Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-18
THE RISE in
PRICE OF MEAT
tR. S. Baker in Harper,s week,y.1

tR. S. Baker in Harper's Weekiy.]
Early last August the price of beef
was suddenly advanced from 10 to 80
per cent In all the markets, to the con-
sternation OF the retail dealer and the
consumer. Every one eats meat and
every ones pocket was instantly and
disagreeably affected. There was no
apparent reason in the east for such
spectacular rise in prices, and 1t was
Inevitable that the trust boyle, which
may yet be blamed for the failure OF the
peach crop should at once be singled
out as the cause of all the trouble. In
New York the butchers even went 80
far as to discuss, seriously, the advisa-
bility of forming an association through
which they might obtain their cattle di-
rect from the ranches of the west and
slaughter them in opposition to the
Chicago beef barons.
But 1t was not a trust that advanced
the prices of meat; the change was the
result OF the remarkable condition of
prosperity, growth and expansion in the
great west. Indeed, there could he no
better indication of the return of good
times than this very advance in the
price of meat, for no other commodity
Is so sensitive to the financial.condition
of the people. With the appearance of
hard times. and the necessity of econo-
my, the average American saves first
on his meat bill-he buys cheaper cuts,
he eats more mutton and pork and less
beef; he lives on corn meal and wheat
flour. The statistics of the department
of agriculture show that three times as
Loo
in proportion to the population as was
consumed in the years of plenty during
the late SOS. With the return of pros
perity, however, the demand for beef,
and for the choicest steaks and roasts,
at once began to increase, and this de-
mand has had natural tendency to
force the price upward.
If, however. this We're the only cause
Of the recent advance. there might be
ground for accusing the great packers
of the west of manipulating prices. But
| 1t is only one feature in the present re-
markable development of the cattle in
dustry; for not only has the demand of
the consumer increased, but the supply
has actually been decreasing for years.
On Jan. 1, 1890. there We're in the Us.it-
ed States, according to the department
of agriculture, 36.S49024 head of cattle,
or $50 to every 1000 of population By
! 1895 this number had decreased by up
ward OF 100000 head the total being
81, 1854 ZIG. This would mean about 400
head of cattle for every 1000 of popula-
ton. From that time down to the
| present year the number fell off by
nearly 100000 head annually, dropping
| to little more than 32.000.00o in 1896,
| 80, sos, 40S in 1897, 29,264,00O in 1885, and
| q, 994.225 in 1890. AT present, therefore.
| counting the population of the United
States at 75,00O,000, there would be only
| 373 head of cattle to every 1000 of pop
ulation. Since 1892 the number of cattle
has decreased by fully 10,000000, or
nearly 81 per cent At the same time
1 the number of swine has decreased
| from over 81 100000 in 1890 to 1851. 631
in the present year. The number of
sheep also fell off between 1890 and 1897
and then began to increase, being over
100000 greater in 1899 than in 1897
showing that people were consuming
more mutton.
4 This enormous decrease in meat-pro-
ducing animals was not especially APP
i parent during the prevalence of hare
times, but the return of prosperity and
the renewed demand for better food
suddenly caused a shortage. and con-
sequent rise in prices And the adj
vance which the consumer paid did no,
go into the pocket of the packer nor OF
/ the middle man-it went directly to the
stock raiser who had cattle to sell, anG
4 it has gone far toward swelling the
4 present remarkable wave of prosperity
i in the west.
i Statistics will show this condition ex.
actly. On Aug. 10, 1897, the best price
paid by the packers in the open mar
/ kets of Chicago and Kansas City fol
choice western cattle on the hoof wa.
$3.50 hundred pounds, which would
mean cost of 10 cents a pound fol
i prime beef. A year later. on Aug. 10
i 1898, the packers We're forced to pay TIL.
stock-growers as high as S5.25 a hun
dred pounds, or SIS cents pound fo
/ prime beef. On Aug. 10 of this year thu
price for the best grade of cattle ha.
| gone up to $500 a hundred pounds
4 making prime beef cost 925 cents ;
pound. In other words, the beef bar
ons" We're compelled to pay to tn,
stock-raiser S1.40 more per hundred
pounds for cattle in the open marke
in August, 1899, than they paid in Aug
ust, 1897.
In the case of a 1500-pound steer thu
packer would pay s21 more in 1899 thar
he did in 1897. But the edible portion o
an animal is only 5S per cent of thu
whole; that is, there are $40 pounds o
good beef in steer weighing LOO
pounds. The advance must therefore b
spread over the $40 pounds, which
!. would increase the advance from $1.4
per hundred for the live animal to $2.4
for the edible parts.
Very naturally the packers AM
slaughterers. being compelled to pa!
more for beef, charged more for it. In
ded, representative of large pack
ling house informed me that his com
pany actually lost money on some o
its sales, because it did not raise it
prices fast enough to keep pace will
\ the rise in the price of stock. The re
tail dealers We're equally slow abou
putting up their shop prices, for fear o
losing trade; they kept comforting
themselves with the hope that bee
would soon go down again. And thus
two months ago when the demand be
gan to be sharp, they We're compelle,
to put up their prices suddenly, to tn
CONSERVATION of the consumer.
In this connection it may be we'll t
observe that most of the retail advanc
has been made on the choice cuts o
tho heef-the roaStS and the SteakS-th