New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-10
THE WGH PRICE or BEEVES.
MEETING OF BUTCHERS IN PHILADELPHIA
PROJECTS TO REDUCE THE PRICE OF
CATTLE

MEETING OF BUTCHERS IN PHILADELPHIA
PROJECTS TO REDUCE THE PRICE OF
CATTLE.
The extraordinary high prices Of beef cattle has con
tnued 80 long that it has begun to arouse the aen-
ton OF parties most interested The butchers of Pha-
delphia held a meeting on Monday evening to devise
means for their relief at which it stated that the
butchers Of Baltimore have their agent out West to
purchase cattle and the highest price paid for them In
Baltimore by the butchers during May last was $40
81 per 100 pounds net, while the price in Phadel-
pha for the same quality from Sl3 TO S4 per lOO
pounds net. The butchers of Baltimore have fall
supply or hand at the rate for June aud par OF
July.
Tie plan is certainly good one for small village,
but doubt its applicability to New York
One gentleman wanted to- know whether it was the
Intention TO recommend the butchers to make a stend
against the drovers aud spectators.
Mr.. Lowry stated that the object of the meeting
was to make arrangements for the call of Convention
Of all the butchers in the principal cities.
The first speaker thought the best means would be
10 advertise recommending citizens not to purchase
beef for Il certain length of time
Certainly. And the next best thing would be for
the butchers to stop buying cattle and offering meat
for sale and the third best thing would be for the
Grovers to stop bringing the cattle to market and the
foTh and final best thing would be for the farmers to
keep the cattle all upon their facms-that Is untu
drovers butchers and consumers want them at what
ever price demand and supply create
Sundry propositions to reduce he price of buloek'
tyere discussed among which was one to hold
butchers convention in Baltimore in September.
A man by the name of Keefe, thought the price
could be reduced by getting cattle from South America
where they cnn be purchased at from 5 Ito > per
head The distance from the port of Barcelona was
1900 miles and he thought they could DC brought to
this port after paying all expenses, for - per head
The experiment could be tested at a cost OF about
81 800 if schooner only was chartered for that pur-
pose. Cuba receives much of her beef from this and
other ports this coast and the price OF beef there
much less thanhere.
And Mr.. Keefe might have added, and just twice a.
much poorer as it is cheaper In fact that the people
of the West Indies know nothing about good beef,
such as we have in New.York and Philadelphia.
Colonel Whiting who resided a number of years 10
South America, made few remarks, in which he re-
frred TO the cheapness of the cattle in South America
and of the good quality of the beef being equal to the
beef in this country A million head of cattle are
slaughtered there every year for their hides and II
company would organize for the purpose OF obtaining
beeves there for this market they could be puchaed
at nearly the same at which the hides now SELL
We cannot dispute Col Whiting. The beef killed
and eaten there right from the grass may he good so
is the grass beef of young cattle on the Western
prairies but it will not bear shipment here neither
will South American cattle; nor can they be tanned
and fed after they brought here, SO as to make
Erst-olass beef.
However, we commend agitation and discussion OF
any project that will tend to the relief OF the poor Ia
borers who suffer worst from high prices The Baltl-
nore plan Of sending an agent West to buy STOCK
looks the most plausible; but we don't see how 1t
rould be put in operation in this city, where the
butchers nearly an of them bound hand and 100;
by their debts to the cattle brokers; and we doubt
whether one in ten of them could buy weeks sup
ply, obliged to pay the cash. The whole system IL
just what Gen. jackson said ought to break every
mar engaged in it, and or later 80 far as butch
ers brokers and drovers concerned that will prob
ably be the result.