The Portland daily press., 1893-03-17
PLENTY OF PRovENDER.
No Likelihood of Famine In the Worlds
Fair City.
Especial Correspondence

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Especial Correspondence
CHICAGO, March 16.-Chicago will have
plenty of provender wherewith to satisfy
the appetites Of her regular population
and guests alike during the Worlds fair.
There need be no apprehension on this
score. Very likely the story told in holy
writ will be repeated and when the last
of our visitors have left us there may be-
many basketfuls to carry away. Some
tiuid folk-and they have managed to
communicate their approximations to the
outside world-have an idea to the con-
trary.
Just because the western floods of last
spring played havoc with the vegetable
crop, Just as the snow blockades on the
railroads during the last couple Of
months induced a temporary scarcity Of
other classes Of supplies, and because,
further, as natural result of these con-
ditions, there was an advance in the
prices of many articles of sustenance
and in some cases scarcity in supply,
they rushed at once to the conclusion
that the prevailing conditions were Sim
ply forerunner Of what might be ex-
pected few months hence. And 50
they are stocking up their cellars with
barrels Of -four, and big piles Of cans OF
corned beef, and Of canned soups, and
canned vegetables, and loudly boasting
to their neighbors that, so far at least as
their stomachs are concerned, they have
SO fortified themselves that they are cor
tain to be on the safe side from May to
November.
All this is sheer Mysteries, sheer non
sense, the kind of panioky feeling that
no good citizen should allow himself or
herself to publicly manifest. We are
feeding million and half Of mouths
daily today. We may Be called upon to
feed another million In addition before
many months. And we can do it. At
least SO say the men who are the 60
betweens for the producers and the
retailers, the commission element that
gathers in the produce and distributes it
around the hotels, and the stores, and
the private houses-ths vehicles OF COM
munication, as it were, between the fer
tile plains of the east snd the west and
the people that have to be fed. These
people may be supposed to know where
Of they speak. And when they declare,
as hundred strong they have declared
to the writer today, that for the rest OF
the year Chicago will have plenty to eat
and plenty to spare they may be sup
posed to speak BY the book. Nobody. it
Is certain, has better right to do 50.
There will certainly be no scarcity Of
the stuff Of life, neither Of desh meats.
The great northwestern country that Is
tributary to the Worlds fair city, and
which annuslly transfers across Its Dor
ders for foreign consumption hundreds
Of thousands Of barrels OF -four, and the
greet southwest, that daily sends to our
great stookyErds thousands OF head Of
cattle to be Killed and dressed, and the
carcasses thereof to be transported east
ward and thence across the water to
strengthen the bone and sinew and mus
Gle Of our transatlantic brethren, can
certainly be depended upon to keep the
Chicago market well stocked. Perhaps
ii may be necessary to limit the foreign
supply If the local demand should go be-
You'd all expectation, but at any rate
the supply will be here, and 1t will not
get beyond Chicago 30 long as we want
ii and are willing to 60 a fraction higher
than the figure that may be obtainable
elsewhere.
Nor need we restrict ourselves or our
visitors to bread and meat. was talk
ing this morning with one Of the biggest
produce commission merchants in the
country, and who has just returned from
a trip that extended to Denver on the
the west, New Orleans on the south and
Boston on the east. Between his do
parture from and return to Chicago he
had made contracts for the delivery Of
500, 900 pounds Of frozen turkeys, chick
ems and ducks, $4,000 dozen Of spring
chickens and $500 tons Of game of vari-
Gus descriptions. Not only this, but he
had arranged for tho delivery Of as large
total Of frozen FISH as he has handled
in Chicago in tho last FIVE years. He is
only one Of many in the Same business,
and they ali agree In the opinion that
supplies viii be plentiful, and that, as
rule, ordinary prices will prevail, al
though there may be some slight ad-
vances for fancy stock.
There is Philadelphia firm that is
holding today in storehouses in this
state and Iowa no less than 1900, 900
pounds Of frozen poultry, which will
be unloaded on Chicago after May /.
The prospects for good fishing in Hi
nois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota
and other states Is better than for many
years, and an abundance of trout, pick
erel, bass, white Ash, pike and perch
may be said to be already assured.
II Is the same way with green goods,
Reports from sections upon which Chi
cago depends for It's early supplies
Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tonnes
see-are all Of the most favorable char
acter. It is true that potatoes and cab
bage were at premium a couple Of
months since, but the plenitude of
southern shipments has restored prices
to a normal basis, and from now on the
commission merchants will have all the
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