Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-12-04
HOW RAILROADS CHEAPEN FOOD.
We clip the following from the New York

HOW RAILROADS CHEAPEN FOOD.
We clip the following from the New York
TINES of Tuesday:
The industrious poor of our populous cities
need not suffer for want of cheap beef, good
and cheap mutton and a bountiful supply of
all kinds Of poultry at cheap rates. Yesterday
excellent young turkeys were selling in West
Washington Market for Is cents to 10 cents per
pound Fat ducks and chickens, as fat as but
ter and as yellow as gold, Were offered at IL
cents TO 10 cents per pound, without heads.
The beet stands are literally crowded with
fair beef at 8 cents TO 10 cents per pound As
good hindquarters of young bullocks as any
fsmily can desire We're selling for IL cents to
II cents per pound. Fair lambs and common
mutton by the carcas. was in heavy supply at
cents 10 cents per pound. Thousands Of
good. tender sheep, fat enough for the palates
of most people, were sold for cents per pound.
As the weather is now so COOL a family can
purchase an entire carcass of mutton, hang il
IN cool place, and It will supply them with
good neat for a month without spelling. Hun
dreds of fore quarters of good beef were on sale
al cents Per pound. For most families such
lean beefis far more profitable than if it were
very fat quarter OF beef would not become
isinted in three or four weeks, while hanging
IL cool cellar or room. Apples and potatoes
were never cheaper. Excellent apples, the
best, are worth II per barrel; good apples can
the single barrel"
AT Centre Market yesterday, in this city
the articles enumerated in the above list were
selling as follows Turkeys, 2oa25 cents per
pound; ducks, S150 per pail; chickens, 75 cents
to Sl-5O per pair; beef, choice, 20 cents per
pound; common, II cents; hind quarters, IA
cents; fore quarters, Il cents; lambs by the car
cas-, IS cents per pound; mutton by the car
cass, 12H cents per pound; apples by the bar
rel, Cinferior,) si-5O do, (good sc; potatoes.
good, S1.3O per bushel; do, best, SL6O per
bushsl
Thu inouirv uaturallv oovnas nm xrhu thara
should be this disparity Of prices between the
two cities, so much to our Disadvantage, and
the answer is, that it is owing mainly, if not
entirely, 10 the greater facilities New York has
in getting its supplies through competing rail-
road and steamboat lines. WashInston CITY
ought TO rank amongst the most favored cities
IN the country in the abundance, variety, and
cheapness of its food supply. We are nearest
TO the great oyster beds and ducking grounds
of the country. The Potomac and the Chesa.
peake abound in fish, The produce OF the
fertile vallies of Virginia and Maryland would
naturally, by propinquity, find their market in
Washington. but for want of convenient rail-
road access their supplies either 60 elsewhere
to more favored points, or the cost of bringing
them here by cireumlutory routes and burden
ed with discriminating freight charges, so much
enhances their cost to the consumer that we
might as well be thousands OF miles away from
these opportunities.
Place a pair Of dividers over a map of the
United States and il will be seen that washing
ton city Is nearer 10 all the great sources OF
food supply than New York is.
We are not only nearer to the rich fields and
granaries OF the South, the Southwest and
West, but also nearer the great distributing
points of the Northwest. We are Eot only
nearer than New York is to ST. Louis, to Cincin-
natl, Pittsburg, and the whole navigable por.
ton of the Ohio river, but we are absolutely
nearer than that city is to Chicago and CIeye-
land. Yet New York city, through its COM
peting roads and cheap freights. is enabled to
supply food to its million of mouths at a third
less rate than the consumers of this city are
Obliged to pay. These facts speak for them.
selves. They tell the whole story OF the ad.
Nantages resulting from abundant railroad IA.
cilIties, competing lines, and cheap freights.
And this matter OF cheap food is one of the
first importance as regards the future OF our
city Washington VIII very soon reach its
limit in growth if il has nothing 10 depend
upon but Governmental business. We shall
need 70 avail ourselves Of the immense water
power ofthe Potomac and build up manufac-
tures,f the city is to have growth very large
ly beyond what il has now attained But 10
establish successful manufactures the first
and the problem 70 be solved will be how to
obtain them AT present almost every kind Of
manufacturing business is driven from
this city by the cost of living. II
no only hinders manufacturing operations
on large scale, but also tripples all handi.
craft Not a book Is published IL Washington
except by Government), because high prices
for food compel the printers to demand more
for their labor than will allow competition
with Northern work. Job printing, except
such as must be done here, goes North for the
same cause. Our ready made clothing dealers
are compelled 10 60 North for their sup.
plies for the same reason, while Baltl.
more, with cheaper food and fuel supply,
lie able 10 manufacture clothing largely.
The same Is true Of various other articles that
might be manufactured here to great adyan.
tage but FOR the single fact that the cost of liy
ing is too high for operative labor Every
railroad, and especially every competing rail-
road, We now get Will help immensely In
oheapenIng food and fuel, thereby placing us
in position 10 manufacture for ourselves, and
keep our money az home TO be employed in
building mp the city.