El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-25
The Rise in the
Price of Meat.

D Price OF Meat. !
Early last August the price of beef
was suddenly advanced from ten to
thirty per cent in all the markets, to
the CONSERVATION of the retail dealer
and the consumer. Every one eats
meat, and every ones pocket was in
stsntly and disagreeably affected.
There was no apparent reason in the
east for such q spectacular rise In
prices, and it 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 oil the trouble. In New York
the butchers even went so far as to
discuss, .seriously, the ACCESSIBILITY of
forming an association through which
they might obtain their cattle direct
from the ranches of the west, and
slaughter them in opposition to the
Chicago "beef barons."
INCREASED DEMAND.
But it was not . 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
DO no better indication of the return
of good times than this very advance
in the price of meat. for no other COM
modify is 30 sensitive to the financial
condition of the people. With the ap-
pearauce of hard times, and the neces-
sity of economy, the average Amerl-
can saves first on his meat bill-he
buys cheaper cuts, be eats more NUT
ton and pork and less beef: he lives on
20
tistios of the department. of agriculture
show that three times as much NUT
ton was consumed last year in proper
tion to the population as was consumed
in the years of plenty during the late
sos. With the return of prosperity,
however, the demand for beef, and for
the choicest steaks and roasts, at once
began to increase, and this demand
has had a natural tendency to force
the price upward.
THE SHORT SUPPLY.
If, however, this were the only cause
of the recent advance, there might be
ground for accusing the great packers
of the west of manipulating prices.
But it is only one feature in the pre-
sent remarkable development of the
cattle industry; for not only has the
demand of the consumer increased, but
the supply has actually been decreas-
ing for years. On January L, 1890, there
were in the United States. according
to the Department of Agriculture, &c.
$40, O24 head of castle, or $50 to
every 1000, of population: BY 1895 this
number had decreased by upward OF
900, 900 head, the total being "a, 1884,
2l6. This would mean about 400 head
of cattle for every 1000 of
population. From that time
down to the present year the
number fell of by nearly 1000, 900 head
annually. dropping to little more
than 80, 600 900 in 1896, 80, sos, 40S in
1897, 20, 264 900 in 1898, and 81, 995 .225
| ing the population of the United States
~ IS, 600, 900, there would be only 373
head of cattle to every 1000 population.
Since 1892 the number of cattle has
decreased by fully 10, 900. 600, or nearly
q per cent. At the Same the number
of swine has decreased from over 51,-
0OO, 900 in 1890 to 3S. 651 ,63l in the pres
fell ID between 1890 and 1897, and then
began to increase, being over 1000, 600
greater In 1899 than in 1897. showing
that the people were consuming more
mutton.
THE PRODUCER HAS GAINED MOST.
This enormous decrease in meat.pro-
ducinR animals WAS not especially ap-
parent during the prevalence of hard
times, but the return OF prosperity and
the renewed demand for better sudden
| ly caused shortage, and consequent
rise In pieces, And the advance which
the consumer paid did not go into the
pocket of the packer nor of the middle
man-it went directly to the stock
raiser who had cattle to sell, and it has
gone far toward swelling the present
remarkable wave OF property in the
west.
Statistics will show this condition ex
actly. On August 10, 1897, the best
price paid by the packers in the open
markets of Chicago and Kansas City
for choice Western cattle on the hoof
was $3.50 hundred pounds, which
would mean cost OF 10 cents q pound
| for prime beef. A year later, on Aug
ust 10: 1898, the packers were forced to
pay the stock-gro as high rs S. 25
hundred pounds, or S.5 cents a pound
for prime beef. On August 10 of this
year the price for the best grade of
cattle had gone up to Sc 20 a hundred
pounds, making prime beef cost 8 25
cents pound. In other words, the
"beef barons" were compelled to pay
to the stock-rsisers Sl.40 more per
hundred pounds for cattle in the open
market in AUGUST, 1899, than they paid
in August, 1897.
In the cass of 15O0-pound steer the
packer would pay S2l more in 1899
than he did in 1897. But the edible
portion OF an animal is only So per cent
of the whole: that Is, there are $40
pounds of good beef in steer weighing
| ,nIs hn Cd