Bridgeton pioneer., 1891-04-09
VOL. XLIII.
MEAT A LUXURY.
The High Prices of Beet ssn1
Other NaGAf.

OtnVf NRCdD.
The enormous increase in the price
of beef is making hat article lnxu
in the homes Of he poor. Not tor
wears has there been such an atar,nlog
upward turn ia the price as during the
last fortnight. In that time the
wholesale price has advanced from 2
to cents a pound, and within a day
or SO the forward movement WAS be-
gun by the retail butchers. Eeef TO
consumers is sure to go up from 2 to 6
cents pound. Even at hese prices
the beef is not the choicest. Good
cattle are scarce in this market, and
poor ones commend high figure.
A Bridgeton butcher WAS seen by a
reporter yesterday, and he said the
Use in price was startling and he could
uot..account for it, and he had as yet
been unable to hear of the cause of
this phenomenal rise in price of meat
The business was almost done for in
bis opinion. A Philadelphia paper
published the following, which a local
butcher says is entirely correct:
The leading butchers Of the Fair
mount Market, at Twenty-second and
Spring Garden streets, yesterday in
formed their customers that hereafter
the roas's will be sold for from % to 25
cents pound, and steaks at from 2S
to 30 cents. One butcher in the Fifth
Street market raised all steaks to 30
cents pound, and sold no choice
roasts under 23 cents, most of them
being sold at 25 cents. In the other
principal meat markets the price was
either advanced or the customers were
told that they must expect a big in.
crease Immediately After Easter
week, when there is always aslull in the
beef market and a boom in the ham
trade, still greater jump in beef fig
ures is predicted by the dealers.
CAR the best cattle that comes to
Philadelphia now are shipped to Eng
land" said q representative of Thomas
Bradley's firm, at Twenty first and
Market streets, yesterday. The ship
pers are not making anything, either.
but their vessels are chartered, and
they must be paid for. When corn is
60 cents a bushel and it costs about 81
to bring steer from Chicago to this
city, the wholesale dealers are com
PEELED to put up the price of dressed
beef, and, OF course, if the wholesale
price goes up SO must the price to con-
sumers be advanced. 1t is impossible
now to say how much higher the price
will go or how long it will continue to
go up"
The average wholesale price is now
from s to 81 cents a pound, or at least
2cents above the ordinary figure. This
week Philadelphia will consume 3,O4
city" dressed beeves, that is cattle
killed and dressed in this citv. and
about 1000 that were dressed in Chi
cago. AS the average weight of
the beeves is 750 pounds, their COM
bined weight is about 5,2S4, 500. The
average Increase in price of 2 cents
pound means $105, 900. In other words,
the people of Philadelphia will have
to pay $105,69 more for the beef they
eat this week than for a similar amount
eaten three weeks ago.
The 300 odd dressed head OF cattle
that were shipped this week from
Philadelphia to Liverpool were the
prime steers of the lot that were
brought to this city during the past
week. Only the best are sent abroad,
and the people of Philadelphia pay
magnificent prices for what is left.