The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-27
BEEF ADVANCES
AGAIN.
PACKING HOUSES BOLDLY AN
NoUNCE ANOTHER INCREASE.

Butchers Say That They Are Power
less and Are Suffering Much as
the Commemorate Sinking Money
Daily and Those With Small Bank
Accounts Will Have to Give Up the
GhOst-When Diet of Beef Was
Changed For Ham and Eggs and
Bacon Those Things,TOO Went Up.
Restaurant Keeper Says He win
Have to Raise Price of Board.
Beef will advance at least a half a
cent a pound tomorrow, and smoked
meats of all sort have jumped a cent
a pound. The consumers are wonder
ing when the rise in prices of food
stuff will stop. and the dealers are
equally as anxious to know when a
halt will be called. One is affected
almost as much as the other.
The butchers learned yesterday from
representatives of the packing houses
that there will be an increase to-mor-
row. 1t will not be less than half a
cent a pound, and it may be more.
The butchers are really worried and
are greatly concerned as to the outcome
of the manipulations on the beef mar
ket. A prominent green grocer stated
yesterday that he is sinking money
every day, and declared that unless
change for the better takes place short
~ those butchers who have small bank
accounts will have to retire. The
strain is already telling and already
some are lettering.
Consumers Troubles.
When the first increase in the price
of beef was announced the butchers
were only FUSED at" by the consum-
ers. Since then there has been a de-
cided change. They purchase little or
no beef and the butchers, whose ex-
penses are equally as large, suffer. One
of the green grocers who has always
supplied customers of means, says that
not only are the poor people using
less beef, but that the rich as well, are
cutting their orders short. The adj
vance has effected everybody, and the
butchers are at a loss to know what
to do. In fact they can do nothing,
they say. Like the consumers they
must grin and bear it, or else retire
from business. This will be the ulti-
mate result unless there is a change
for the better very shortly, they say.
The restaurant keepers, hotel pro-
prietors and boarding house keepers
are suffering too. Board has not ad-
vanced, although all food stuffs are now
bringing almost unheard of prices A
we'll known restaurant keeper says
that it costs him almost $500 more
month to run his place. He has fig
ured the situation out carefully and
says that while his trade has increased
to a very large per cent, he is not
making near as much as he was when
he had fewer customers, but when food
stuff was cheaper.
Everything Gone Up.
There isn't a thing that you eat
that hasn't gone up" said the restau-
rant man. while l have not yet
changed my prices, I will be forced
to do so at the next advance. We
can't live paying out the money that
we have to and taking in so little. /
viii increase the price of meals at the
next jump
The butchers report that meat that
was formerly passed unnoticed now at
tracts the attention of beef purchase
ers, and much of this scrap meat is
sold to those who must have beef, hut
who cannot afford to pay the prices
asked. The advance in the price OF
beef caused housekeepers to turn their
attention to hams, bacon and eggs.
Now these meats have also started
skyward.
Ham and Bacon Up.
A day or two ago ham and bacon
jumped from Is to Is cents a pound
retail. and there is no guarantee that
the figures will not be increased Eggs
are selling for 20 cents a dozen, with
no relief in sight. Those who know
say that when the grass cattle shows
up the prices Of beef will drop but it
is predicted that this will not be be-
fore July /. While beef is always high
er in the spring, it has never reached
the price that it is at now. If to-mor-
rows advance is no more than one-half
a cent, beef will wholesale at 10 cents
a pound
The large numbers who have been
forced to stop using beef. or who have
been compelled to buy very little have
not taken to canned goods, which are
also high. The grocers say that since
the Spanish-American War and the
'embalmed beef exposure, canned
meats have not been very popular, ex-
cept during the picnic season, which
has not yet arrived. Fish and crabs
are sought on every side. and the de-
mand is greater than the supply. While
there is no concerted action, the beef
trust is really being boycotted in Sa-
vannah.
HxAXnn NEVEnS