St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-29
The Consumer.


bargain, the consumer represents the
largest class. He is, or should, be the
one most interested in the operations of
law. If it is true that inspection in
creaSeS the price of his meat, he should
desire to know it. The law went into
effect just at the time that the meat
market changed from the conditions of
winter to those of SpLing. Winter-fed
and raised stock was inst being thrown
Oh the market. 1t costs more to buy
such stock because it is more expensive
to the producer to raise it. There
is, in consequence, every spring. under
normal conditions, with or without in
SpectiOn, an advance of the price of
beef. 1t is slight and not always notice
able. The meat inspection bill was no
sooner statute than there was an adj
vance in prices made by certain retail
butchers. Telegraphic dispatches were
at once sent all over the state by parties
inimical to the law that beef had adj
vanced % per cent in Duluth and from
2 TO cents per pound in ST. Paul. Mr..
Paul Engles said yesterday that there
and that it had been made only in in
dividual instances and not by the
butchers in general. Meat was as
cheap as it had ever been at this time
of the year. Two of the leading butch
erS of st. Paul had just told him that
they were buying lOins of
BETTER QUALITY AND CHEAPER
this spring than they had purchased
them of Armour last spring. The large
retailers of the city had not nor would
not advance prices on any other basis
than supply and demand. At present
there was no necessity for an advance.
Butchers who did raise would lose
trade, because a majority of the retail
ers had maze no change. Mr.. Engles
supplies large retail markets, and talks
by the card. He regards the report of
beef going to be high-priced as nom
sense.
There has been a raise in prices by
some butchers on retail beef. Their
markets are located outside of the heart
of the city. The increase has been from
2 to cents. On WabaSha, st. Peter
and Seventh streets good beef is offered
at 10 and IL, the price it has sold at all
winter. A raise of cents would not be
due to the law. since, as noted,
prices as rule 90 up every
spring. OF course, while the
meat inspectors are already at work
in the large beef centerS of the state, in
the smaller places their operations have
hardly begun. When they do, and the
fee system is put into practice, some
body has got to pay that fee. The stock
buyer will undoubtedly take it from the
producer, and there is nothing to pre-
vent him from charging it to the retail
butcher. who in his turn can plaster it
upon the consumer. This is a hypO-
thetical case, but still probable. The
fees are not fixed by law. If they
amount to % cents per head, and 1,OOO,-
600 head are slaughtered the first year,
the S250.000 thus taken out of both con-
sumner and producer would be
SOMETHING OF A BURDEN,
and an increasing one. Still, this has
not happened. the market is nearly back
to a normal condition, prices for live
stock are evening up, and the stock
buyers of South ST. Paul and the city
proper emphatically assert that there
in retail prices, and that local COMPETE
ton among butchers having several
sources of supply will keep the con-
sumner happy with beef at fair price.
With the possible exception of inspec-
ton fees being charged to him, or of a
home combine on the part of local
packers, there is no apparent reason
why the consumer should not enjoy
cheap beef. The butchers are few IN
number who have made an excuse
through the law to raise prices. The
statements of the stock buyers, the
prices being paid the producer. the
retail prices quoted at the large mar
kets, al! show this action to be
uhwarrantable. The buying markets
now and year ago give an idea of the
change in prices. 1t must be remem-
bered when noting the higher prices
after April ~ that a better grade of
beef began to come to st. Paul than
ever before; that the increase was to
the benefitof the producer; that no for
eign dressed beef was put on to the local
market, and that there has been no
organized or uniform raise in prices in
any part of the state, and that the best
posted men on the question say that
there is no ground for a raise. The
prices quoted are for cattle on hoOf,
highest and lowest: