Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-14
THE MEAT SUPPLY.
A Packers Views on the Low Prices oil
Hog Products-Lnrd Very Cheap
Dressed Meut at Whole.
OFFICE OF PITTSBURG DISPATCH,
rr,.---l- NIa-nh "a lSQ0


Dressed Ment nt Whole-
salc-Hides Declining.
OFFICE OF PrTTsBURG DISPATCH
THURSDAY. March lS. lc9o.
Said one of our leading pork packers to-day'
81 know nothing in the line OF ea'aples as as
cheap as hog products. At present prices OIL
hogs there is no profit to the packer, except
ing on special lines We are not able TO repiace
our stock on most lines of provisions AT tne
same prices for which we are selling our goous'
Lard has seldom been as low as II Is at Inis
time. Once, about six years ago, lard uroppeu
to S. 32h per cwt. But, with TINS eAcePtion'
there has been no time within my recouecIoh
when lard sold as low as it Goes at the present
time"
The price in Chicago this morning is 20 lo per
cwt. While there is no upward movement Oh
hog products in sight, hogs themselves are
stiffening. Prices in Chicago this morning LOT
tops ranged from 81 Is to 81 20 per cwt, an ao-
vance of lOc in the past day or two Az East
Liberty the outside price is 81 40 Either
dron in hogs or an advance IN products must
come soon. or packers will find all margins of
profit obIiterated. In fact. we are now uncom-
fortablv close to the disappearance OF all mar
gins of profit. The price of hogs is zoe per cwt
less than il was this time a year ago. The de-
cline in provisions has been relatively greater
and unless there soon comes change Tor the
better in markets. the occupation OF the pork
packer will be gone.
In the past week there has been q sharp ad-
vance in the price of Chicago dressed beef. The
advance has been equal TO &c per d. A repre-
sentative of the Armours thus gives the sltua-
ton of this industry: "The quality of cattle
coming to Chicago markets the past week OF
two is a great improvement on recent receipts
Light cattle have been coming to market freely
for a month or two past, and this grade is now
pretty well cleaned out. There has been a
marked improvement in the quality OF late OF
offerings, and, a result, prices have ad-
vanced. and we have been forced to advance
prices on dressed beef Dressed hogs are also
Hc per h higher than they have been for few
weeks past"
Sheep aud lambs are very scarce, and the ad-
vance has been fully lc per b in the past
week or two. The upward movement of Chi
cago dressed beef is ielt in the home market.
At the Berr's Island abattoir prices have been
advanced &c on beef carcasses this week, and
sheep and hogs are advanced to correspond
with the rise in Chicago dressed meat. Said
one of our leading Diamond market butchers,
who has an extensive wholesale trade: There
has been no profit of late in wholesaling. 1t
used TO be- and that not long ago, that We could
get Sl2 to Sl3 out of the offal of an average
steer. Now we get little more than half that
amount
1--WE get &c per n less for hides than we
did last fall. This reduces our profit 81 go on
an S0-b hiue. which is the average. But
ter fat is off &c in the past few weeks. and
rough fat has experienced still greater de-
cline In Chicago the offal is better utilized
than it can be here, rs there nothing goes to
waste. Hoofs, blood, and, in fact, everything is
there put to some use. while here we have no
market for much Of the otfal. If had not
wholesaled single beef for the past month, 1
would be fully as well off as am to-day. The
late advance has been an absolute necessity
We are now selling carcasses at &c per q, which
is lc above the lowest price touched a few
weeks ago when we worked for glory and not
for gain"