Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-03-14

cersafug the "hDEpectiOn OF feeE
on Eteof,' EsilI-soDic Statistics fil
Regard 10 ssne Quantity Consumed.
The Delaware Grange bill, designed to
knock out the Chicago dressed beef,
notice Of which was given in the Legisla-
ture o few days ago by Representative
Whitennan, and which has passed second
reading in the House, is causing oonsid-
erabie Dissatisfaction and opposition
among consumers here. Naturally, the
bill would sdeot Wilmington principally,
as this city is about the only place on the
Peninsula which consumes the Chicago
dressed bssf In any considerable quanti-
ties. A leading. butcher on King street, in
talking with GzArrrE reporter said that
three.qnariers OF all tie beef consumed
here II Chicago dressed bAef. OF the lat
ter, about Al car leads come from Armour
& Co eSory week, and about l. car loada
frot flwift a Go. A car, he said. would
aversRs 80 whole beeves, which,
at an estimate OF 900 pounds.
to the beef, would aggregate 10. 200
pounds to the car or 115 300 pounds for
the six car loads, which is received here
weekly. In the year, Of oourse, these
figures would be gwelled to S 800. 400
pounds, which ct an estimated population
Of 5000 people, would allow l09
pounds annually for every man, woman
and child in WILMINGTON. "These fgures''
continued the butcher, ''are below rather
than above the actual statistics in the
case. In round uumbers we consume
5000. 900 pounds of Chicago basf and
about q 100000 pounds OF home beef. II
that bill nov before the Legislature
should become law and were enforced,
IL would raise the price of beef fallv two
cents per pound, which on 8,000,0 ,0O0
pounds of beef would represent inst
$l60, o00f above tile present cost
OF beef every cent of which
would have to come from the
pockets OF the consumers. The butchers
have not shown any active op.
position to the bill because it does mot
affect them. They will have meat to sell
under any circumstances, but under that
bill 1t viii be higher in price. AT the
outmost, u car will not contain over l6
live beeyes or about one-half as much as
dressed beef. II the live beeyes are
shipped here, the extra handling and
slaughtering here together with the ad-
ditional waste will add the extra cost.
oAOsbhttPPth WitA AAhbAAho huu6E utChus6
they can then no longer get their beet
direct from the Armour or Swift refriger-
ators, but must get their quarters or
rounds from the butcher. The best sir
loin or round stake or standing rib now
sells at.I6 cents in King street and the
present tendency OF the price of
beef is downward. Cattle are
being raised In suoh immense
quantities in the west that 1t
must be marketed because it will not pay
to keep II. Besides the competition be-
tween the four great beef companies
which control the market is constantly
sending the price of meat down. see
that another company has Just organized
in New1YSfk with $40, 900, 600 or $l2,-
100000 capital and will also enter the
field. The consumer realizes in his or
her pocketbook that the price of beef has
dropped since the Chicago dressed beef
has entered the market. The steaks that
can now be purchased for l6 cents for
merly cost 20 and 25 cents. believe
that in few years these same steaks will
have reached rock bottom prices that ex-
listed before the war when good steaks or
rib roaats could be had for 12k cents.
The farmers will have TO realizs that they
cannot control the meat market by such q
lew. They will never beable to realize high
prices on old COWS. Before the war,
when oil the beef consumed was OF home
raising, the butchers got 2 cents per
pound for their taliow because candles
were then more exte nslyely used than
now. To day it will only realizs II cents
Per pound. The price of hides is also
fully 2 cents per pound less than in ants
bellum times. remember when first-
class beef before tho war could be
dressed and put on the market at net
cost of from 3 to 5 cents per pound, ac-
cording to quality. But the home beef
offered now is inferior to the
Chicago dressed beef in most cases
and cssual stroll through the market
will prove 1t. The Caicago beef is all
inBpected before 1t il slaughtered as they
have inspectors who sse that plauro
pneumonia and other cattle diseases are
not spread. We pay from to z cents
Wholesale for onr Chicago beet and no
one can dany that 1t is NOS the best meat
in the market. The opposition TO it is
only blind prejudiee and there ere few il
any butchers who do not sell it. think
that tho attention of tho psople should bo
aAAWA w kHo VI tIAo litESuES hb
ii ia to their Interests and not miuen
AN Ex BUTCHER SHOWS THEN Uf.
Eaitor Gae.tts: viii you allow
me space ia Your paper to express my
views in regard to the dres4ed beef quss-
tion thns II now baiog 30 thoroughly
ventilated, By some, who understand the
business, and by sonio who have not the
remotest idea about what they are talk.
ing. We are all aware Of the fact that
there is now bill before the Legislature
to prevent the sale OF all bsef nos in
spsoted in the State bafore it is
This of course would yirtuallY
prohibit the transportation of all
dressed beef slaughtered outside of the
State. should cay that TO pass such
bill, il not unconstitutional, would be
very upwise at least. As am not in the
beat business myself, bus Being previously
engaged in the business, and knowing
the kind OF cattle that have been
slaughtered and sold in our markets, and
knowing how they compare ia quality
aud prise with the beef we now reoeiva
dressed from the west, am in q position
to express my opinion in an unprsiudiced !
There is not housekeeper or
consumer of beef vino docs not know, |
that the introduction of Chicago dressed |
beef in our city they have bsen etie to |
get better beef for less money than before.
remember seven or eight years ago, /
when john Taylor & Co. brought the first |
car load of Chicago dressed beet that
sver canne into our city. I bought several
sides from that firm and my customers
pronounced it the best beef they had ever
aaten, and from that day to this the sale
of Chicago dressed beef has been on
gradual increase in this market, until to-
Jay, nine-tenths of the butchers in this
city ara handling it, notwithstanding the
'act that come of them claim to be kill
Ing home raised cattle, and represent it
10 their crstt,mers tD he sunh