The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-27
An Effort 10 Boycott Cheap Meat.

Do tho few hundred butchers who run tn,
city slaughter houses think that the work
ingmen Of New York are fools9
Those butchers held moatln9 at Cooper
Institute on Friday night and urged the
members Of the labor uniOns To boycott the
dressed meat sent hither from the West, or
the ground that by buying 1t they would
encourage monopoly. ThSy went further
and had tho assurance to call on tho "publit
generally" to refuse to deal with butchers
who sell the dressed meat, and to buy only
meat slaug entered here.
Now, tho truth IL that instead OF trying to
put down monopoly these butchers are al
work to build up monopoly. They want ia
keep out the millions Of pounds Of dressed
meat which ara now annually coming to New
York from Chicago, In order that our own
slaughter houses may have the market to
themselves. Is that the way to put down
prices2 Does killing competition tend In that
directionf
The butchers acknowledge that. 10 far the
result has been the cheapening o. meat. but
they pretend that the Western lnonopolists,
as they call them, are selling the dressed
meat below COST In order "tO obtain entire
price from ono cent " ono and half cents
per pound" The fact is that tho Western
dressed meat IL obnoxious to these New
York butchers because they fear 1t will pcr-
manently lower the price Of the product of
their own slaughter houses. Meat killed
here now has TO compete with the meat
killed at the West and sent to New York in
quarters, and they want to break up tho
competition.
Tho New York consumer WILL OF course,
only injure himself by taking the advice of
these butchers 10 boycott the competing
supply.
For several years past an increasing quan-
tity Of dressed meat has been sent eastward
from the West. The cattle are killed In
Kansas City and Chicago chiefly, and tho
quarters arc shipped in refrigeratory cars.
Thus the cattle are saved long and exhaust
ing travel, and the meat arrives here In good
shape. The tendency is toward the develop
ment Of this trado in dressed meat, 90 that
probably, IN time. nearly all tho beef We get
from the West will como In that why, in
stead Of on the hoof. As tho business in
creascs, too, tho rates of transportation will
be lowered, 30 that tho dressed meat will BIO
even cheaper, as compared with beef sent
alive.
1t Is for the advantage Of East and West
both that that tendency OF trade should
and 1t IL nonsense to talk about its
monopoly. 1t rather prevents
for 1t relieves us from dependence
on our own slaughter houses solely.
The New York butchers Ihaye assailed the
Western dressed meat on tho ground that it
is unwholesOme, and have tried to induce the
Board Of Health to assist them In driving it
out Of the market by requiring that only
meat killed here should be sold In New York.
That Board, however, refused to abet their
designs, for the dressed meat is generally Of
. good quality.
There is no excuse for forbidding It's sale
as unfit for food.
The butchers have also used their efforts
to get law passed to give the home slaugh-
ter houses undisputed control Of tho market.
But they have not been able TO present any
arguments for such measure, on the score
Of regard for tho public health, which were
worth consideration.
Tho public will 60 on buying their meat
where they can get 1t OF good quality and
cheapest. Whetherit comes from Western
abattoirs or from our own slaughter houses
does not concern them. 30 long as It ia what
they want, and the price is satisfactory.