Sunday morning globe., 1901-12-01
Cost OF Living.

Whatever may be the influences,
natural or artificial, at work, It can no
longer be disputed that food products
are steadily rising in price. In gro.
ceries this new and startling develop
ment is not marked and it said by
many to be of only temporary nature.
In meats the situation Is one to CON
Germ not only the housekeeper but the
meat trade itself.
One butcher said that the present
price Of meats is the highest that he
has known in nine years; that is, the
highest price to be maintained for any
length Of time. During the winter OF
1886 prices were slightly higher for
a brief period.
One wholesal dealer Of this trades
mans acquaintance, who, during his
forty years experience in the whole
sale meat trade has travelled all over
the West, remarked recently that there
would be no cheap beef for a year or
two to come. At the present time
the butcher added, all meats, with the
exception Of veal, cost thee onsumer
two cents more than in the summer
Veal itself is cents higher
This increase came suddenly about
The first week in Seutember, the dealer
explained and there was no indication
Of a return to former prices. Instead,
he predicted that the price Of meats
will increase from a cent TO a cent and
a nalf within the next three weeks. and
he Is of the opinion that these abnor-
NAL rates will continue for three or
four years,
Further, he said, the rise Of cents
pound in veal was due to the good
prices obtainable at present for milk.
Farmers find that they can get more
profit out Of milk than out Of veal, and
are allowing their calves to become
COWS,
Many reasons are advanced for the
increase in cattle and hog products.
The principal one is the failure Of the
corn crop. Farmers estimate that for
each bushel Of corn eight pounds OF
merChantable pork should accrue.
With a price Of six and three.quarter
cents for pork, the farmer has a total
Of fifty-four cents as returns from
his bushel of corn. to set against sew
enty-hve cents, which his corn com
mands.
This line Of agricultural reasoning
also applies to cattle, and during the
year thousands Of acres which were
formerly devoted to grazing we're
plowed and planted for grain. The
"cornstalk disease has also thinned
the ranks of the beef producers, and
the heavy losses on ranches in winter.
due to inadequate housing, have by no
means decreaed. All these have COM
bined to make costs higher to the
| consumer.
While systematic efforts will doubt
less be made to remedy this existing
shortage and farmers outside the great
cattle districts will probably turn their
attention to the business to take ad-
vantage Of the present high prices, it
is generally conceded that those prices
can not be materially altered for some
time to come.
Meanwhile, the cattlemen, with do
pleted herds, are forced to raise their
| prices, the wholesalers are compelled
to follow, and the retailers are in turn
laid under the necessity of levying
increased tribute upon the army Of con
sumers.
In the grocery trade the situation
is very different and IL any vegeta.
bles or fruits have advanced in price
the increase has been directly traceable
to crop failures, as in apples and po.
tatoes. Fresh laid eggs and butter
are higher than usual, but this was
explained by one groceryman as mere
ly the annual winter increase in price
The marked rise in cold storage eggs
was the work Of "a combination,
which, he said, cornered this section
OF the market, as it had done last
winter. Canned goods were higher
owing to the rise in the price Of tin
but with the exception Of oats, prac
tlcally everything else was on a nor
NAL basis