The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-02-21
THE PRICES or u A

a Consumer Gives Some Figures Worthy
OF Attcntlon-III, Remedy.
To The Editor Of he iihilgcnrrr,
SlG:-llavi ny seen several statements
in the pNpera within the last iOw days
In regard TO the price Of meat, which
tho butchers claim Ia as low ns they can
possibly sell aud como out any ahead at
present live atoCk rates, aud not Sooing
anything In reply to those statements,
| would respectfully ask for space in tho
columns OF your paper to reply to II few
statements made by tho butchers. pco.
pie would almost think, to hear them
talk, that tiIoy woro running thnir bust.
ness for charity's sake. They state that
some OF them will be satisfied Ii they
ONE out cvGn without making nny pro-
fit. They say that by counting up bad
debts and other iossUs thoy cannot
mako anything and sell cheaper.
What nave VIZ TO do with their bad
debts and other losses2 Who pays our
bad debts II We contract any? Not tho
butchers. Then why should We, ms con.
s%uInors, pay theirs? People who pay
for their inca: have also to pay for the
meat some Il else has eaten and not
paid for. PGrhaPs il they would sell
their meat more reasonably thufo would
DO fewer bad debts, They say Il beet will
lose 80 per cent of the 1.-Two weight,
which is II mistake. Now, | will give Il
lew lignrcs and lot the people SEQ and
judge who is tho sufferer, tho consumer
or the butcher. We will allow 80 per
cont loss on IN animal Weighing 1000
mounds; this gives you 500 pounds clean
meat. Cut this meat for market into
the following lots:
10 lbs best roast and steak, be- ,.,......n..S %
iaV US Iouhu N!clN' 20. .,.,.,,.,..."''n',''"' ~
lSJ IDS chuck steak and rib roast, llc.o...o.. ~ 70
UllbS boiling beef, 20
IOiaI'..."".'",,...""uu..n.n...r.. ....".S1a 80
That is for clean meat, not counting
hide, tailow or any oiiul. These figures
are all low; you could add 10 per cent
OF this and then be lower than they
sell their meat They can buy n beef
Of their kind for 81 cents, and possibly
lower. Tho smaller tho animal the
lower the price OF buying, not selling.
This animal would cost the butcher SS5.
lilo will sell it out for SO 80, leaving
him S24 81. To this you add Sj Tor
hide and tailow, Nud ho has $50 80 for
his outlay and work. Besides, n beef
Of this size will not lose two.tifths OF tho
live weight. Old cows and ycarlings
al be bought for Il cents to ., ami
their profit is larger on these than on 4
larger animal, and this is usually the
kind Of beef We get. If the butcher
does not want TO kill his own meat he
can buy dressed beef from farmers and
near the city Tor 81 and 6 cents. They
have nothing to do but cut it up and
sell it, II they think this cannot be
done let council repeal the ordinance
~forbidding country people from selling
their meat IN market or on the street;
then We can got on meat without pay
ing Tor what someone else has bought
and not paid for. This, ! think is the
best remedy Tor the consumers Of this
city; petition council TO repeal this or
dinancc, and il they do not, elect men
who will. Tho butchers may claim that
they cannot buy cattle for the figures
quoted here, but they can be bought
Tor even less, rs any person knows hat
has neen through the country recently.
Besides, you can look almost any day
in our papers and see statements from
farmers who are selling primo cattle Mt
less than two and Il hall cents.
Pork is about on the same level, and
during the late fall and early winter,
farmers were selling good mutton sheep
at fifty ccnts aud one dollar per head,
but We did not get mutton any cheaper
than when butchers paid three fifty
and four dollars per head.
Repeal the ordinance By all means,
and give the consumer some benoflt Of
low stock prices. CONSUMER.
Wheeling, Feb. 20.