The morning call., 1892-01-30
THAT MUTTON TRUST.
1t Seems to BE the Baseless Fab.
ric of Vision.
The Cause Of the Rapid Advance in Price Is
the Decline of Sheer-Raising il Cali
fornia-Some Queer Facts.

Housekeepers and heads Of families do
not need to be told that mutton, or lamb, as
it is euDhemistically termed, has been very
scarce and dear of late. The price has
nearly doubled and is still going up.
Time was when sheep could be pur-
chased for 81 and prime joint for cents a
pound. To-day the "5tewingS." formerly
thrown away, are worth II cents pound at
retail, and prime cuts of mutton are worth
'two bits" a pound. 1t is not unnatural
that, under such circumstances, a cry has
gone up that trust" is working the Cali
fOTnia mutton market for all it is worth.
Yet there Is no trust in the business. Il
Is simply that sheep-farming as State i'll
dustry is not justified, in view Of the split
ting up and rapid advance in the price Of
land Mutton is costing more because land
is costing more.
FAT MUTTON SCARCE.
J. Schweitzer, well-known wholesale
butcher of Clay street. said TO a CALL re-
porter yesterday: So far as l know there
is no mutton trust or combination. Oar
market is ruled by demand and supply
With good weather the price of mutton will
come down in six weeks or Whereabouts. If
mutton is worth eleven cents pound whole
sale here, the price advances prOpOrti0natr-
~ y
petition in the heep trade TO permit Of amy
trust being formed. Mutton is not SO plen-
tlful In California as formerly. The land is
cut UP too much and big herds cannot be
fed. There is hardly any fat mutton in Cal
ifornia. Take the present season. There
has been a deficiency Of rain. and. as re-
suit, feed is short Nearly all the mutton
now sold is stall-led. and the sheep Of Ore
gou have 10 be taken to Nevada, fed at Reno
or Winnemucca and brought back here to
market W That Is the result? Up go the
prices, and they haven't touched the highest
notch yet.
HIGH PRICES CHARGED.
Miller & Lux also deny the existence of
trust. A representative of the firm said to
a reporter: The sheep raseTs and grow
ers Of this State are asking more money
than the dealers can give That is the
whole truth about it. Why only recently
sheep-rai5er il Kern County wanted ST
head for sheep averaging fifty pounds
weight which would bring the cost TO Us up
t. l. cents pound by the carcass. True
the killer gets the skin, but he has to pay
Tor the freight, killing and delivery, so
where is he? The wholesaler absolutely
don make a bean. We are feeding sheep
to supply the market, and We must get 12H
cents pound to come out even. We have
to feed the sheep with corn ana hay and
have been doing 80 for months. These
things cost money and OF course they raise
the price Of mutton.
NEVADA GROWERS.
'In Nevada the growers are asking 10
cents a pound for sheep right there aDd ire
quite independent about it, If we DON'T
want the sheep we needn't take them
That's what they say.
The TACT is that the sheep-raising indus
try in California has gone back because of
the splitting up of lands, A man cannot
afford to Craze sheep on land which would
only yield profit in grapes, or wheat, Or
fruit.
There are plenty of sheep in this State,
but lean sheep are like questionable bat
tered hats-nO On9 wants them. There are
about $1,000 sheep fit for killing in the
State, but what are they among so many
deaers2
All the sheep now on the market are
being fed on hay and corn. These things
cost money, as | said before. and prices will
certainly 20 up 10 12R cents wholesale, II
not higher The idea # importing Austria
liam mutton has long been abandoned
as bopele SIS. We haven't a fast steamer on
the Coast that could carry cargo
IN THE RESTAURANTS.
The restaurantkeepers are gradually
eliminating mutton from their bills Of fare
One wel-known caterer, who feeds many
hundred customers in the California Mar
ket said to a CALL reporter: Il have taken
lamb and mutton of the list To give a
customer q square meal and cut of nut
ton l would have to charge him 40 cents,
whereas a man can get almost anything
else for % cents. 1t don't pay me TO put
mutton on the bill of fare"
a large retail dealer said: Mutton is
very scarce and dear. can't fix a retail
price, for it all depends on the cut. But you
may say that people who ask for prime cuts
OF mutton Will have TO pay 20 cents or more
pound Tor long time to come"