Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-16
COFFEE AS JEWELS.
The Price of the Brazilian Bean
Climbing Up Quite Rapidly.
VERY LOW STOCKS THE CAUSE
Too Little on the Market to Allow the For
nation of Combine.
CONSUMES NOT PINCHED MUCH YET

bility from present indications that tney
will, the number of consumers OF coffee Will
be considerably lessened as the cycles OF the
present wear drift along. The prices are ex-
pected to advance until, as one dealer e1-
presses it, the familiar commodity Will De
sold in the drug stores instead OF the gro
ceries, before the year is out, and II the
present difficulty reaches over into next
season the populace will have the "beans"
set as jewels in fnger-rings, breastplns, etc.
For some time past coffee has been stead
lily advancing in price, and within the last
five or six weeks has bounded upward to the
extent of from 2 to ~ cents pound. The
price previously was about IL cents, but at
present it ranges in the vicinity OF l9H and
1914 cents per pound.
The retailers, however, have been making
but few changes. Their margins on coffee,
it is understood. have always been very
narrow, and when the market prices ad-
vanced they made but little. if any, increase
as far as they were concerned, as they were
of the opinion that the present boom would
die out, and the market lapse back to its
former level. However, the expected
change has not taken place, and the market,
instead dofdepreciating, is steadily advancing,
an advance must be made.
CAUSES OF THE JUMP.
An attempt was made yesterday to get
opinions as to the course retailers Will pur-
sue. 1t was taken for granted that they
would have to advance their prices in ac-
cordance with those of the wholesalers, but
to what extent was the important point.
A number of those seen by THE DIS
PATCH reporter admitted that they would
have to raise the price, but just how much
they did not as yet know. They thought
the public had no right to object, as they
had been holding the price about the same
as usual in the face of big advances by the
wholesalers.
A call was made at the establish
ment of the Dilworth Brothers, on Penn
avenue, to get some information as to
the cause of the advance. One of the
firm stated that the small stocks all over the
world, with only moderate receipts in Rio
coffee, with the possibility of a small crop
to come, was the main cause. Speculation,
it was averred, had nothing to do with it, as
there was not ''corner" known of at pres
ent in the market; in fact, from all indica-
tions, what little there was could not be
placed in such position that a combine
could be made of it.
THE STOCK AT PRESENT.
Mr.. DiIworth eudeavored to furnish exact
figures to sustain this opinion, and finding
that impossible gave the following as an es-
innate of the stock az present on hand in the
port OF New York, the United States and
Europe: In the first place named there is
at present about 112, 900 bags of Rio, which
is considered very light stock. In the
United States the total stock at present is
about 325, 600 bags, where there should be Or
dinarily at least 800, ,000. In Europe-that
is, in the principal ports-there is now, all
told, about 1. 800, 900. Their ordinary sup
ply should be at least three times that
amount
Mr.. Dilworth attributed the light stock
to the bad crops of the past three seasons.
When interrogated as to whether, IN his
opinion, the recent troubles in Brazil had
anything to do with the case, he said: 81
think not. In fact, am certain of it.
There has not been the slightest diminution
in the traffic between Brazilian ports and
those of other countries. The recent change
in the Government was accomplished in
such rapid and complete manner that ex-
ports never ceased for a moment. Under
the circumstances the advance in the coffee
market can in no way be attributed to that
cause. However, that is not saying the
difficulty may not arise again, and if it
takes such asform that war or pillage re-
suits, that would certainly have influence
on the market.
STANDING ON SLIPPERY GROUND.
"Bv the way, that recalls conversation I
had with gentleman who has recently
arrived from Brazil, where he lived for
quite time. He expressed the opinion
that there is no doubt that the Republic
will have short life. The people of the
different sections have no sympathy with
each other, and as some of the districts are
far away from railways, and require two,
three or more weeks in reaching them. the
difficulty in holding such widely scattered,
and in most cases semi-unclvilized populace
together can be imagined.
"In case the trouble, which think is
really expected arises, look out for coffee
prices that will be astonishers. As it is,
there is no telling how high the price will
go.
81 received word to-day that friends of ours
in New York have sent agents to Rio de
Janeiro, with orders to buy up, if possible,
20, 1000 bags of the 90,0O0 that are in stock
there. The agents have been placed under
no restrictions as to price, and they will be
willing to pay 1 cent more pound than is
at present demanded"
At Arbuckle & Co.'S about the same
oninion was exnressed as that given ahove