Daily Republican., 1888-08-06
KREPING UP PRIuEs.

"See those forty barrels standing over
there" said the Beekman street (NeW
York merchant, pointing into the rear
o. MS s'0Eehoute, well, they are ali
fall OF hsh Just slightly tainted. You
can have the entire lot frec-ErStis--by
just calling q wagon over and oArlInR
them out Of my place"
Just then \ sudden thought seemed to
cash through the mind OF the we'll FED
q ntleman.
"You'Ee . crowd Of frauds" he cried
ADPT ly. "HeFe you keep up the prices
Of nSh and let It rot and 60 bad in your
cellarS rather than put 1t on the market
~ prices which poor people can afford
to give Tvs just good tor you people
this little hot weather clean out. Hang
me II 1 wouldn't like to see you dealers
put into the wagons, too. and cArted OF
to the dumping dock. You deserve IL.
Here am ], like thousands Of other peo
pie In New York, anxious for q daily
hBh meal, and yet II 90 out TO pur-
chase am asked forty and flfty oents
pound for inferior Atock. Then I come
down here and hnd hundreds Of tons
being oaTted OF to the offAl doSk. ThAt's
o pretty mean way TO run . business, 1
tell you"
And the Well-fed gentleman mopped
his brow and walked of In great iHdig-
nation.
"Do you know" said the ReekmAn
street dealer, "tha5 pRrtJ's rema ks
were quite to the polnt7 SUI, 1t is the
retail and not the wholesale men who
are to blame In this CASE"
"Are these prioea due to the scarcity
In Fppplies?"
mot at all. Scores Of craft place their
oArRoes In New York weekly. During
three quarters of the year the wholesale
markets are almost Rlutted with sup
plies. Yet, as l say, the mechanic or
laborer hndB that 70 purchase 1lsh
dinner at q respectable retail mar ket
will cost him almOst . days eaguinRs.
Even the suspicious snd tll-smslling
stock peddled In Wagons is sold at a
higher price per pound than the choicest
6eefateak or mutton chop"
whist Is ,he trouble due top
Here is the evil in o nutshell: Retail
dealers each control q certain amount
Of trade. They expect to sell SO many
pounds per week and no more. Each
has his steady patrons, who buy In
small quantities RB . rule, and never
make any inquiry about the price,
which ts Kept a. the same level all the
year round. There is absolutely no
competition In the line. God may be
selling Wholesale At two ceute, or one
oent, but the standard price for the con.
sunlor lie twelve cents. What is the
result? While tons and tons OF fsh may
be roLtlnB in the Wholesale markets for
want Of q purchaser At one or Two cents
Per pound the poor peorls Of New York
cannot buy one meal oi seA food for the
simple reSS0n that the retail dealers
limit its sale by the big rates at which
they Dispose OF IT. While the consump.
tion OF ash would undou bte0ly be enor.
mous II the retail prices were regulated
by the wh OiesAle, the situation At pres
ent 10 very different PCos people never
visit the iGh market, for they know
what to expect"
saoh Is claimed to be the condition OF
the retail 6sh market TO day. What
ever the supply may be, the retail
prices never vary, watch is contrary TO
the roles of legitimate and honest
commerce. According to the whole.
salers, the aim Of the small dealer
seems to be to limit the demand and
satisfy himself with small sales and
big profits. Wherever the fault may
lie the fact remains that there lie about
as much Ash wasted In New York %
sold because there is no demand In COM
pArison with the supply,