The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-07-11
KEEPING PRICES UP.
Meat and Provision Dealers Using
the Strike as an Excuse.
Supply from the East Offsets the
Famine in Western Stock.
But Local Wholesalers Are Still
Waving Bugaboos,

The strike has been used almost since
It's beginning b. local dealers as an en-
cuse for raising the prices of all sorts
of produce.
The Evening World has given prompt
and accurate attention to every variation
In the situation. pointing out. wherever
possible. th1se advances that were genu-
inc and those that were fictitious.
The conditions OF the beef market pre-
sent Il fine riddle for both the housewife
and social economist, and ought to COM
mand the expert attention Of Edward
Atkinson at an early date:
The. strike at Chicago had been de-
clared u week and the tie-ups were
S en in M her m0ry Sy stage t Tsen small snd
butchers and retailers found the price
OF beef advanced from three to- five
cents The local slaughterers and the
concerns moved at once, and II some
believe that there was concerted ac-
ton they. are not to be blamed for
their suspicion.
1t Is true that receipts of Western cat
tie and dressed meat rapidly declined,
until with the completion Of the block
ade they were stopped altogether.
AT the same time, however, there be-
gan to pour into local yards an unpre-
cedented flow of Eastern cattle. and al
though beef has at no time been actually
not Welded a point.
The relative merits of the grades of
cattle may enter into the situation. but
1t would probably require a worlds con-
gress OF butchers and cooks to settle
that point.
Supt. Noyes, of Swift & Co., the Chi
caso packers. leans back in his chair
and declalms that his customers will not
East affords, but require prime Western
beef. Mr.. Delmonico. who has already
spoken for the other side, says that he
does not want the stringy range cattle
Of the West, but must serve his patrons
prime Eastern beef
Meanwhile the retail butchers in all
the sufferers. They say they do not dare
charge their customers an advance pro-
portionate to that assessed by the whole
salers. Yet family folk find that meat
Here are some of the retail prices Of
this morning taken at Washington Mar
ket, and 1t Is quite likely that these fig
ures average lower than the charges Of
most uptown shops.
Porterhouse steak. 25 to % cents a
pound; sirloin, 20 to % cents: roast, 10
to 20; rounds, IA to 10. and chucks. 10 to
A horizontal rise OF two cents is put
on all cured meats, which come In large
p pat on he the Ss aRa essn
to pay s2 a hundred more. and they get
Il from their customers at this rate:
liam, 10 cents; bacon, 10 cents; salt
pork. IA cents; loins of pork. a. smoked
tongue II cents. corned beef 18 to IS
cents, &c.
The prices Of mutton at Z and cents
a pound and OF lamb at S and 10 cents
have not been much disturbed. and hold
to their common average.
Butter Is advancing, as great deal
Of the Eastern supply Is drawn from
Illinois and Wisconsin. First class but
ter retails at % to Is cents a pound, fair
table butter at 20 to % cents, and cook
Ing butter at 10 to 10 cents, which is a
slight advance.
Eggs are up also a trlfie. Western eggs
being 20 cents a Dozen while eggs from
rearby sources are at % to 25 cents.
There Is no change In the price Of
vegetables and little excuse for impos-
ing any increase upon any kind Of gar
den product. Fine Virginia potatoes OF
this years growth are retailing at the
normal price OF 80 cents a bushel, and
other staple vegetables accordingly.
The foreign and California fruit mar
ket is in a hopeless condition. No Cali
fornia fruit Is coming in, and foreign
fruit Is overlooking the local market
because 1t cannot be shipped West
There are five shiploads of Mediter-
ranean oranges and lemons at the
wharves. Each ship carries IS. 900 boxes
~ oranges and lemons. and as the fruit
average 200 to the box there are
L. 900 oranges and lemons in New
York. They are being disposed of at
daily auctions.