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Show yiSituationJ j sky-rocketing in price ; she imme- j diately thinks those items which she would rather have are out of sight in price and she may purchase fish or I poultry or other foodstuffs. A statement state-ment last week said that the sales of 'macaroni and spaghetti had doubled ; in 60 days time in the face of higher meat prices. This turning to other foods will account for a lessening in meat consumption, and there is an opportunity now for livestock organizations organi-zations to publicize the desirability and economy of meats in the diet. There is a growing buying power among people who buy meat. That buying power is the foundation upon which the stability of future livestock prices is built. Conditions are improving improv-ing in the industrial consuming centers, cen-ters, and as those conditions improve, prices for livestock which will make a decent return to the producer I should result. I I have often thought during the hard times about the position the livestock live-stock industry occupies as compared with other industries. The bulk of our population lives in cities and they dp not produce meat but they eat it. During the bad times, with low markets, mar-kets, after all producers of livestock occupied the strongest position of anyone in any line, as livestock production pro-duction is one of the first basic industries. indus-tries. During- 1934 the meat consumption figures do not exactly reflect meat outlets on account of the processing of relief cattle, but still there was enough margin between relief processing pro-cessing and regular commercial channels chan-nels to show a very healthy continued increase m the use of beef. In 1934 the greatest per capita consumption of meat in 27 years was recorded, and in volume the greatest tonnage ' in the history of the United States was shown. Last year American people averaged for their yearly diet 68 pounds each of pork and beef, 6 pounds of iamb and 11 pounds of veal. That is an average of 153 pounds of meat for everyone in the United States. For this 153 pounds of meat for each person, stockmen received about five million dollars per day, or over two billion dollars during 1934. The amount of slaughter and consumption con-sumption of meat per capita probably will decrease somewhat in 1935, but the total money received by stockmen stock-men doubtless will be much larger because of higher price levels. After all, the smaller the volume the higher high-er the price and the more profitable it is to the producer. The situation is somewhat different for meat packers as meat packing is based upon volume i and a small margin per pound profit, so that may cause a wider spread between livestock prices and retail meat prices, as when the tonnage of meat handled declines the margin for handling must be increased. There appears to have been undue L.1.'.:,.. winn V.wi"V rv,r,i nnfla in the consuming centers without ex-I ex-I planation to show the reason and to ! bring out the economy of good meat even at higher prices. The housewife I reads that beef or pork or lamb is |