The Washington times., 1895-04-18
Retailers and Consumers Say
There Is a Combine.
"BIG FOUR" IS RESPONSIBLE
Agents Of Other Packers Declare This Is an
Error-Influence Of Those Firms Could
Easily Be unteracted-Another Reason
for the Advance in Price Is the Failure
Of Last Years Corn Crop.

The beef boom has resulted in popular
charge that a combine exists between the
great beef slaughtorers Of the West. The
slaughterers, through their representa-
tives, deny this.
The retailers and consumers assert that
the reasen for the remarkable advance in
the price OF beef lies in the fact that the
Big Four-the Amour, Swift, Morris and
Hammond companies-have combined to
this extent The representatives of these
shippers explain the advance 10y reason
OF a shortage OF receipts in cattle and the
failure of the corn crop.
The argument of the retailers is, that
the pricse Of beef is from two to five cents
per pound abnormal, while the price Of
beef on the hoof is but one to one and a
halr cents per pound above normal. They
maintain that the increase is due TO the
big packers; that they have not only COM
bined TO force the price OF beef directly
upward, bat have also conspired TO limit
the supply Of live stock, so that the cattle
dealer shall receive part Of The tribute
wrung from the people, and thus avoid an
exposure Of the deal.
GRIP OF THE PACKERS.
They point TO the fact that retail prices
are highest in those parts of the country
where the grip Of the packers in question
is mightiest The lords OF steak, tripe
and liver have their strongest hold in
New York and there the beef rate is
highest, two to five cents in excess of the
rates in Washington. San Francisco is
their point OF minimum prestige, and there
the price Of beef is lowest.
If the retail price of beef were dependent
only on the supply of cattle there would
be a uniformity in the retail rates. The
retailers and consumers make out so
strong a case that the Department OF
Agriculture is inclined TO accept their
view of il, and an investigation is in
progress From interviews with Sec
retary Morton il is clear that the investi-
cation VIII he close, and that 1t is being
conducted on the hypothesis that the
Sherman antitrust law is being violated
or evaded.
The Times man, in addition to talks with
various retailers and butchers in various
quarters OF the city, talked with agents
of several of the great beef concerns. In
opposition to the popular charge they
hold that combine between the Nelson
Morris, S Witt, Armour, and Hammond
companies IS impIactCable because OF the
fact that they do not entirely control
the beef packing and shipping trade.
COMBINE NOT PRACTICABLE.
There are Others they say. There
is the Fowler Company, the S. and s., the
Dole Company, the bingham Company,
and several others which could hold the
Big Four level should that aggregation
desire to work any monkey busin ess
on the American people.
It would also be impracticable to effect
a
shippers, because of the large number Of
them There would also be no way TO
effect a combine with the cattle raisers
so that the supply Of live beef might be
shortened. This undertaking would be too
vast II would necessarily fail Of accom-
plishment if attempted.
The real reason for the present range OF
beef prices is that last year, being one of
! great financial stringency and commercial
| distress, the cattle raisers were compelled
to market their stock for what it would
! bring instead of holding it until spring, as
| otherwise they would have done. Being
| forced to sell last summer and fall they
| drove the price of beef down.
When spring arrived their supply of mar
| lIetable beef was short, and this is why the
receipts at the stock yards at Kansas City
| Chicago, and other points, are subnormal.
! Then another point they make is that last
! year the corn crop was a failure, and the
| winter IN unusually hand one, so that it
cost much more than usual TO make beef
Small retailers in the poorest section OF
/ Washington told a reporter for The Times
| last evening that the consumption f meat
] had declined greatly within the month.
This was due to two causes, the increased
| cosuiness fmeat and the cheapness Of fish,
! bucssters selling herring at . cents per
1 dozen. Vast quantities Of this kind OF
| food is used.