The San Francisco call., 1895-05-21
Their Annual Festival. at Shell
Mound Park To-
Morrow.
FOR PLEASURE AND BUSINESS
Reasons for the Yearly Meeting and
.. Origin of the Organi-
zation.

Butchers Board of Trade. This organiza-
ton was formed the 1st of April, 1898,
and its stated objects are to oppose monop-
oily and maintain q healthy competition
IN both buying and selling meats. For
many years there have been from twenty
to thirty distinct firms engaged in buying
and slaughtering, as well as raising stock,
affording the retail butchers the choice of
purchasing from that number of places.
few years ago capitalists came out
from the East and erected slaughtering
and packing houses at Baden, near South
San Francisco. This movement meant TO
the local butchers, they believed, the alb
sorption of the butcher business in this
city. Acting upon the belief that when
the wholesale dealers of Butchertown were
out of the way the retailers would have
their prices advanced, local retail and
wholesale dealers sought protection in the
organization of the Butchers Board of
Trade.
Another justification of the movement is
that if lower prices can be maintained by
~ keeping an open market it viii benefit the
consumers as we'll. The possibility of the
Butchers Board of Trade ever considering
the regulation of prices is out of the cues
ton, because it embraces both the retail
and wholesale branches OF the business.
Severe competition will exist so long as
strong firms are doing business and fight
= ing for patronage.
From fifteen mem bers the Butchers
Board of Trade has increased until rt now
embraces $50 firms, representing round
thousand OF boss butchers, or all in San
Francisco and Alameda counties except
thirty-one. Dependent upon these en-
ployers, 1t is estimated, are the salaries of
5000 people.
One function of the organization is the
settlement of all the business difficulties of
its members. When firms are in financial
trouble a committee takes the matter
under consideration. If deserving, the en-
barrassed firm is allowed to continue but
If the business has not been honestly con-
Quoted the report is made that further
credit Will not be given, and the decision is
final. During the two years that the
Butchers Board of Trade has been in ex-
isteace not d dollar has been paid as lawyer
fees for the settlement of the business
affairs Of its members.
In speaking of the raise in the price of
meat recently throughout the East, the
! World of New York on Sunday, April Ia
says:
This entire country from Maine to the Pa
cifc Slope is in the grasp of monopoly COM
pared with which the Standard Oil Company
ana the sugar Trust cut but an insignificant
figure. The nature OF this trustvis one which
reaches into every household in the land.
Every one OF the twelve million or more fami-
lies which compose the population OF the
United States pay tribute to IL.
The members Of this trust are P. D. Armour
= 4 Co.; Nelson, Morris & Co, and G. F. & f. c.
Swift-faniliarly known in the trade as the
Big Three" Their headquarters are in Chi
cago. These men slaughter every pound of
beef which IS consumed daily in the United
States, WfFl the exception, perhaps OF few
steers here and there Killed for local use by
country butchers. and in slaughter houses on
Y thQ ,Ilf tat in Gov
Eastern States, and here and there throughout
Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. All these
independent killers of cattle, however, do not
tered by the combine mentioned in q week
They control absolutely the output OF AMI
NAL food in this country. Upon them depend
what prices shall be paid for the steak or chop
that goes upon your table. Upon them de-
pend Tor living 80 per cent of the retail
dealers OF meats In the United States. With
out their sanction no man who sells meats by
the pound 10 the retail purchaser and con-
sqmer may do business. An the dealers are
absolutely at their mercy and pay tribute in
the same proportion as do their customers.
The fariner who raises cattle is also at the
mercy Of this monopoly. He must take the
price it sets upon his product, for the price is
not set according to the law of supply and de-
mand. but according 10 the judgment OF the
meet daily and in secret fix an arbitrary
price hich they have determined to pay the
producer for the cattle he sends or brings TO
market
special representative OF the World has
thoroughly studied the beef question both in
Chicago and New York during the past ten
days. While the fact remains that there is
scarcity OF cattle, the additional fact persists
In making itself prominent that the present
:. outrageous prices of meats are directly trace
. able 10 tha avaTiee OF the members of the beef
:. trust, Every day there is q secret meeting
, held III Chicago of the agents Of the membe
=. of the trust. AT this meeting prices are deter
. mined upon and price list arranged which is
i, sent out 70 wholesalers as the basis for the
:: price which will be charged for meats next
day.
Captain J. H. MeMenomy, the grand
marshal of to-morrow's parade, whose stall
for stalled beef and other choice meats is
in the California Market, had the follow
: ing observations TO make: 'Not until re-
b. Gently has it been reported that prices on
meat are going up in Eastern cities due TO
= the beef trusts tactics. The efforts of the
= combine have been wholly directed to the
.. crushing out of competition in the sale of
:: the dressed product and in the purchase Of
" live cattle, and in both these lines thew
have been very successful except in Cali
fornia. Here they found more pluck and
brains; here they found a different climate
:: than any in which they had operated ::
here they found many of the retailers and
wholesalers 10 be producers of stock. The
/ result has been they have found they could
: not run the beef and cattle trade as they
please. 1t is reported tnat the member of
the beef trust who was recently here was
greatly disappointed, anu Wdnttu 10 Know
why the Baden people didn't go out and
undersell all competitors. A representa-
tive tried it and reported that he could not
get rid OF the meat at any price. Once
history did not repeat itself. Once healthy
competition was maintained and the
butcher business and cattle trade, as well
as the public, were protected from the in
vasion of one of the most greedy and
pitiless monopolies in America."
Samuel G. Hammond, of Hammond &
Bro, the president of the Butchers Board
of Trade, when seen at his market at 33
Fourth street yesterday, said: 1.-The butch
ers OF San Francisco and Oakland have
cause tot feel proud of their loyalty to
home and the success they have met with
by means OF union. The tenacity of the
butcher business in this community is g
eonundrum to the Big Three Of Chicago.
Doubtless they are puzzled to know why
we nave not given up to them like st.
Louls and other Eastern cities. Our
butchers had wholesome dread of this
meat trust, born of well founded stories OF
Its rapacity and octopus-like policy, when
It's agents first set foot in San Francisco.
hence the determination of local men to
lxr 49,. = \