The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-12-04
COST OF LIVING GREATER
Increase in Prices Of Food Products
Throughout the Country.
HIGH MEAT RATES TO CONTINUE

Farmers Find 1t More Profitable to Sell
Milk and Corn Than to Furnish Veal
and Pork - Price of Meat Highest In
| Nine Years-The Grocery Trade situa-
tion-Efect of Corn Crop Failure.
New York City.-Whatever may be
the influences, natural or artificial, at
work, it can no longer be disputed that
food products, not only in New YORK
City but throughout the country, are
steadily rising in price. In groceries
this new and startling development
is not so marked and it is said by
many to be Of only q temporary ma
ture. In meats the situation Is one
to concern 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
1896 prices were slightly higher for
q brief period.
One wholesale 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 to him recently
that there would be no cheap beef for
q wear or two to come. At the present
time, the butcher added, all meats,
with the exception Of veal, cost the
consumer two cents more than in the
summer. Veal itself is six cents
higher.
This increase came suddenly about
the first week in September, the dealer
explained, and there was no indica-
ton of q return to former prices. In
stead, he predicted that the price of
meats will increase from a cent to a
cent and half within the next three
weeks, and he is Of the opinion that
these abnormal rates will continue for
three or four years.
Further, he said, the rise of six cents
a pound in veal was due to the good
prices obtainable at present for milk.
Farmers find that they can get more
OuL VI lllth lAQh Ool VI NS1A, e'AN
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 q total
of fifty-four cents as returns from
his bushel of corn, to set against sew
enty-fve 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 were
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 decreased. 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 10 taAe aG-
vantage Of the present high prices, it
is generally conceded that those prices
cannot be materially altered for some
time TO come
Meanwhile, the cattlemen, with de-
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
consumers.
In the grocery trade the situation
is very different, and if any vegeta-
bles OF fruits have advanced in price
the increase has been directly tracea-
BILE to crop failures, as in apples and
potatoes. 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 r4se in the price Of tin,
but with the exception Of oats, prac-
tically everything else was on nor
lal basis.