Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-11
THE PRICE OF BEEF.
No Cheaper to the Consumer To-Day than 1t
was When Beef Cattle Were
at the Highest.


was When Beef Cattle Were
at the Highest.
The investigation by the senate select
committee of the cattle combination, by
which the price of beef cattle has been
so much depressed, is eagerly watched
by cattlemen in this section, who hope
that some good may result from it. TAX
inc the facts brought out by Senator
Vest in his examination at Kansas City
dav before yesterday as a cue GAZETTE
reDorter went among those Interested
Yesterday in order to learn the compara=s
tive prices in the years 1858, 1884
and 1889, paid for cattle on foot and the
nrices paid by consumers for beef dur
ing these years for beef over the bl ock.
The result shows that while there has
been a great decline in beef cattle, not
only in Chicago, Kansas City and other
Eastern markets, but also in our own
local markets; that there has been no
CORES ponding decline, If any at
! all. in the price Of beer
! to the consumer, nor is there any pros
! peet that there viii be any reduction IN
price to the consumer even SD ould beef
| ON foot go still lower.
Col. Hunter, d well known cattle
man than whom no one is better posted in
cattle. furnished the reporter with pub
LEGATION containing the prices paid for
beef cattle from 1879 down to the close
Of 1889. In 1882 when the big cattle
boom was on steers ranging in weight
/ from 1900 to 1850 commanded in the
Chicago market from 81 .50@9. 90. At
that time beef over the block was SELL
ing from Toe to 1212@l5c. In 1883 the
same class of steers were selling for from
s. .75Cq6. 90 and beef over the block was
selling at the same figures it was IN 1852.
In 1889 the price of beef cattle is still
lower than they were i'll 1883 and still
the price of beef over the block to the
consumer is the same it was in 1882
when the price of beef cattle was the
highest.
A GAZETTE reporter sought out Mr..
Charles HYDE, an old and well-known
restauranter IN this city, and asked him
if he was getting beef any cheaper now
than he was III 1882 and 1888.
81 am not - he said; ''there is a
slight reduction in tenderlOin. but the
all round price is about the same. And
then l do not get as good beef now as
did in those wears. In 1882, 1888 and 1854
the butchers here killed steers but now
they butcher nothing but dry cows. 1t IS
a rare occurrence for Fort Worth
butcher to lead a beef steer TO the
shaln6les. y
DRY cows in the Fort Worth market to-
} day will not bring over one dollar and q
balf, vet the consumer is paying
! about the same price for beef that he die
D in 1882 when the animal slaughtered
D would command on an average four dol
lars per hundred. These are cole
0 facts and can not be controverted
. In the investigation at Kansas City daI
before yesterday one of the wltnesSe
0 from the city of Atchison testified in sub
stance that the effect of the depreciation
/ in the price of cattle had been to drivt
{ many people out of the business alto
5 gether. Continuing he SAID:
The packers also controlled rates on the rail
n roads to an extent, and the packers OF Ransa:
= CITY have almost ruined the butchers pushes
e of Atchisou and would have done SO entirely ha
q not the city council passed and enforced z CT
ordinance teQuiring the inspection OF peer on IN
hoof Before that ordinance went into erect tn
e hacker could buy his cattle IN AtChlSon. shi
n them to Kansas City, work them into dreSSe
y | beef reshiQ the latter product to Atchlson san
IS sell It cheaper than the local butchers cou&Se
y their dressed beef slaughtered at home. Inc IN
j spection ordinance, however, has remedled TN
<stfstate of affairs.
Relieving that an inspection law H9saN
be a good thing former city counesE
= Fort Worth enacted one, aud an Inspec
= tor was appointed. FromssOme cause o
n other there was great cry raised againS
ID if by the butchers and the present cit
> council repealed the law and abolishe
e the office of inspector and to-day there
,. no restriction in Fort Worth around th
sellers of beef cattle products. They XII