St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-07
THREE WEEKS TRIAL.
What Minneapolis Butchers Think Of
the Meat Inspection Law.
THE MARKET UNSETTLED.
A Difficulty Experienced in Getting
Extra" Cuts---S0me Rise
{t' in Prices.

AioN IAlCC WC0ho CApCllCICC VI bHC
Scheffer cattle inspection bill, and are
able to predicate just one thing as the
result of it-that the advance in prices
will be permanent. On the question
whether the law is a good thing they
disagree, some saying it is good for the
real estate dealers near the stock yards.
while others find no cause Of COM
plant with it as meat law. The
greatest trouble so far has been
that it has unsettled the price
of cattle, and made the meat
dealers entirely dependent on local
butchers, who sometimes get rise out
of their patrons by getting them to bid
up their cattle. 1t has also rendered it
difficult to get what the butchers call
extra cuts; that is, those parts of the
carcass that go into fine steaks and
rOasts. In proportion to the size of the
animals, these parts are few in number
and small, and where the butchers de-
pend entirely on local market to OBJ
tain ''eXtras" Overstocks the dealers
with common meats. The expressions
OF some of the butchers, and also Of j.
u. jackson, are given below:
j. q. Jackson, who formerly sold
Swift & Co.'s beef here, said:
do not understand the existing facts re-
garding prices and quality Of beef to be as
stated in the GLOBE of the 2Sth. Before the
law passed was selling choice steers at $3.50
@6 per hundred, good ribs and loins at and
10 cents. To-day, ii allowed to ship, would
sell at the same prices, and no Intelligent
dealer who is unprejudiced will say the quail
ity was inferior to that being killed here.
did rot ship scrubs but supplied the best
markets III Minneapolis with choice beef.
To-day the butchers are paying from S6.2
to 81 per hundred for beef in every respect
inferior to it, and from 10 to IL cents for
ribs and IL to II cents for loins. Mr.. Engles
compared present prices of beef and loins
with last year. Does he overlook the fact
that cattle were then higher, and that dressed
beef last year at this time was fully 8 SO per
hundred higher in all markets than now?
Consequently ribs and loins were higher.
Make this comparison with the present value
of Kansas City beef.
Who gets the benefit of the higher prices
paid for cattle now over month ago?
Largely the farmers of Iowa and Nebraska.
where nearly all these choice steers come
from. q mean the ones whose quality "stuck
OUT all over them; see the GLOBE April 2S)
This being the case, 1.-The money drawn into
circulation by the operation does not re
main within the state Now. if We must go
outside the state for our beef, why not do it
in manner to give the consumer the gen.
eral benefit. He is in the majority, and his
rights are paramount 10 farmer or packer.
know it is the policy of the local packers. and
friends Of the bin, to keep prices at the low
est point possible at present, and they are
doing it; but owing to their inferior methods
of utilizing the offal, and their having to
draw cattle from distance, and out of their
natural channel, they are unable to compete
with southern points; and the consumers of
the two cities are to-day paying not less than
$1,000 per week for the privilege of having
their beef inspected on the hoof.''
Fulton Meat Market--The law is working
better than some people thought it would:
some that we get is rather better than the
Chicago or Kansas City meat. There has been
an advance of two bents on sirloin and por-
terhOuse steaks, which will probably be per-
manent
c. A. Couch & Cove would little rather
have access to Chicago meat again, because
the present law has forced up the price of
meat and made it more difficult to handle the
business. There was regular and known
price for Chicago meat, while now we must
SkirmiSh among local butchers to get sup
plies. Extra cuts are hard to get and prices
have gone up. and will go higher before they
go1lower The advance will probably be
permanent, though nobody will make much
out of the law but the real estate Spectators
in the neighbOrhOod of the stock yards.
Keller IL Roenisch-EXtra cuts are difficult
to get, but there is no trouble about obtain
ing straight meats. Prices are about 142
cents higher, gand the advance VIII be perma-
nent. We get our meat from the st. Paul
stock yards. 1t is about as good as any we
got before.
George Kissinger-Straight meats are all
right, but extras for steaks and roasts are
scarce. The law is a good deal of an expert
ment yet, and may be knocked out.
J. II. Davis & CO.-Prices are higher, prof
its smaller under the law. If we undertook
to supply fine trade by purchasing car
cases, we should have so much common
meat left on our hands we should be
swamped. Theadvance of two cents in the
price of meat has come to stay, if the law
stays. But undoubtedly Armour will test its
constitutionality. There is another thing he
can do. which it is reported he intends to
try; that is to ship out of Minnesota all the
good CATTLE or enough of them to make a
cattle famine. That kind of retaliation
would cost money, as Minneapolis is paying
at present as much for cattle as they are
worth in Chicago, but it could be done.
Bidwell & Co.-The law has played hades
with fine trade. There are in carcass but
nine extra ribs and loins for roasts and
steaks. If we bought by the carcass to sup
ply fine trade, we should have an overload
of common meats. 1t was easier to handle
Chicago and Kansas City meats because we
could order what We wanted. The meat,
too, was better, because it was longer killed,
and it's transportation in refrigerator cars
brought it here in splendid condition.