal is offered on the
ground that it would do nothing to
stimulate production, equalize re-
ceipts, or encourage the consump
tion of meat. Further, there is a
decided feeling against taking the
experienced packers out Of the
packing business and putting this
most important phase of the in
dustry in the hands of politicians
or directly under their orders and
directions. The cattleman says
that the packers bear down unduly
on him at times, but that the pack
er knows his business and can talk
to and do business with the grower
as no outsider can.
The cattleman's point of view is
conditioned more and more by the
fact that he is heavy investor. All