The times., 1899-10-30
OYSTER DEALERS REPLY
A Claim Made That Dredgers Ad-
vance Prices Without Cause.
Recent Assertions of Rivermen
Answered - Local Firms Buy BIZ
valves i'm baltimore on Account of
Frequent Fluctuations in the Local
MarIlet-Money saved by This Plan.

The complaints of the captains Of the
oyster dredges regarding the manner in
which they were treated by the oyster
dealers of this city have created quite a
stir among the latter class. There are sew
eral wholesale fish and game firms in this
city who handle almost all the oysters that
are brought here on the oyster schooners
from the lower Potomac and the Chesa-
peake Bay. There are numerous small
buyers who go to the wharves and secure
small quantities of the biyalves, but the
major portion of the product is taken in
hand by the large commission houses.
These people claim that it is not the
oyster dredgsrs who should complain. but
the dealers. The oyster market in this city
is one of the most fuctuating in the country,
and the prices rise ana fall with remarkable
frequency. There are thousands OF barrels
of oysters consumed here during the WIN
ter, and the merchants who sell them claim
there is no reason for the unsteady market
In Baltimore it requires more than rumor
to send the prices up, while here they go
up without even a hint of scarcity. In this
manner, the dealers claim, the captains OF
the dredges have matters their own way
and can put their prices where they please
When the quotations are exorbitant, as they
frequently are, it is said, the dealers buy
their oysters in Baltimore, and. although
they have to pay expressage to this city
they get the DiyaIves much cheaper and in
as good condition as when they are received
direct from the boats
These captains have no right to COM
plain" a member Of one of the largest
fish and game firms in the city told a re-
porter for The Times yesterday. We are
the people who have kick coming if any
one has. 1 saw an article in The Times last
week regarding the shipments OF oysters
from Baltimore here, in which the captains
of the various oyster schooners complain
of the action OF the Washington merchants
in not buying their wares from them. They
are perfectly truthful in the statement that
we do not always buy our supply from
them. and for a very good reason. These
captains seem TO think they can have things
their own way in the Washington market.
They often send the prices of oysters so
high that we cannot afford to buy from
them. We have fixed prices for our sales.
Go to any oyster house in the city and
you viii see a scale of prices hanging out
side the door. The retailers cannot al
ford to buy oysters from US if we are
going to charge them the retail prize. OF
course the market cannot remain the same
all the time, the supply sometimes falls
off, but there is no excuse for a change in
price every time a cargo Of oysters comes
up the river. These captains come here
and if they happen TO want little extra
money they stick a few cents per bushel
on the quotations, and we have to suffer.
We don't expect to have oysters selling
so low that we can become milliOuaiTes
in a month, but we do expect to have some
sort of regularity about the prices, and
if We cannot secure our supply at our
quotations. which are the Baltimore
market prices why We Will buy elsewhere,
that's all.
IN Baltimore they do things diff rently
| They have a little more backbone TO their
market, and it takes an extraordinary
| event TO send the price up. There is no
| difference in the oysters they get there
! and those we receive here. Larger QLauti-
| ties are received in Baltimore but they
are the same in quality The oysters
we receive from Baltimore are in every
| bit as good condition when we get them
as those we buy direct from the schO1ners.
| They are identically the same kind The
| oyster dredgers that come here go to Bal
| timOre. They divide their trips. going to
Baltimore with more frequency because
they are often nearer the Maryland city
| than Washington. OF course those cap
| tains who dredge exclusively in the lower
| Potomac come TO this city 10 dispose OF
their catches. but they 90 to Baltimore,
| too. The shippers charge that the oysters
received from Baltimore are not good,
| that they are often packed in ice for some
| time, and all the flavor is out of them by
| the time they reach this city This is not
true II there is anything the matter with
| the bivalves when We receive them it IS
| the fault of the dredger who caught them.
Every man who packs oysters or han
| dies them to any great extent, puts them
on ice as soon as he receives them. That's
| the proper way to keep them. We buy
| our oysters from the commission houses
| on the wharves. We get them here the
| same day and we generally sell them that
| day. too And l would like to state for the
benefit OF any OF the captains who are not
| acquainted with the fact that we have
| bought oysters from Baltimore dealers,
| paid express charges to this city. and cart