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Show m FOR SOLUTION OF POULTRYPRDBLEP1 Local Merchant Says Conditions Con-ditions Are Causing Decrease De-crease in Fowl. Declaring the government is doing everything possible to encourage producers pro-ducers of grain, beets, hogs, sheep, cattle cat-tle and general farm products war winning necessities, but is overlooking the poultry industry, J. A. Hess, manager man-ager of the Cousum ers Warehouse and Storage company, and thoroughly conversant con-versant with the situation, declares conditions con-ditions are causing a steady decrease in the number of fowls over the countrv. "I have as much faith in Americau patriotism as anyone, but however patriotic pa-triotic the chicken grower may he. if he is raising poultry for a living and failing fail-ing to get it, he is going to let some one eat his chickens before thev eat him," Mr. Hess says. "An article appearing in The Tribune f ebruary 4, headed 'Poultry Must Save Meat Supply,' js timely, full of truth, and while very important now, the fullness full-ness of its import mav be overlooked too long," Mr. Hess states. "I know the little bunch of chickens in the back yard will get some table scraps that will help to lower the cost of keeping but it is not this class of chicken raisers rais-ers who wil 'save the meat supply ' In fact this is the class that has cut off moro chicken heads since feed became high than any other. And there are many of those who raise poultry for money who are doing the same thing. "Before the war strictly fresh sum-' mer eggs at Salt Lake were about 30 cents a dozen, and winter eggs 50 lo 5"i cents. At that price ami The meat in proportion the poultry business could be made to pay reasonably well. "Before the war wheat cost, in car lots, sacked, about $1.50 a hundred pounds, oats about $.;;o, barley $1 and other .feed in proportion, f. 0. b Salt Lake. Now, however, wheat costs about .t:i.85, oats .3 and barley s.i with no hope. for lower prices' before next fall and verv little, if anv lower then. ' ' J "That menus moro than 100 per cent increase in feed. Strictly fresh winter eggs at 60 to fij cents mean an in- crease of 20 per cent in price. How, then, can poultry ' save the meat supply?' sup-ply?' I know whereof I speak as to teed prices, as am manager of a firm whose stockholders get their feed at cost. Though they are paying it'J.10 a hundred pounds for wheat that will not quite mill, for example, they say they must quit the poultry business. ''Personally I am much interested in the problem and believe some remedy should be found. There is no need censuring cen-suring tho facts. The question confronting confront-ing those who raise a few chickens in their back yard, as well as those who grow poultry as a business, is. 'What is to be done ? ' |