New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-12
PART IL.
PAGES II TO IA.
WOES OF THE RETAILER.
,,rcu PRICES OF MEAT FALL HEAVILY ON
HIM AND THE CONSUMER.
CENTRAL RETAIL BUTCHERS HAVE BEEN FORCED
TO CLOSE TEMPoRARILY-SPECtIA 40
TO THE CAUSES or THE RIsE-CATTlE
GROWERS TALK or ESTABLISH
"
ING PACKING-HoUsEs.

GROW ElsS lNi-h Ut 10 i-'''''''''
1XG PACKING-HoUsEs.
r~,.~o Is a general outcry among the housewives
Of this city against the high price OF beef NOT =
the retail dealer entirely happy for his custom :
.r not pay the high prices that he Is compelled
49, demand and his stock remains mis- hands.
:, Il. commonly supposed that high prices mean a
harve,, for the butcher. but this Is now Denied
Tho denial IS made good by the temporary closing
m Of a number of retail butchers. who say 'ha'
.b,v are unable TO pay the wholesale prices ana
..,isry their customers. There is great difference
&c o,n3on between the retail and wholesale butch
ers as to the unusually high prices prevailing in
meat The retailers say that the prices are I'M
warranted and are caused by corn'rhG OF me
market in the West. while the wholesale men calm
,ha. q, is simply the working OF the law of supply
and demand Owing to decrease in the supply
,bov say and a large increase in the local de-
r,and and the export trade. the prices are neces-
sarny raised great deal of feeling has been
aroused among the local dealers, and they are
especially incenSed against the Zig Four who, they
sav have formed combination amons the DIG
c,,tle-erowers and wholesale dressed-beef firms.
The firms that are commonly known as the Big
Four aye p. ID. Armour x Co. g. +. and +. {.
swift 4 CO.. Nelson Morris Co. and SchWarz-
child * Suizberger. who are the great dealers IN
dressed beef. one local dealer. VINO asked to have
his name withheld. said yesterday that feed was
cheap and that these firms could buy their cattle
y, extremely low prices and afford to keep them
for some time making the demand exceed the avail
able supply until the prices were high up. He
thought the prices would 30 stl higher
The high prices have caused the unusual spectacle
A. Washington Market OF retail dealers closing up.
some are closing temporarily and others perma-
nen,y but it is all account OF the high price Of
meat II was said at tho market that if the present
prices continued or went higher IT. was likely that
n large number would follow the examples Of those
who had already stopped business Two of the old
est butchers in the market l. Starr and David 7.
Way. have closed up Both have been there for
more than thirty-fve years. Edward Davis an Old
butcher in Washington Market, said:
''The present high prices not good for the re-
tai dealer. and the prices are Likely 10 20 higher
4 week ago We sold prime roasts. siroins and por-
t,rhouse steaks for Is and > cents pound. ana
We cut out the bone but today are selling them
for % and 2S cents and leaving in the bone. and are
then not able 10 supply our regular customers
Mr. Davis was not inclined to think that the Big
Four were cornering the market for he ana not
believe they could afford 70 feed the cattle long.
He thought the high prices were due solely 10 the
scarcity OF cattle.
To the poor the advance means decrease in the
CONSUMPTION of meat. and 10 the we-to-do II IS a
matter Of much complaining. a peculiar feature
Of the matter was discovered by Tribune reporter
when he Questioned few Of the restaurant ana
hotel men. Almost without exception ne WAS III
formed that they We're paving the usuai prices LOT
meats and not affected al all by the increase
Why the housekeeper should pay the . per cent
increase and the caterer nothing was not made en-
trely clear but several popular restaurant men eX-
plairei that they bought their beef ana meats sew
eral weeks ahead ana had them KEPT on ice 10 Sea
son and consequently they were in no lmmeulales
need of buying, "a was the housekeeper or small
n o. Armour the Eastern representative, o.
armour & Co. pooh poohed the idea OF coHloinA-
ion and said the prices could be accounted for by
nsiursi causes such as the scarcity OF beeveS ana
The failure of the corn crop ,. -.
the wholesale firm 0f \. Reid & co. said;
"a this tine % the year there Is always com
hination OF CAUSES % send meat up. The trade VITA
Europe is tremendous. and from 1000 10 lo"J heai
OF catt,e arc shipped every week
II IS said that there is a movement on root 70 per
feet plane for the building of packing houses BY
catt,e-grOwers and If this is done II Will ne IN
possible for the packers TO control the market. me
rattle-growers VIII then slaughter their own cattle
and q into the market. meeting or catte-gTow-
e~s Will soon be held in Miles City