Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-04-16
HIGHER PRICES FOR FOOD.

A Dispatch from New York says !:
Higher prices for various foods, par.
ticularIy fresh meats and buttsr. have
not only come, but they are here o
stay. Moreover, according t) expects-
tions of men In the trade, they are
likely to 90 higher still 10 the very
Desf future.
1t is not only beef that has advanced
slmost sensstioDslly in price within
few weeks. / lmb and mutton have
gone up, ss have hog products, and 30
also have poultry and butter. Lard
has been advanced from one TO three
cents q pound within a few monlbs
and it has become known that there
has been formed some sort of work
ing agreement between the great pro.
ducers, who have held meetings In
wettsrn cites-the last meeting, it is
said. Ut the Iroquois HCtel, in Buffalo,
on April 4 Ito come to understAndiDgs
as to the conduct of their business
proEitably 10 view of the gradually ad-
vanciDg prices all along the line from
hog to lard.
The rise 10 the price OF butter is said
to be chiefly speculative, not 80 turn
log upon any sttsmpt to corner the
market, but owing to q belief among
tbe dairymeu thst Congress will pass
the proposed law which is expected 10
prevent the manufacture of oleomar-
gsrine.
According to the figures OF the So
called dairy trust, there are maoufac.
lure1 10 the United States, 500, 900, 900
pounds of butter year. OF this, 1t IL
said 800 100000 pounds are consumed
10 the nt'gg0orhood OF manufacture,
and do ret reach the general market,
lesyi' z 10000. 900 pounds as the esti-
mated supply through the markets Of
Cne large cties.
Toe annual sale OF oleomsrgarine is
put at 104, ,000,0 900 pounds, or about
one.seventh OF the total butter sales OF
the general markets. 1t is declared
that the advance in butter prices is due
to the belief that the oleomarRarine
bill will bs passed and that, therefore,
there will be this large hole In the sup
ply t1 be filed with genuine butter.
T0daY's market reports showed that
"renovstsd bntter," which is said to be
sold practically in every grocery store,
and to be "reDovsted" by PROCESSES
somttimes harmless and sometimes
directly poisonous, was selling at 29
and 30 cents as against the ehoiessi
creamery buttr at 81 cents, in toe
who.essie mafktt.
The advance in the price OF poultry
Is a sympathetic one. consequent upon
the high beef market. Persons who
wish to eoonomizs turn from the high
priced beef to the poultry market, and
consequently the increased demand for
poultry sends that up In price also.
The price of beef in the carcass. az
the butcher buys it, is now about 3
cents pound higher than six months
ago. The butchers say that this Scent
increase to them ought really to mean
an increase OF 10 cents Q pound to the
consumer, In order TO make things fair
for the retailers. In some instances the
advance to the consumer has reached
10 cents pound, bat this Is to the poor
man.
Porterhouse steak, which sold at 25
cents O pound, had advanced to 28 cent
a fortnight sgo. On Monday the price
was put up to thirty cents. But the
poorer persons, who were accustomed
last fall to buy three pounds OF "ohnck"
stssk for % cents, now fnd themselves
obliged to buy what they can afford
at 16 and Is cents q pound.