The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-08
A FURRY IN BUTTER.
H0usekeepers Graiified by De.
cided Drop i'm Prices.
a Commotion Among Wholesale Dealers Two
Sides Involved in the Controversy-What
Each Has to Say.

their butter without the assistance of the
middlemen. 1t has a regular brand for all
Tie butter 1t handles, and is thus distin-
guiShed from the commission merchants,
who, of course, have no private brand,
There is naturally more or less friction be-
tween the union and the commission mer-
chants, though their relations are suffi-
GENTLY fraternal. Some dairymen ship
exclusively to the union, others divide their
shipments between it and the commission
merchants. while many ship exclusively TO
the latter. The union recently distinguished
itself by making strong fight against oleO-
margarine, though the commission mer-
chants as a elias S have been firmly opposed
10 bogus butter for years.
The price of butter has steadily declined
during the past week or ten days. until the
retail price has dropped 10 cents roll
Some dealers claim that this very welcome
state of affairS TO the houSekeeper is due
TO the oyerstoeked market and the extreme
warm weather of the past few days, while
others attribute the decline TO a far different
cause. Evidently the end is not yet, ac-
cordlBg to the statement of one dealer, who
4 informed a CALL represen tativc that roll
butter recently commanding 10 cents per
roll may In a short time be obtained for 40
or even 30 cents.
With an almost unanimous voice the
commission merchants saddle the RESPONSE
bilIty OF this state CT affairs upon the Dairy
mems Union. which body, they claim, has
cut the prices To an alarming extent, and
thus demoralized the market. On the other
hand, the union strikes back, and with 10
light blows, asserting that the commission
men are at the bottom of the trouble, that
they are the avowed enemies of the union.
and lose no opportunity to attempt 10 Grip
pie 1t with the consumers. 1t is the old
: story OF you pay your money and take
tS1'2ur choice" with the preponderance lean
ing on neither side.
COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENT.
In order to give a comprehensive state
ment OF the controversy CALL reporter
Interviewed representatives OF both Sides
and the results win he found below.
One Of the officers of the Dairymen's
Union was first seen. He expressed himself
substantially as follows:
p" We are obtaining more butter than any
five houses. aud have secured the bulk of
the most desirable trade in Portland. Seat
tie, Tacoma and Puget Sound points. The
commission merchants, who, ever since our
organization, have been our avowed enc
lnieS, found that they were losing tie trade
not only Of buyers but of shippers. This
got to such pass that they were unable to
secure sufficient goods to fill any large
order. such as usually comes from those
points. Accordingly, one day last week, as
we are credibiy informed, they formed a
pool or combination among themselves fer
the purpose OF regainlng some of the trade
already lost.
''0n Friday we quoted prices as usual to
tie Portland trade Tor the steamer to leave
there Sunday morning. The prices were
2612 cents Tor fancy stock and 2512 cents
Tor extra choice, which were really
lew, considering the old figures and
tie stocks on the market, as there were
oniy 253 boxes in excess Of the previous
week, and on Thursday night there were
only three boXes-acc0rding TO the commits
slonmen's own reporls-in San Francisco in
q IN az
time in The previous week. In the face Of
al that the outside order trade had in-
creased materially, 50 that all things con-
Sldered, the market was in better shape at
lie time of the break than it was week
pTeYlOus-for as matter of fact on Satur-
day morning, when all cutting was going
N, nine Of the largest receiving butter
houses here had total OF only 200 boxes,
all told, on their floors at O'Clock. The
largest number OF any one OF tie nine
dealers s. as a boxes, and the smallest 10,
while the DaiTymen's Union mad rs boxes.
" We were greatly astOnished on Saturday
morning to receive dispatches from our
northern customers stating that they had
been quoted as selling strictly fine butter,
- aTanteed cases free, at % cents.
a DROP.
This was drop Of Az cents on quotations
made by the Darymen's Union the pre- vious
evening. aud was, as We consider, entirely
unwaTTauted and unbusinesslike and most
a~suTedY showed great lack Of Judgment,
lecause. as a matter of fact, our CORE
onGents IN that section of the country who
we're giving Us orders were entirely bare,
or nearly SC, OF butter. One of their leading
merchants. who was In the city at the time,
and who bought his goods from the Dairy
mems Union to be shipped by that days
steamer, seeing the situation expressed
himself as follows: 1t is a farce and very
fgoiIsii proposition. entirely unnecessary
and clearly shows the luminosity that exists
toward the union by the commission mer-
chants, who are trying to vent their pent-
I'D pite AT the expense Of the po1r dairy
men, because, as be said, they-meaniag
himself aud other5-as dealers were pre-
pared and willing to pay the price asked by
ie Daifymen's Union and never dreamed
Il getting their butter at such reduction
as VAS subsequently made"
The reporter, DESTROYS of obtaining the
views OF the other parties to the c0ntro-
ve-sy. visited the commission house of
Dodge, Sweeney d Co., and was accorded an
interview with representative Of that firm,
Tho said:
We believe that the Dairymen's Union
since they started have cost the dairymen of
tbs Coast from cents TO 8 cents per
pound on every box of butter thatha come
10 this market. During December and JAM
uary, when there was demand greater
than the receipts, they not having any reg
ular customers, instead Of seeking trade in
buslne,slike manner secured 1t by con-
tnGaily quoting little under the market
Now ttIdC receipts nave increased ana tney
are II loss TO know what disposition to
q axe OF II, and when quoting to their trade.
which up TO the present time we were per-
fectly willing they should have, they found
thai the commission merchants were seek
log some other channels for their surplus
Then they wake up 10 the fact that in order
10 sell theY must still continue to cut our
prices and have done so and viii have to
continue doing so, and il the dairymen of
this Coast can stand this method of dis
ff.off- mis- falo
One Of the firm OF Getz Bros. d Co., which
firm Is one Of the oldest In the city, was
neXt seen. His remarks were to the follow
Ing effect:
TIE BIG RUSH.
''Trade in general has been very quiet
all classes of goods, butter included, are
moVing slowly. When the big rush Of
southern country butter came in we had
large stock on hand and no place to put ii.
In order 10 move our surplus stock we had
10 send out kilograms in all directions and
offer cur butter at such prices as we knew
would catch the trade. When these teIe-
grams failed to effect sale we wired Sec
end time. 1t was found almost impossi-
bic to move our stock of $50 boxes. Butter
at this time OF the year will not keep as well
as ii will later on-the longer it is kept the
poorer il gets. The butter now moving is
made Of milk from fresh cOws-that is,
those recently with calves-which feed on
rank grass not fully grown. Such butter is
deficient in strength and It's keeping quality
is not such as to hold any length of time.
Regarding the Dairymen's Union, it
doesn't interfere with US in the least and
We have no grievance against Ii. we have
nothing but the best wishes for its success.
Our firm has been established over twenty
years and we are content to rest upon our
own merits"
A representative of the firm of Bills Bros.
had this 10 say:
1.-THE market is heavily stocked and one
OF the largest receivers has held out big