The record-union., 1899-08-26
New York Retailers Will Fight
Chicago Wholesalers.
VIII Raise a Large Fund to Carry on the
Contest to a Success.
John ID. Rockefeller and William
c. Whitney, Tt is Said, May En-
ter the Fight and Lend Their
Aid to Combat the Trust.

NEW YORK, Aug. 25.-The Execu-
tive Committee of the Retail Butchers
Protective Association met last night
to consider means To fight the Chicago
wholesalers. They decided to recon-
mend the raising of a fund of $4,000
600. OF this sum $3,00O,OOO is to be
raised by the retailers themselves and
100000 by popular subscription at
81 a share, with maximum holding
by any one person of twenty shares
When the committee went into session
it had pledged subscriptions of $70O,-
600. When it had finished this had
been increased to $1,000,000. Presi-
dent Wagner said there was no doubt
whatever that the entire $3,000,000 will
be quickly raised by the retailers in
New York City alone.
The remaining 100000 it is intend
ed to dispose of to customers, small
merchants, labor organizations and
others who are opposed to trusts. Some
of the retailers have as many as 500
customers, and many of these have al
ready asked permission to subscribe to
such stock.
by comparing notes, the members of
the Executive Committee decided that
they personally knew of men who
would take 100000 of this popular
stock. President Wagner said the as
sociation would confine it's efforts for
the present to this city, taking in the
five boroughs He said he had con-
ferTed with stock raisers and their rep
resentatives and was assured that
enough stock to meet the demand for
beef by this city will be furnished.
Nothing has yet been done to prevent
rate Determinations by the railroads,
but President Wagner said he had been
assured by stock raisers that he need
anticipate no trouble from this source
when his company assumes tangible
shape and becomes really formidable.
George Kahn says the retailers are
now obliged to sell their meats at an
average ranging from 1919 to 13 cents
a pound. When the new company gets
into the field he hopes to see the price
cut to from to "a cents on the aver
age.
President Wagner says the local
agents of the Big Five meet in this
city every Monday morning and arbl-
trarily fix the price to be charged for
the week. He says it is not regulated
by the market conditions, but by cap
rice, whims and avarice.''
Mr.. Wagner also declared that about
60 per cent. of the slaughtered beef
is available for food supply and the
rest has to be disposed of for various
purposes, but little is lost. He says
this city is more favorably situated for
the profitable disposition of this prod
uct than any of the Western cities. He
says cattle can be shipped here and
more economically slaughtered and
and placed on the market than in any
other city in the country
1t is asserted by the retailers that
there are available here for the new
abattoirs more than 5000 men who
have been compelled by many causes
to leave the butcher business and get
into other avocations. Wagner says
the numerous responses to advertise
ments for help by the butchers prove
that these men, most of whom are high
ly skilled, will quickly return to the
trade.
When asked what truth there was in
the rumor that John d. Rockefeller.
William C. Whitney and other great
capitalists had offered help to fight the
trust Mr.. Wagner said that the COM
hiiAtNVC was lioW u yIHS W meet MI
Rockefeller. but he is out of the city
and has not been accessible. Wagner
did not know what Mr. Whitney in
tended to do. He says a number of
wealthy cattlemen have agreed to come
forward the moment the venture takes
tangible shape and take large blocks
of the stock.
President Wagner said the Executive
Committee would not yet recommend
a site, but that a majority of the MEM
bers favor four blocks that have been
offered in Long Island City Mr.. Kahn
prophesied that the big Five" would
be asking for terms in a very short
time. President Wagner and Mr.. Kahn
laughed at the claim of the trust that
it has to pay more for cattle now, and
this is the cause of the raise in the
prices of it's meat. Both say the stock
raisers are complaining bitterly that
they are getting none of the benefit of
the higher meat prices, but that on the
contrary. they are at the mercy of the
trust, which, they say, is scaling down
the prices for stock.