The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-31
OUR NEAT SUPPLY.


New Orleans has now the worst supply Of
fresh meats, and the prices charged therefor
In our markets are higher than In any other
city in the United States. and yet New Or
leans Is nearer by several hundred miles to
the largest resources Of beef, mutton, calves
| and hogs Of any other large town.
| Texas Is now the greatest producer and ex-
porter Of fresh meat In the world. She is the
most reliable source of supply of live cattle
| for the great cities of the West and North.
Visit the vast yards of the Union Stock
Depot at Chicago, one OF the grandestdisplays
of the enterprise and energy Of that people,
and you will find thousands of the long
horned and long-legged but healthy and
vigorous cattle from the great plains Of
Texas.
These cattle are from Western Texas, and
they are carried on railroads nine hundred
and seventy miles. They are delivered in
Chicago In better condition, In larger number,
and at about the same cost of transportation
| as the same cattle are shipped to New Orleans.
When butchered and sold in the market for
consumption the best qualities Of this beef
| will command twelve cents per pound. These
|
average Of Ss a head, and butchered there,
the hide and tallow paying the cost, could by
| refrigerating cars be delivered and sold In
this city, with large profit, at five cents per
| pound.
For far inferior meat of the same cattle our
cons umers pay from fifteen to twenty cents
per pound In our markets.
| These, we believe, are admitted facts
| That the meat sold In our markets Is of the
most inferior sort, such as would not be
permitted to be sold in any other markets
In the country, may be ascertained by visit
any morning to our principal markets.
OF the two or three hundred beeves BUTCH
cred In this city daily and sold to our people
and devoured by them, 1t is a moderate es-
innate that one-half are not fit to be
killed for food and would not be sold by the
butchers in the, other large cities of the
country. ~
Tnsvhat causes and facts do we owe this
condition Of our supply OF meat and this
| heavy burden imposed upon our people? We
give the principal one:
The lack of transportation and competi-
ton therein to bring the superabundant sup
ply of Texas cattle to this city.
The great body of them are now brought by
! Morgan's line of steamers and railroad 1t is
rough mode of carriage, and the cattle are
greatly reduced In weight and battered, ill
used and made feverish by the exposure and
| handling 1t is an expensive carriage,
amounting to nearly one-half the value of
the animals where they are shipped. Then
| 1t is charged that Mr.. Morgan selects his
! shippers and gives preference to certain
! persons who have q monopoly of his car
riage AS a private capitalist and owner of
boats and cars, Mr.. Morgan cannot be con-
troled in his contracts and business transac-
tions. There Is no mode Of breaking down
his monopoly and insulng to our commu-
nifty the benefits of competition, except that
of securing other means Of transportation.
This experience ought, therefore, to inn
press us with the urgent necessity Of COM
plotting our railroad connection with Texas
with our own means, SO as to bring the trans
portation of cattle under the control of our
own people, and thus assert the claims of our
city as the principal cattle market Of the
Mississippi valley. IL we do not do this very
promptly, ST. Louis and Chicago will draw
off the whole vast supply Of cattle from
Texas to their enormous yards and thence
distribute them through the North and West
and we will be left to worry along with the
present supply of Indifferent cattle, and~our
butchers be shamed and degraded by the sale
at high prices of the wretched meat now con-
sumed by our citizens.