Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-05
BEEF NO HIGHER.
Although Wholesale Prices Jumped
Augusta Dealers Retail as Before.
Native Chickens Are Scarce and High
Vegetables Are Plenty.

within few days the wholesale
price of Western beef has advanced
half cent a pound. For the fast year
tie price of beef has huctuated be
tween $3.50 and $3.50 for 100 pounds
There isn't any domestic beef to
| a lount to anything brought into the
: Igusta market. In fact, the Maine
f, rmer nowadays never thinks of kill
il n critter until it has Outlived it,
u: sfulness, either as a beast of burden
OF as a giver of milk. and therefore W,
m st denend wholly upon the Western
b. concerns for our supply of fresh
beaf. MI i, the supply from thl
| ran .es falls off and the cost of feed in
crcases. thereby raising the cost of
production. then the wholesale price to
us is raised. We cannot always charge
this Increase tn our customers, al
Though we ought to do so. Regardless
of the fact that our fresh beef costs
us half cent pound more than it
did short time ago, and this means
quite lot to us, we have not raised
our retail prices single point"
This is what one of the leading gro
ce ymen on Water street said to the
10 lrnal. yesterday. And then he re-
he rsed the prices of the various com
M dities which go to make up the bill
of fare on the average mans table.
First-class sirloin and rump steaks -
said he. are sold at the same price
II at has prevailed for several months,
80 cents pound. The top of the
no nd we sell for % cents. The very
be quality of roasts sell for 80 cents,
l11 nth ind 1>p Lo, e., 4
ce is and upwards. Corned beef brings
fr6 8 to II cents, and the latter is
pr ne quality.
Fork is very high and retails for l.
ce! IS. Lamb also is high. There are
fey domestic lambs being brought into
ma rket and they are not really first
class in quality. The Western lambs
cost us Is cents by the carcass. Roasts,
steaks, outlets and the like are sold at
the usual prices for such goods. Veal
is plenty. Some good ones are being
brought in. We are now paying cents
for veal. and the quality is all right.
The poultry supply is not big. There
are no domestic chickens coming into
market. Year-old fowl are brought in
quite freely and we retail them for Is
cents. We have to get 20 cents for
Western chicken, and the quality is
good.
Il never saw a time when Maine
raised chickens were so scarce as at
the present time. Native chickens are
as scarce as hens teeth. We would be
glad to pay 16 cents at wholesale for
Them but we can't get 'em. We have
to rely upon the Western article. OF
course people must have poultry and
they have to buy the Western birds
and pay as much for them as only a
month or two ago they had to pay for
Maine products.
Domestic butter is scarce and high.
We're paying % cents and retail the
same for %. The first-class cream
cries charge 26 cents a pound and in
addition we have to pay all the ex-
penses on the boxes. Creamery butter
costs us q cents and we retail the
same for so cents.
Potatoes are a little higher than
they have been, although the retail
price remains at 81 a bushel. l notice
the price in AroostOok has gone up to
49, Is a barrel and | suppose before new
potatoes arrive the retail price in this
market will have to go up somewhat.
We are now paying so to IS cents for a
fair quality. The price of dandelion