The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-03-01
Need Continued Effort

Need for continued application by
the government to the problem Of
the livestock raiser is indicated by
recent figures compiled by the Cen
trail Cooperation Association of South
st. Paul, the largest body of its kind
In the northwest.
According to this authority, slaugh-
ter of 100000 pigs and 100000 sows
last fall at the behest of the depart
ment of agriculture resulted in hog
population as of February only three
per cent below the 10-year average.
This has played q prominent part
in the recent advances Of hog prices
without question, but there Is no fear
Of shortage OF meat products and.
on the contrary, unless further steps
are taken the livestock raiser prob
ably will find himself In the same
situation as before.
That there is no immediate cause
for alarm on the part Of the con-
sumer is proved by the figures of
meat in storage. On Feb. this year
pork stocks were 26 per cent larger
than year ago and lard stocks were
three times as heavy.
At the same time, the cattle popu-
lation Of the county on Jan. was
placed at 67,352,OOO head. nearly
three per cent larger than a year
ago and about the same as the num-
Der for the period from 1916 to 1928,
when our export business still was
going strong
The number OF dairy cattle also
increased three per cent. thereby ex-
planning, at least in part, the origin
OF one OF the problems of the milk
producer. This, too, is demanding
attention at Washington, but what
is to be done about it remains to be
seen.
Cattle men, like hog producers,
have found themselves engaged in an
endless chain of more and more pro-
duction with the result that heavy
slaughter Of cattle during the last
year has resulted in an IS per cent
increase in the amount Of frozen and
cured meat in stock as of Feb. /. This
also must be eaten before the indus
try gets on normal basis and profits
return to the range and feeding
areas. From this survey, it will be
seen that the government and the
hog and livestock producers still have
a long way to go before reaching a
situation where production will be
profitable to the average man.
There is, however, cause to believe
that the recent low prices Of meat
will eventually operate to the advan-
tage of the livestock farmer. In a re-
cent speech at Iowa State college,
John w. Rath. chairman Of the
board Of the Institute Of American
Meat Packers, announced that the
American public has eaten more meat
in the last Is months than in any
corresponding period on record.
This means that the housewives Of
the country. faced with the problem
OF providing their families with a
satisfactory diet on limited funds,
have turned more and more to meat
as q daily article Of food In other
words, the nation has become meat
minded" and this tendency probably
will operate to keep consumption at
high levels even after the prices in
crease, as we all hope they will do
soon.
InsurmOuntable Obstacles
Many a North Dakotan will be
sorry that his natural common sense
and his knowledge Of recent history
will prevent him from supporting the
proposals for the state-owned fac
tories made to the public works ad-
ministration at Washington by A. G.
Townley.
Every North Dakota booster real