The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-04-24
DEAR PROVISIONS.
The Price of Beef, Flour
and Potatoes Advanced
and Still Advancing.
WHAT DEALERS SAY Is THE CAUSE
Too Much Beef, Too Few Potatoes
and Too Many Flour
Trusts.


in such necessities of life as meat, pota-
toes and -four. Although she expects q
rise In the prices Of such articles about
this time OF the year. she was entirely
unprepared for such an advance as she
encountered this week
She has almost had her breath taken
away by being asked twenty-five cents
per pound steaks and cuts which o week
or TWO ago she thought dear at twenty
cents, and when she was asked similar
increase for common ordinary potatoes.
she threw up her hands fn dispair or
course she wanted to know the cause Of
all this advance, and when her butcher
and grocer declared they could not tell
her she Immediately, with a wonan's
wisdom arrived al the conclusion tnar Il
was complication Of the Mckinley bill
and trusts.
The large wholesals butchers In this
city attribute the rise in the price Of meat
to the opposite OF er-producrion--that il
TO say that the supply OF cattle ar the
large Strengthening points is not equal to
the demand Mr. Benjamin H. Payne.
one OF the largest Wholesale butchers IL
this city, whose place Of business is at
Henderson and Twentieth streets,
said sSs ds.s .als morning morn that 81, during
beef has been exceedingly
low in price. so low. 10 fact, that many OF
the larger dealers and sIaughterers have
been doing business at little. II any, profit.
This was brought about By an over pro-
duction. Some years ago the opinion be-
came prevaient in this country and
abroad that cattle raising In the West was
a veritable gold mine. and that vast for
tunes were to be made Ia the business IN
a comparatively short time
THE CATTLE RAISING CRAZE.
The consequence was that capitalists
ov.A rff xrf fn
few hundreds OF dollars, from all over
rushed out West and went to raising
cattle. The inevitable result was that
the markets soon became overstocked.
The price fell away down and many pro-
ducers did not realize enough on theii
stock to pay the charges for hauling
them to market. not to meDtion the cost
of raising them
or course this ruinous way Of doing
business could not be kept up long
and the consequent reaction soon
set in. Investors rushed out OF the busi-
ness as quickly as they had rushed in.
and the production OF cattle Immediately
fell of. and instead of the market being
glutted, the contrary was the result.
Another reason given by Mr. Payne
for the advance in price, was the market
increase in the shipments abroad. II is q
remarkable fact In connection with this
state OF affairs, that notwithstanding the
declared high price Of cattle in this
market, and the ocean freight charges.
beef Is selling cheaper IN England
to-day than IL Is here The beef
which has been selling in this vicinity
all the week from nine TO nine and one
quarter cents per pound can be bought in
England for eight cents. The reason tnss
dealers continue TO ship cattle to England
when they can get more for them in this
country Is, Mr.. Payne says, that the deal-
ers have made their contracts for trans
and would lose money As the mat
ter was as long as il was broad, the deal
ers continue TO ship the cattle in order to
keep their trade. Mr.. Payne il OF the
opinion that the price of beef viii con-
tinue to advance until what Is known as
the grass fed cattle come 10 market,
which will be in the latter part OF June
1t is said at James Hunts establish
ment on Newark avenue that the in
creased price of beef was due TO the
scarcity of grain IN many OF the cattle
producing States. The cattle during the
winter, when the fields are covered with
snow, are fed on grain, and as grain has
been scarce and dear, the price of cattle
has necessarily advanced
Almost the same reasons are given for
the increase IN the price.of mutton. Sheep
raising few years ago was as much .
craze as cattle raising and that market
also became overstocked. When 1t was
ness that the market was overstocked
and prices were at such q figure as no
assure a loss instead of the large profits
anticipated, the speculators Immediately
left the business. and soon sheep became
as scarce as beeves.
There is no increase in the price Of veal.
and the advance on pork and provisions.
il was said at the jersey City Packing
Cornpanyis Office on Ninth street, was no
more than is usually al this time OF the
year.
WHY POTATOES HAVE ADVANCED.
Strange as it may seem, the causes d.
rectly opposite to those which are held re-
sponsible for the higher price OF beef are
blamed for the advance IN the price OK po-
fatoes. As over production and exports
are declared to have put up beef, so fall
ing OF in crops aud imports are said 20 De
the causes which are rapidly advancing
potatoes TO the dignity Of luxury.
The greater part Of the potatoes con-
sumed In this market come from New
York State, Canada, and Scotland. The
home crop this year has been little more
than one half Of the average
A fair average crop is computed at
from %, ,O00, coo to 250, COO, 600 bushels. snd
| the crop last year was between 1865 600, 600
| and 17o OOO, 600 bushels. The imports TOO
| il. was said mad fallen of this year about
| ore-half. both of which causes has
| brought about an inadeqnate supply for
| the demand
A large portion OF the potatoes which
come to this market are handled at the
ward on Henderson street, between nine
| teenth and twentieth streets. There
/ il was said this morning that
the Vegetable was selling at 81 barrel,
which is the highest price It has brought
| in seven years. and fifty cents more than i
| was last year at this time. New YORK and
vicinity consumes about 10. 90 barrels day
/ and with the light shipments which are
| now arriving the chances are that the
| price will advance still further. About
1 the middle OF May however, the
| dealers. say there viii be plenty
Of POTATOES in the market
l.from Charleston, and from that time ON
the new crop will come in There ara
some new ones in the market now. but as
Bermudas bring ten dollars barrel. and
| Floridas nine dollars, the prudent house-
| wife will find but little relief In that
1 direction
At the groceries Of Turner & Benel1.
! and r. 4. Vreeland 1t WAS said that Hour
had advanced recently from 50 to 65 cents
On the barrel No particular reason was
assigned for the advance unless II Wa
the trusts