The Washington times., 1902-04-20
Housekeepers Viewing the
Situation With InCreaS-
ing Alarm.
THE DEALERS ALSO COMPLAIN
State That Business Is Fall
ing Off Largely Every
Day.
THE END NOT IN SIGHT
Hotel Proprietors, Lunch Room Keepers,
and Boarding Houses Feel the Strain
Reasons Given for Advances Along the
Line.

The question OF food prices in Washing
ton is becoming serious one. ard house
keepers are becoming alarmed over the
prospect OF further increase in the cost
of living. which is now higher than has
been known in years.
Another advance was made in the price
of meats yesterday, and the end does
: not appear to be in sight.
Boarding house keepers In particular
are complaining bitterly. and the dealers
can offer no relief. The dealers them
selves are now stating frankly that the
increase in values is causing them actual
financial loss.
With the keepers of boarding houses
the problem has resolved itself into a
case of absolute loss, and unless relief
comes in few days many of them will
mark figures on the debit side of the
ledger.
81 have never known prices In the mar
kets to be as high as they are now," said
the proprietor OF an uptown eating es-
tablishment last night. THE increase in
the price of meats and the actual scarcity
of the various cuts and joints is costing
me SIS week. In other words, now pay
about that much more a week for my mar
keting than I did several weeks ago.
we are in a peculiar position. In es-
Establishments like mine there is regular
scale of prices. For instance, beef steak
is 40 cents. Formerly there was a good
margin of profit in the meat at the price
We did pay. Now beef has gone up, and
the profit has in some instances been cut
entirely OFF, and in others ii has been left
very narrow and unsatisfactory
We have to pay the prices the butch
ers demand, but we can't raise prices on
our customers. We are selling now al
the same figures as usual. / am afraid We
will shortly be obliged to make an in
crease in our charges all along the line.
Boarding Houses Suffer
In ali of the private boarding houses
throughout the city similar complaint is
being made. Prices OF food have gone
up, but boarders are taken at a stated
sum month. and the charge cannot be
increased without the danger of patrons
leaving.
The average price of a dinner has
greatly increased" said the proprietress
of a big boarding house on H Street
Take the average dinner. for example
Butter has now become almost prohibitiye
in price. This is a great item of expense
Beef steak, for this dinner, will cost not
less than % cents a pound The same
cut could have been bought some time ago
for IL cents. Potatoes are S1.25 per
bushel and they are old potatoes at that.
Eale, cabbage, all the vegetables, now
cost from so to 200 per cent more than
fhay did this time las wear
Il can say without hesitation that a
dinner costs just twice as much now as il
did year ago"
In the hotels the same increase in ex-
pense is noted and is causing consider
able anxiety to the managers.
Butter On the Jump.
Butter Yesterday went to 40 cents per
pound. Cows are not producing sufficient
milk TO make butter, 1t is claimed and
the dealers insist that they have no re-
serve supply of butter in cold storage.
The fish market is weak. and the poor
people who turned from meat to fish are
disappointed, for the increased demand
for sea and river food has sent the price
of fish flying upward.
Butchers blame the Beef Trust for the
increase in prices of meats. When the
trust advances the price cents the small
dealers are obliged 10 follow suit to save
themselves. The packers deny that there
is surh a thing as trust in the beef
trade and claim that .atural causes have
brought about the great scarcity in food.
They say they are losing money.
There is apparently no relief In sight-
Instead of growing better conditions are
evidently becoming much worse. Inc
poorer classes are. of course. the hrs'
In feel the incrca ses.