The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-03-20


per cent above the 1859 av-
erage.
But in 1914 production level.
cd off and started downward
Given average weather condi-
tons. production this year pro-
badly will drop 5 to 10 per cent
below last year
Turn now TO demand, or con-
sumption. Like production, de
mand started rising in 1897. II
shot up sharply after the United
States got into the war. But UNI
/ like production, which reached
It's peak last year, the demand
curve still points upward, The
peak of the demand has not yet
been reached.
More food is required now
than at any time since the war
started There are two main
reasons:
l. Military requirements-fOr
both this country and its fight
ing Allies-are larger than ever
before.
2. Requirements for foreign
relief and other export commit
ments have only lately come to
the fore.
WHY DECREASE?
All this raises the question
"Why has production decreas-
ed?"
1t should be said at the first
that not all products are declin-
ing in production. Notable ex-
ceptions are cereal grains and
milk.
But in the case of meat. but
ter, chickens, eggs, food fats and
shortening and sugar supplies
are going down.
The meat situation Is attract
ing the most attention-and the
'bftterest complaints. s ="
To get picture Of how and
why the meat shortage came to
pass, let's delve into the govern
ment's livestock production pro-
gram.
At the outset of the war. the
United States had an enormous
reserve of grain, accumulated
under the "eyer-normal gran
airy" program.
The government move
quickly to convert this grain
into meat, milk, poultry, eggs
and other livestock products by
feeding it to animals. 1t spurrec
farmers with price guarantee:
and subsidized feed supplies.
QUICK RESPONSE
Farmers responded-and how
Livestock production - particu
larly hogs-shot up so sharply
that by the winter of 1894
the nations markets and slaugh
terfng facilities were unable r.
handle it. Permit systems were
set up, requiring farmers to hole
market-ready stock until room
could be found for ii at the mar.
kets.
This flood Of hogs, coupled
with rising output of beef
was soon converted into a flooC
Of meat-a flood that outstripped
the rationing program, military
needs, lend-lease requirements
and cold storage facilities.
Faced with the possibility OF
losses through spoilage, the gov
eminent took meat off the ration
list in the spring of 1914.
Civilians splurged. 1t is esti-
mated they consumed meat at a
record annual rate of nearly 100
pounds person during the first
six or eight months of the year
They are now down to a rate OF
about 1875 pounds. During the
'30s they averaged about 1875.
In producing this quick flow
Of hogs, the country depleted its
grain reserves. This meant a
sharp reduction in new livestock
in 1944--which is being felt now
in a relative famine of pork.
Looking back, tits easy to sec
that probably the government
price incentives were too favor
able. Less favorable incentives
would perhaps still have brought
on a flow of hogs but within
limits of processing and storage
facilities. This would have help
ed avert the feed shortage OF
1914.
And the government could
have got more pounds of live
stock products from the grain
than it did. Its price incentive
program encouraged farmers to
feed hogs to extra heav y
weights. A billion bushels OF
corn fed TO hogs marketed a,
light or medium weights vii
provide more pork than the
same amount of grain fed tc
hogs marketed at heavy weights
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