Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-30
WAR PRICES.
All Household Necessities Are Ad-
varcing Every Day.
Beef. Flour and Coal Are Among Those
Most Affected.

Inv wal prices are arriving regular
| ly. and will soon be here in such mum.
bers and in so marked degree, thai
it Will require no mention of the fact
to remind the house keepers.
Within the past few days. the prices
on several houshould necessities have
taken decided jump. Prominent
among the highhyers are coal, flour
beef, and sugar. Coal has advanced Sc
cents ton in the local market: floui
is going up 25 cents at time, ana the
tain, while beef has advanced a dollar
a hundred.
How do you account for this rise
in beef" asked Journal man, Friday,
of Il local dealer.
II simply don't account for it at all, ="
he replied. "All | know is that the
war is on and the popular thing all
along the line is to put up prices. You
might ask the same question about
flour. Flour is higher than when this
war scare set in. Why should -four get
upon its high horse? We raise our -four
and there is no danger Of the supply
being cut off. Why should beef soar
to lofty heights? We raise all our own
beef and export thousands of tons
every year Our wheat mills and our
Touring mills are too far away To he
touched by the Spanish torpedocs and
the Dons can't hit our cattle on the
Western prairies no more than they hit
our fleet With the guns at MORO Castle
Docs speculation enter into it,"
VERY likely it does"
TO what extcnt?"
That's a hard question to answer
You will note that while beef has ad-
vanced it hasn't gone up like flour. If
beef had taken a real big boost
should say that the beef combination
had pressed the button. But we havn't
seen any Of the mysterious writing
on the wall yet.
How about pork?"
Prices on pork and provisions are
going up. too
products?'
No, and that is why | think the
Laaf co,, hipotiop hoe NOT ,,ot ,,o1o
any particular move. The pork dealers
have no organization, and yet prices
have advanced in about the proportion
as beef
Does the advance in beef affect both
hind and fore quarters?"
NO. only the hind quarters. Fore
quarters remain the same"
This gentleman is inclined to believe
that Maine formers have missed it by
abandoning so largely, the raising of
cattle.
The farmer who has barn full of
cattle, today is in high feather" says
this gentleman. L known gentleman
who has Wintered several and they're
just as good as gold. A pair of or
4-years-old steers are worth 800 quick.
Farmers had better shoot lot of their
Western horses. stop selling hay and go
to raising cattle. Sevenfoot cattle are
worth $3.50 to $50 quick. The farmer
who has a pair or two. to sell every
now and then, gets that amount of
cash easier than any other way.
II should like to see Maine farmers
60 back to the good old custom of rails
ing fine beef cattle"
These are busy days at the whole
sale -four and grain stores. Most of
them sell on the market. The man
who ordered his flour by Mondays
closing quotations saved 80 cents on a
barrel over the man who delayed fill
ing his order until the opening of
Tuesdays market.
The man who asked on Tuesday, for
a % barrel increase in his Monday or
der had to pay the extra 50 cents
The news of the opening was the
signal for the sending dispatches to
the company's travelling statesmen.
One of them read like this: j. NJ.
Lake, Dexter Advance flour % cents
Offer no grain.
mo man can tell where this thing
will end" remarked one of the deal
ers, as he stood at the telephone wait
ing for connection. In war times I've
heard veterans tell about paying 500 a
barrel for flour. Whether we shall
ever see that price again | can not tell
Monday. May wheat was at one time
quoted at 121. A year ago today the
closing ouotatiOn was 13.s The lowest