The evening Republican., 1902-04-18
BUTTER WILL
ADVANCE.

surpass the 40-cent per spound mark
the highest wholesale price at this
season of the year that the oldest re.
ceivcr remembers.
So!d-packed butter has already ad.
vanced 30 per cent, over last year S
rates, when it brought % cents and
was plentiful. To-day it is exceed
ingly scarce at 80 cents and still soar
ing upward.
Ladle-packed butter on April II,
1901. was selling here freely at Ii
cents per pound, yesterday it was 80
cents in wholesale way, and mighty
difficult to get at that price. This
is the old.fashioned popular farmer
roll butter gathered up and re.work-
ed into Solid packed tub products.
Extra print butter has advanced
from 23 cents this time a year ago
until now it is commanding 81 and 36
cants, a straight advance of 60 per
cent.
Butter is scarce everywhere now
and dealers are afraid TO speculate,
owing to the uncertainty of the mar
ket, as when grass becomes plentiful
prices will take tumble.
The lcauses given are high-priced
corn and farmers in the West are not
feeding it to the old cows until the
old stock is well cleaned up. Even
Cadada, which has been shipping
butter in this way, is claiming u
shortage.
"Yesterday it was 81 cents, and
to-day it is u cent higher. These are
abnormal figures for this time of year
but they mean that the trust is at
work trying to corner the supply.
"Another cause of the advance is
the new tax on oleomargarine, which
makes it practically impossible to
manufacture that product at profit
and increases the demand for butter
to degree that accounts largely for
the scarcity of the latter article.
The Western men practically die
tate egg prices in Philadelphia, said
another dealer, and they are getting
stronger grip on the situation every
day. The Beef Trust arranges things
so that it is able to store away 100
carloads of eggs every year. This
figure does not sound large, but when
you stop to consider that every car
contains $50 crates and every crate
thirty dozen eggs, it is different. This
means that every car contains 62, 900
eggs and that the amount which the
trust is able to store away annually
is l6, 200, 900.
The same system is followed in re-
gard to poultry and many of the
fowls which the trust is marketing
now have been in cold storage since
last fall.
The combine is going into the vcge
table business, said a prominent re-
tail butcher, yesterday. When l
went 10 buy meat at one OF the Wes-
Tern packing houses yesterday l
found one CT the storerooms fiji led
with baskets Of potatoes, onions,
beans and apples, which were being
sold al cut rates. This is the old
game Of the trust to keep prices
1own until 1t secnrcs control of the
market and then make the rates as
ligh as IL p'cases.
i was talking to salesman for
me OF The houses in the combine
yesterday. remarked an Independ.
mt wholesaler, and he said to me:
see the people are denouncing the
Beef Trust. We II give them some
hing to talk about. We're going
o keep out OF the market altogeth.
r Tor a while and let you indepcnd-
mt fellows see how near you can
ONE TO supplying the public. "
One result OF high prices has
'een to ere ate au unprce edented de-
nand for the cheaper cuts of meat.
Many people Who are accustomed
o buying choice beef are unable to
ay the prices asked for it at pres
mt and are getting cuts from the
risket, neck and shoulder.
Fish are scarce and high. The
leld shad that could be bought
ear ago at IS cents retail at 40
nd IS cents. Other fish are dear
ccordingIy. There is a movement
D foot 10 some places not to cat
eat for couple OF weeks.
A dispatch from Roy oyersford, Pa.
lys: The members of the Anti.
eef Trust !Associ ton of this place
rye decided that under no condition
Or at any time will they partake
canned meats in any form. A
representative OF wholesale meat
'ncern ot Reading has told them
lat the increase in the price of
.el is entirely due 10 the desire OF
e beef combine to get rid Of the
,ormous quantities OIL canned meats
hand and rejected by the United
ates Gove!nmentd during the Span.
h-American war.
People IN New Castle Del, are
'posed to purchasing canned
eats. They claim that the high
ice oil meat is but helper TO get
c eoverstotk OF canned goods on the
acket.
Meat dealers all ever the city are
Sing trade Oh account of the falling
in the purchases OF their stock
The many small eating
uses scattered throughout the
wn, being compelled to buy their
Eats at an enormous increase over
e prices of two months ago, have
ised their rares, causing u great
to their army OF pa
)ns. But those hardest hit are the ;
miles with only small income, to
INN the habtuai eating If meat
: become A. most a necessity.
Even the independent dealers, who