The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-12-21

MEETING OF THE BUTCHERS AND DRoyERs--
CHEAP MEAr-Meetings Of drovers are being
held all over the country for the purp pose Of
inquiring into the causes which have raised
the price Of meat. We hear Of one at Centre
vile, Ohio, and another at Columbus; and one
was held in this city on Wednesday. The net
result Of these meetings is the tracing Of the
enhanced price Of meat to the combined effect
OF two causes--one the increase OF railroad
fares on stock, the other the action of the mid
dlemen in this city, called cattle brokers.
As to the first, it appears that the Erie and
Central railroads have lately entered into an
agreement to raise the freight fares and hay
ing the dr0vers to some extent at their mercy,
as the habit of travelling on these roads ia 100
well established to be suddenly broken up,
they have bled them pretty freely. We hear OF
farmer at Licking county, Ohio, who brought
three hundred sheep to market here, and found,
after paying freight and charges and receiv
ing the price Of the sheep, that be was just
fourteen dollars out OF pocket. We hear of
another who got on an average 81 so net for
ninety-dve sheep. Altogether, it seems pretty
is not very paying business so long as rail-
road freights are maintained at their present
figure. How much they have varied during
the past three years we learn from report of
drovers' meeting, where it was stated that
the same car had been made to pay at one
time S45, at another $3.50 on the same road.
The second canse to which the rise in the
price of meat is ascribed is the action Of newly
created body, the cattle brokers' These are
niddlcmen between the drover and the butcher.
By means Of capital, they buy from the drover
for cash and sell to the butcher on credit:
charging as their commission three dollars per
head on the cattle which pass through their
hands. These three dollars necessarily come
ultimately out OF the pocket Of the beef cater;
hut, temporarily, they are q tax upon the
Grover and producer, diminishing the profits of
The latter in proportion to the amount Of the
commission. The drovers say for themselves
and the cattle raisers of the West that this
tax, added to the increased price OF freight,
disables them from bringing cattle TO market
at q profit.
1t would appear from the statements which
were made at the meeting held on Wednesday
that these brokers are in league with the cat
tie reporter Of the New York Tribune, who is
said to publish in that journal habitually
false statements, in order to serve their ends.
For instance, that writer asserted that
particular lot of cattle, belonging to Mr..
A. G. Bryant, were sold at $67 whereas Mr..
Bfy ant, On being appealed to at the meet
ing, frankly confessed that he had obtained no
more than SIS. 1t appeared TO be the opinion
OF the meeting that the 7riJt.ne reporter know
ingly published these misstatemants with
view to sustain the price of cattle in the in
these misstatements to be highly injurious, as
cattle raisers in the West, seeing them, raised
the price of their cattle higher than the droyers
could afford to pay.
Such being the causes Of the enhanced price
OF beef, the drovers propose to meet them in q
very businesslike way. They have applied to
the various competing lines of railroads for
tenders for carrying their cattle to market,
and there is little doubt but the Erie and Cen
trail will have to reduce their rates, or the
drOvers wiz effect an arrangement with other
lines. They have earnestly appealed TO the
butchers to do away with the brokers, and re-
vert to the cash system. This request is not
so certain TO meet with success, though it would
obviously be the interest of the butchers to
adopt the suggestion, and gave interest aud
commissions, if they can. Finally, the drovers
have, by exposing the falsehoods contained in
the Tibmae market report, already deprived
them OF some share Of their power TO iDjure.
The work is proposed to be completed by the
selection OF some more trustworthy Journal rs
o medium of communication between them
selves and the public.
puolic that they should succeed. Meat as
every one knows, is exorbitantly high. 1t 10
20, il seems, in consequence o. the avarice OF
the railroad companies, and the establishment
Of The credit system and middlcmen between
the butchers and droyers, aided by the alleged
corrupt completely between the brokers end
the New York Tribune. In a word, it seems
that the poor are half starved ia order 10
enrich the railroads, the cattle brokers ana
our philosophical contemporary.
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RI@AEKAnLE Rejection ~ ruE ANS,-,r. EC-
RoPEAs EmGRAToS 10 THG UyIfEp STArEs.-
According to the report Of our Commissioners
Of Emigration which we have publishcd-it
appears that the arrivals at this port Of emil
grants from Europe, with few exceptions