The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-04-22
CORNERING HONEY
A Los Angeles Firm Buys
ALI in Sight.
Short Crop Prospects Make 1t Look
as if Monopoly Was
Intended.

For the past week large commission
house in the southern part of the State has
had buyers searching the San francisco
market for honey. They were not over
particular about the brand as long as i
was of fair quality, and they were will
Ing to pay slight advance on the marke
rates. As consequence honey has gone
up over half cent pound, and several
commission houses have none for sale.
This state of affairs has been brought
about by the fact that the Los Angeles and
San Diego markets have been cleaned out
of honey. and the prospects ere that the
coming crop will be very short one. The
men who wanted honey wanted it very
badly, aud some dealers in town soon con-
cluded that an attempt was being made to
corner the market. 1t looked decidedly
this way and now looks as if they have
succeeded.
A CALL reporter visited number of
commission houses yesterday and found
that honey was scarce commodity. Most
of the heads of the houses were absent,
but those that were seen spoke freely on
the subject.
Mr.. Kahn of ]. P. Thomas s. Co.. when
asked about the possibility of corner on
honey being made by Los Angeles dealers.
said he did not know but that such was
the case. Mr. Freshman of The, GERMAN
Fruit Company of Los Angeles" he SAID,
''has been trying for several days TO buy
all the honey he could get. and maybe they
intend to make big deal out of it.
"Did he get all you had ?" asked the TO-
porter.
NO." answered Mr.. Kahn. "We have
got some left, but 1t is not for sale. 1t is a
nr.6 hnrrn II
structions to hold it for while
do you think anything could be made
out of corner just uow?"
Yes, said Mr.. Kahn. "The prospects
for good cror are very poor. owing to
the lack of rain and few wild flowers.
There Is not much honey on the market
now, and there will soon be less; but
there ia not much demand for such a lux
ury. owing to the hard times. Honey ellis
at little over cents. which is good
prce-an exceptionally good price consld-
ering how little demand there is for II"
Mr.. Doe of Russ. Sanders & Co. did not
think an attempt was being made to corner
the market, although he knew that Mr..
Fleishman of the German Fruit Company
was after all the honey ne could get.
"Did he get any from your asked the
reporter.
Yea. he bought a good ORDER" answered
Mr.. Doe. "but not all we have by any
means. He would have taken more. but
we had to keep some for our small Gus
TONER'S"
THE honey CROP" continued Mr.. Doe,
lis going to be very short and it anybody
could get hold of lot they can make a
good thing. But the demand is not great
at present and the price is high to buy fol
speculation. | don't think any attempt is
being made at corner. but don't know
that there is not either"
Other large commission merchants had
about the same 10 tell in regard TO the
matter. The head salssmen in one of the
largest houses in town said he felt sure an
attempt was being made to corner the
honey market. "The GERMAN Fruit Com
pany." he said, "have bought every pound
| OF honey that we had, and / know they
have done the same in other places.
think that anybody would have hard work
to buy large quantity of it just now
| Some OF these people may tell you they
have some for sale, but they won't tell me
that"
Taken altogether it looks very much a;
II corner had already been made. and
that In few days the price will go up
There is little doubt but that the greater
portion OF honey in town has already been
| bought by the Los Angeles firm, and 1t !:
| hardly likely that they would secure sucf
/ nuaQtitV fnr rtion 0n1V.