Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-04-25


Exceedingly Scarce-Prices on Butter an
Eggs Higher than Ever Before at thi
Time of Year-What Some Local Merchant
Say About the Matter.
The effects of the operations of TIN
beef trust on Brattleboro markets il
more pronounced than many peopl
are aware, and with the steady in
creace in the price of meat products
the situation is becoming just as crit
ical for the local retail dealers as fol
the retailers in the large cities The
only salvation of the country market
men thus far has been their ability tC
buy local beef and as the trust contin
ues to raise. prices this article become.
more scarce every day. Even now the
price the farmers charge for beef is sc
| high that the dealers cannot make Z
cent selling it at their present figures.
Efforts are being made in different
parts of the country to form an organ
! ized movement against the trust and
| to bring the leaders TO their knees by
refraining from eating meat for two
weeks beginning May 10 If Brattle
boro people would become united in
| helping this movement it would not
only benefit local marketmen but, pro-
vided the country was unanimous in
its efforts. would soon bring the trust
magnates to terms.
The increased price demanded for
meat has been accompanied by sym
pathetic rise in the prices of all other
foodstutfs. Finding meat beyond their
reach because of its eXorbitant cost
the public has had recourse TO eggs,
potatoes, butter, flour and other sta
pies. Butter was never so high at this
time of year as il is today and eggs
are rising in price daily when ordina
rily they would be decreasing.
A representative of the Reformer
has been investigating the situation
locally this week by interviews with
some of the local merchants. When
asked as TO the effect of the trust on
his business G. 0. Abbot. the new
proprietor of the Richardson market,
said, eff it wasn't for our ability to
procure local beef we couldn't afford
to keep open an hour. and even as II
is we are losing money. Personally
would be glad If every person In town
gave up eating meat for two weeks and
| could save money by closing the
market during that time. over half
the beef we are handling Is raised
hereahouts and even that Is too high
to sell at our present prices. IT does
not take the farmers very long while
to catch on TO what their beef is worth
At present we are paying 5000 per
hundred for beef and the price next
week will be sll. AT the prices we
are now charging for steaks. -, % and
% cents, the best we can cut loo
pounds IS $40, SO you can readily see
where our profits have gone" In re-
gard to the effect of the prices on the
business Nj. Abbot said: "Of course
| have not been here long enough to
the amount of business at
present with that before the trust be
gan work, but Mr. Richardson says
that business is extremely dull.
James A. Pullen says THE effects
Of the trust operations are decidedly
apparent to me on account of the de-
crease in the demand for meat At
the prices we are obliged to charge
and we are not charging as much as
we ought many people absolutely
,annot afford to buy meat and have to 7
DO with other food. As yet | do not I
see much of an increase in the pur
chase of other staples, but it will
have to come if the trust continues to
-eign. If every one throughout the
would leave meat alone for
wo weeks the trust would be brought
% its knees and nothing would suit
ne better than that. | would be per
'ectly satisfied not to sell a pound of
neat during that time.
In an interview regarding the prices
aid: "Never in all the years | have
,een in business have the prices of
,utter and eggs been so high at this
ime of year as they are now. We are
obliged to get 33 cents for creamery
wen higher before it drops again. |
Iever knew of case before when but
er advanced in price in April. 1t is
rust who are debating the market
rices on most everything, Eggs, too,
re on the increase in price and get
: an easy thing at this time of year
he farmers and sometimes | have had
rice. Now it is all can do to get =
DOuSH IOI III. ONb lldNlt dLu nave
} sell them at 20 cents.
In many towns the sale of fish has
lcreased largely on account of the high
riceS asked for meat. but this is not
ne case in Brattleboro according to
}. Frank Shea, who says that he no.
ces little increase in his sales 'Un-
IS people really want fish, said Mr..
hea, they will not buy it at any :,
rice. What | do notice is an increas-
! demand for eggs and | find it diff
alt to secure enough to fill my or a
ers. = c
The Landsthing upper house at a
openhagen, by "a to 30 votes, adopted +
'ednesday the majority 5 report on the a
eaty providing for the sale of the +
anish West Indies to the United O
tates. The treaty now goes back to e
lie Folkething dover house. The a
sSion of the Landsthing was one of r
lie most sensational on record. The y
e was passed twice. and charges and e
,unter charges were hurled back and r
rth, while the opponents of the sale o
the islands went so far as to impugn II
e accuracy of the United States state c
apartment official records. "
Iieut Col Frank w. Baldwin. who ID