The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-03
BEEF TRUSTS WORK.
Unprecedented Jump in Meat Causes
the Consumer to suffer.

Although higher prices are being
paid for meat than at any time in re-
cent years, the Beef Trust intends TO
show it's strength and a further adj
vance is expected within the next few
days. 1t is expected that the next ad-
vance will cause some of the butchers
to suspend. and will have the effect of
making the sale of meat very much
smaller.
The packing houses claim that they
are selling just as much meat at the
advanced figures, and they are borne
out in this assertion by some of the
butchers. Mr.. John F. May. who is
secretary of the Retail Butchers AS
sociation was seen yesterday about the
remarkable jump in the price of meat.
He stated that the consumers are put
ting up a howl, but, of course, they
are buying at the high figures now
quoted. The butchers, he said, have
nothing TO do but purchase from the
packing houses.
The secretary of the Butchers Asso-
citation says that there is no native
meat to be had; that what little here
is on the market is of an inferior quail
lty, and that the prices are very little
lower than those of the packing houses.
With such a scarcity of cattle Mr.. May
said he does not see how the butchers
could get native meat. They will have
TO pay the prices asked by the trust
concerns and the consumers must suf-
fer. Mr.. May says that he is told,
however. that about July 1, when
the grass begins to grow" the price
will drop some.
Tho WI 80
jumped 2 cents in ten days, while the
retail prices have jumped from to
cents poud. Mr. May explained why
the retail price should increase from
cent to cents a pound more than the
wholesale jump. He stated that while
the finer cuts have gone up the prices
of odds and ends, soup bones and
rough meat remain the same as they
were before the advance, and with
scarcely any demand. He said
that much of this rougher meat is
found in a side and that it has to be
paid for at the same rate of 9 cents
pound.
An average has to be figured out and
the butchers claim that at the present
figures they are selling just as close as
possible. If there is another jump by
the packing houses the retail dealers
will have to move their figures up too,
Mr.. May says.
The consumers are kicking at the I'M
heard of prices which they are being
forced to pay for meat. They do not
swallow the excuse of the trust that
the advance is due to the scarcity of
beef. The trust claims that the unpre-
cedented advances in fresh meat prices
is due entirely to the scarcity of sup
ply, but this has been refuted by stock
yard figures. The consumers are con-
WINGED that there is nothing in the
story and that it is the same old case
of trust grab. The consumers have
felt their purses getting lighter and
lighter as every household article has
taken a jump skyward under the in
f1uence of one trust or another. There
is scarcely a commodity that has not
advanced in price and beef is probably
the last on the list
Where ten days ago porter house
steaks could be purchased for 20 cents
pound, 25 cents is now the price. Loin
steaks have jumped from 1s to 20.
Round steaks cents a pound. Rump
and shoulder roast has taken rise of
21s cents and pork has gone up cents
a pound. The restaurant proprietors
have of course noticed the advance and
the consumers in the end suffer.