Evening star., 1923-04-22
ARGENTINA UP In ARMS
AGAINST i. S. PACKERS
Cattle Men, Hit by Slump in Prices,
Besiege Government for Restrictive
Legislation, Soon to Come.

Argentine prices, and the result is
| enough to make any self respecting
Argentine cattle man tear his hair and
roar with rage. Fat cows are
quoted in Argentine at SIS and s2o dol
! lars, while those in the United States
bring $35 and $40. Medium" stock in
Argentina is worth sl3 and sic. while
the same class of stock is quoted on
the Chicago market at s26 and $50
Two-year-old heifers. which can be
bought in Chicago for 500 only bring
SO and s11 in Argentina, while one and
a-half-year-old steers cost only Sc and
sometimes So, half the price demanded
for them in Chicago. Prices for meat
in Argentina retail butcher shops are
enough to start a colonization move
ment from Washington Here are a
few: Leg of lamb. &c a pound; boiling
beef, &c a pound; porterhouse steak.
lie.
Doubts Government Ownership.
The proposition entertained by the
Argentine congress for the establish
ment of a government operated pacN-
y
suits of the present agitation against
the packers. But those who have
studied the proposition see small hope
for its success, as the present com
bination OF packers in Argentina is
ready for competition which has here
tofore been lacking, and are prepared
to fight it. There has been some al
tempt to build a trade with Europe il
shipping cattle on foot. But the phys
cal difficulties of this practice, Shout
it ever be seriously attempted, are
said to be too great to compete with
the cheaper methods OF the packing
industries.
Dillman S. Bullock of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture. has just returned
from a tour of South America IN
which he made an investigation of tho
cattle industry in Argentina and re-
ported on agricultural conditions ger
orally in several other South Amer
lean countries.
BrazfIs Cattle Industry.
Mr.. Bullock believes the cattle ia
dustry in Argentina will gradual"
return to normal with the increasin-
agricultural development of the cou:.-
try brought about by the disconccrt-
ing discovery Of the farmers sine.
the war that they can't expect to keen
on raising cows for ever. Increa scG
paintings of grain on lands heretoforc
devoted to stock raising alone is :,
direct result of the cattle boom now
fallen 50 fiat. While stock raisnc-
will continue to be one of Argentina
principal industries, Mr.. Bullock be-
lieves that Brazil, within ten o.
twelve years, will take first rank in
South America as an exporter OF live
stock. With modern methods, Brazi!
is fighting the cattle tick which has
proved a handicap in the past while
her great areas of excellent pasturag"
provide ideal conditions for raising
live stock.
Some Argentine beef finds its wa
to the United States, but the amount
is negligible. Argentina has alway<
found her market in Europe, and her
efforts are confined to developing il,
besides a high tariff and transporta-
tlOn QllllCulIleS ConDlne TO make the
United States an impractical field al
this time. With the increasing value
of land in the western United States
and the higher profits which result
from dairying and other agricultural
development, Mr.. Bullock believes the
cattle industry in the United States
must be necessarily short lived. With
n 30
buying Argentine beef in large guam
titles, he believes.
Argentine beef in the United States.
however, will never mean porterhouse
steak at IL cents a pound. AS far as
prices are concerned, the tax payers
beef stew might as we'll originate
in Texas, or. for that matter, in Vir-
ginia-