U.S. Meat industry
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Finds Motors Vital UPWARDS of 38,000,000 head of cattle, pigs. and sheep were transported over American highways during 1939, according to a report recently issued by Mr. Charles M. Upham, engineer-director of the American Road Builders' Association. This figure represents about 60 per cent. of the total tonnage of all animals marketed and it is estimated 728,000 railway cattle wagons would, otherwise, have been necessary for the carrying of the
• animals.
From the cattle country of Western . America to the markets of the East makes a long haul and millions of miles of road are traversed to link the production centres to the places of distribution. So consistent has been the use of road transport in supplying the various marketsthat even in the depresion years the mileage cover?.d mounted steadily.
As early as 1912 livestock producers were making widespread use of high way facilities to move their herds to shipping points and this system grew rapidly during the following four years. In 1916, when the animals received by road were first recorded, nearly a million head were shown to have travelled this way to 17 leading markets; this was 1.6 per cent, of the total receipts. A recent report, to which Mr. Upham refers, states that during the past year 2,662,000 lorryloads were checked in at the various cattle exchanges.
Road transport is also of importance in the extensive system of preparing the stock for market, young animals being sent out to the rich plains where they are fattened for ultimate sale to the great distributing organizations.• America's modern highway system has a further point of importance to the stock-raiser in that it enables him to adjust his shipments so as to take advantage of favourable price trends in the various markets