St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-17
is IT A MIS-STEAK?
Price of Meat Raised Because Of the
Meat Inspection Bill.
VIEWS OF LOCAL DEALERS.
Porterh0use Will Cost More, but Com.
mon Meats Are Unchanged
Thus Far.

The recent passage of the seattle
BILL" providing that ali cattle to be
and offered for sale in Min
nesota markets must be inspected on
the hoof by a local inspector within "a
hours before being killed, has settled
for the time being the Importation of
deceased meat from Chicago, Kansas
City and other points to Minneapolis,
as we'll as to other places in the state.
Heretofore the local meat men have
been receiving from 80 to Ito carloads
addressed meat per week, from outside
points. This meat consisted mainly of
the choicer portions of the animal,
there being plenty of the common grade
to be obtained here in Minneapolis.
Already has the passage of the bill,
which is now only waiting for the gov
ernor's signature to become law, in
creased the price of meat in certain
quarters, and from all appearances it is
probable that the higher price will be
kept up on the chOicer meats, such as
loins, porterhouSe and first rib rOaStS.
The price of the common grade of meats
will not be raised to any extent except,
perhaps, under the ordinary fuctua-
tionS of the market. Of course. at
some of the shops in the city the prices
have already been raised, but it is held
by the larger meat dealers that these
prices will only be maintained for
short time, except on the better grades.
Mhe dealers in the center of the city,
whose trade is largely in the better
quality of meats, are not particularly
elated over the passage of the bill, as it
prevents them from obtaining the kind of
meat they want from outside markets,
and forces them to charge a
higher price for that which they OBJ
tain from the home markets, thus cut
hand, the dealers on the outside, that
is. the outlying portions of the city,
whose trade is mainly in the common
grades of meat, hold that the bill is a
good thing. and claim that it will help
their business in variety of ways.
There is considerable difference of
opinion in regard to the bill, and. it is
probable that the law will have to be in
force for some time before anything
definite can be said in regard to it.
While many of the smaller dealers
have raised the prices of meat, the large
dealers have not done so, and the pro-
prietors claim that such thing will
not be necessary, at present, at least.
the leading meat dealers i'll Minneap-
oils, give very good idea of the situa-
ton as it stands at the present time:
Col. James Chant-It does not strike
me that the bill is going to help farmers
to get better prices for their cattle to
any great extent, although it may do so
in the long run. As matters stand now
the demand for the finer meats greatly
exceeds the demand for the common
grades, and to meet this demand we
have what meats we want and can not
we'll obtain here sent in from outside
markets. Now that we are prevented
from getting this meat from outside
markets, | see no way out of the diff
Guilty but to raise the price of the
cholcer meats, such as first rib roaStS,
loins and porterhouse. and by that
means get people to using more COM
mon meats. In beef there are
about thirty or thirty-fve pounds
of the chOicer meats, so you can
see that to supply the demand a large
number of cattle must be killed. This
| leaves more meat of the common grade
on our hands than we can use, and in
| order to get around this we must induce
| people to buy more common meat OF
| else have a meat canning factory start
| ed here. do not look for an advance
| of any note in the price of the ordinary
meat. OF course it may raise cent OF
| two. but the only material advance there
will be in the chOicer cuts. l see
no reason why the passage of this
DILL should affect the price of meat sold
| by the dealers on the outskirts of the
| city. They do not have large demand
| for anything but the common grade of
| meats, and the dealers can obtain
| plenty of that right here at home at any
| time.
J. n. Davis-The bill will have the
| effect of making dealers raise on GER
tain kinds of meat, the choicer cuts. fol
instance. The local meat men have
been receiving some 100 cars of meat {
week from outside markets. This meat
has generally been of the best grade, a:
plenty of ordinary meat could be OBJ
! tanned here at any and all times. If We
have got to kill our own animals here
| after, we must find some means of dis
! posing of the common grade of meat
and to this end we have to charge more
for the choicer grades. This will com
pei people to eat more of that grade
and less of the other. Another effect O.
| the bill will be to force onto the public
a poorer grade of meat, fOr it stands t.
reason that we cannot raise as good cat
tie here as they can in the regular cat
tie raising states. If many live cattle
have to be brought here from othe
places to be inspected and slaughtered
the consumer will, of course, have t.
pay the increased freight over tina
charged for dressed meat.
Minneapolis Provision Company-A
far as we are concerned it will no
raise the price of our meats. We cal
get all the meat we want right here il
the state. and we see no good reason
why prices should be raised. Som,
dealers always jump at the slightes
chance to raise prices, however.
The restaurant men are evidently eX
pecting big raise in the price of meat
of all kinds, as yesterday nearly all o
them made an increase in the price o
meals. five cents for single meal anC
80 cents on the meal ticket.
III Il ID, III w