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Show nLivestoclel Los Angeles, January 30. When a man hasn't money to buy with, it doesn't make any difference how cheap things are and that's the shape too many are in today. Low prices have helped to spi'ead out the dollars of those who have and low prices have made it easier to help the dependents de-pendents so in that way we are blessed bless-ed by having so much cheap food. Out in our great western producing center, we are well off because we have something to eat and our surplus sur-plus can be cashed, as compared to the fellow who has only labor to sell in a surplus labor market, and unless I am badly mistaken these people who have depended on selling their labor for their livelihood are going to get a piece of ground outside where they can raise some victuals, keep a cow ,maybe some pigs and hens ,as a future safeguard against present conditions just like our little ranches in the west that have provided provid-ed something to eat, something to sell and something to do during the period of depression. Looking to the livestock growers outlet the packer goes on to market each day and buys livestock according accord-ing to supply and apparent demand within his financial ability. The product pro-duct is prepared and sent to various consuming centers throughout the country, there to be sold in competition compe-tition with all kinds of food but it must be sold then and there. Every holdover today is a liability because fresh meat is perishable and the bloom is short-lived. The financial result of all shipments to these big consuming centers is known only after af-ter the sale and so on the business goes thruout the year. Not many years ago pork carried the packing business. Beef figures were in the red but now even at the unprecedented unprecedent-ed low prices pork doesn't carry itself. it-self. Packer prices are apparently trimmed trim-med down in line with live prices but still the volume can't be moved at a plus and the packers are anxious to see minus receipts and plus purchasing purchas-ing power. Foreign demand has been showing a minus each year for a number of years and is now practically practic-ally at the zero point. At the big packing centers in the Middle West the bulk of the hog is put down into cure for future trade. Constant lowering low-ering of live prices immediately decreases de-creases the value of shortage supplies. sup-plies. It may not be consoling to know about the other fellow's position but after all we are interested in the fellow that buys what we produce. The stock of pork and lard on hand October 1931 was 679,000,000 pounds. For the same period in 1930, 636,-000,000 636,-000,000 pounds, an increase of 43,-000,000 43,-000,000 pounds. In view of the foreign situation and the slackened home demand it is reasonable to assume that there was an increase in stocks on hand for November and December over the previous year but these figures are not yet available. It looks like we are getting to the end of the heavy winter hog run and the producer has the satisfaction of knowing that the packer with his heavy stocks on hand must, in self preservation, be in favor of higher live prices. |