Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-22
Another Upward Jump in
Nearly All Kinds.
SCARCITY OF CATTLE
BEEF TRUST PLACES BLAME ON
THE FARMERS.
Pitiful Scenes Among the Poor at the
Markets-Central Labor Unions
Resolutions.

prices of nearly all kinds of beef have taken
! an upward jump Sirloin steak that re-
tailed at 20 cents. week ago brought %
| cents In the market today. Porterhouse
| steak brought so cents, when week ago
the same kinds Of cuts were sold at % cents
| a pound
Prevailing prices for other meats today
were: Prime roast, % cents; chuck roast,
10 cents; round beef, 1S cents; French
I chops, 80 cents; loin, 20 and % cents; breast
| veal, 10 cents; loin veal, IS cents; veal cut
| let, % cents.
No one seems to know where the advance
| in prices is going to stop. Meats of every
Kind are higher. in price today than for
| many years Representatives in Washing
| ton of the firms that compose what Is
known as the '.beef trust" were emphatic,
when seen today, in their denial that the
advance Is the result Of any concerted eff
| tort to put up prices. Each declared that
| there was scarcity of cattle, and that this
alone is responsible.
"Beef Trusts" Explanation.
THE trouble comes primarily from a
shortage of the corn crop in the western
states, particularly in Kansas, last fall"
said Mr.. F. E. Graham of the Armour
Packing Company. 1.-The farmers antici
pated that they would get from 81 to 1.50
| a bushel for their corn. They didn't keep
the usual amount of stock on their farms
to feed the product they had believing that
it would be more profitable to market tie
corn than to feed it to stock.
"A great number of cattle that went to
the market last fall were really unfit for
eating. l mean by this that the cattle were
not fattened as they should have been. In
September and October cattle were sold
here in the Washington market for 5 cents
a pound for the dressed carcass.
THE farmers found that corn was raised
in other parts of the country, and instead
Of getting the big prices that were an
ticipated, corn is today being sold at not
TO exceed 80 or 60 cents a bushel The
present scarcity of cattle, which has sent
| up the prices of, meats. is due to the short
sightedness Of the western farmers in sell
ing their corn instead of feeding it to their
Question OF Supply and Demand.
1T is Simply and solely a question of
| supply and demand. The big companies. like
the Armfur company, can to a certain ex-
tent regulate prices, but the present sit
uation is, one over which they have no
| control. There are hundreds of smaller
companies that have butchers to supply. 1t
is the combination of all the companies
that makes the demand. When there Is a
scarcity of cattle the prices necessarily and
naturally go up
higher" CMr. Graham was asked
Il canpot. tell that. but my opinion is
| that the highest notch has been reached.
| 1 believe that the prices will remain prac
| latter part of June, when the first grass-fed
! cattle come from the southern states
Have the high prices of meat caused
difference In the sales of the Armour COM
| pany in Washington?
| Most assuredly. have not the figures
at hand, hut am safe in saying that our
business in Washington today is not more
than one-haf what 1t. was at the same time
! last year. 1t is harder today to sell e
single car load Of beef than it was to sell
| two car loads last year at this time
Butchers Complain.
| Whatever may be the cause 1t is a fact
| that there is general complaint on the
| part of the butchers throughout the city at
| the decrease in the volume of business
The poorer classes, the families of artisans
| who work for limited wage, are really
| suffering for meat. Many families have
gone to fish, but this commodity cannot
take the place Of meat for any great while.
| Fish is more of a luxury than necessity.
And the prices Of all kinds of fish have
gone up, too. due. of course, to the extra
ordinary demand.
With the Increase in the prices of fish,
butter and eggs have also gone up. Cheese
Is also higher than for a long time. This
| is due to the fact that these articles come
nearer to being substitutes for meat than
any other commodities.
Retail dealers in the public market houses
| tell many pitiful stories Of the effect of the
| high prices in meats upon the poorer
| classes. In not few instances the prices
are SO high as to be practically prohibitive.
Many Pitiful Stories.
| A woman with three children ap-
| preached one of the stalls in the Center
| market this forenoon and asked the price
Of the meat tAat she had been accustomed
| to buy Her husband is laboring man and
| the family has been a customer of the stall
| for several years. When the proprietor
| quoted the prices she made no reply.
| Finally, she turned to her children and
| said:
Come along: we can't have any meat.
| We will go to the fish market
| A tear weIIed into her eyes and rolled
| down her cheek. The butcher, big good
natuI, u man, realized that 1t was a hard
ship to the woman and her little ones.
Hold minute" he said to her.
The woman turned about and looked wish
| fully.
ou have been a good customer of
mine,' the butcher continued. Take this"
He cut off big slice of round beef and,
| wrapping it carefully in paper, thrust it
| in her hand
..Oh. thank you. sir" the woman replied
as she pressed his hand. II can never re-
| pay you" -
| That's all right" came his ready re-
| sponse and the woman and her children
| trudged on with lighter hearts.
That's only one of many" said the
| butcher th an Evening Star reporter who
| was standing fnear and was a witness to
what hadEtakdn place.
Many Of hefHstaurants and cafes of NE
| city which serve meals a la carte have ad-
| vanced the prices of meats served In
| dozen places Visited today the old prices
were erased eFsscratched from the bills of
| fare and new prices substituted.
CentralF Labor. Union Resolutions.
The advance IN the price of meat was the
subject offdiseussion at the meeting OF the
Central L6beEgnion last evening and res
olutions We're adopted condemning 1.-The ac-
| ton Of the beef trust in raising the price
Of meat throughout the country without
shadow OF justification. and thereby caus-
Ing the peoplebto either do without this
necessary toniaodity Of life or pay the ex-
orbitant bricesi demanded"
The resolution in conclusion denounced
what is termed the unjust .stand-and-de-
liver action on the part of the beef trust
| in that it will work a great hardship on
the masses, and all citizens are urged 10
patronize home industry, thereby helping