The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-04-24
Meeting Tonight to Con-
slider Aggressive Action.
CAUGHT BETWEEN MILL STONE
Delegation to See House Ways and Means
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Men Tell of
Recent Advanced PTices-Efect On Va
rious Glasses CT Citizens.

The local branch Of the National Retail
Butchers and Meat Dealers Association
viii hold meeting this evening 20 dis
cuss means and methods for obtaining
relief from the beef trust, which is grind
ing the dealers between the upper and the
neither milestone.
4 committee will be appointed to wait
upon the Ways and Means Committee Of
the House OF Representatives, to which
Representative Richardson's resolution,
calling for an investigation of the high
price CT meats, was yesterday referred.
The proprietors OF hotels, restaurants,
boarding houses and cafes visited this
morning by 2 representative of The Times
are seriously considering a raise Of prices
all along the line. the only other alteTna-
tive, they declare, being suspension of
business If the high prices continue
- RestaurateuIs at Wits End.
The proprietor of a well-known restau-
rant said this morning. in discussing the
situation:
My sales OF steaks have fallen of
about IS per cent This raise in the
prices Of food produce has been going on
gradually for the last year, although the
past three weeks have been notable Tor
the most rapid advance II it continues
for q few months longer don't know what
the result will be-
The cost to me of the food consumed
by my customers has advanced from
% I-3 TO 50 per cent IN the last year Il
has advanced IN the last three weeks
about 20 per cent. / can't see any end to
the thing unless the trust puts up the
price OF beef TO 10 or 80 cents pound
SO high as to make it absolutely pro-
hibitive to everyone but the very rich,
Then I think the end would come quick
enough
Another restaurant and hotel keeper OK
pressed himself as follows:
Il have been conducting my business at
a loss for some time What am I to do7
Raise my prices and watch my customers
pass on to the next placer"
Boarding House Troubles.
Many of the boarding house keepers
have been forced into raising prices by
the trust One woman who conducts a
boarding house and feeds forty people
said this morning:
1T is costing me just about one-ffth
more 10 supply ny b0aTdeTs than il did
three weeks ago. They are not getting
much roast beef for dinner as they
were, either Beans, rice, potatoes. tuT-
nips, tomatoes, lard, eggs butter and
spring vegetables Of all sorts have gene
up Fish has not. and find 1t cheaper to
furnish chickens than beef
Il is not, however, the classes who
patrCniZe the cafes and restaurants and
the boarding houses who are beginning TO
feel actual suffering from the grip of the
trust on the bFawn-producing material OF
the country The Government clerk. with
salary Of from 5000 to 81 zoo and a fam
ily of three or four persons. experiences
has 70 eontrive dishes In which meat does
not play so Important a part but Of
actual hunger he knows nothing.
Where High Prices Are Felt.
It IS on the blood OF the man who is
compelled TO support family on the
wages Of a day labore- that the beef trust
is growing fat Animal food of some kind
is a necessity to him, If be is TO do sufi-
Gent work 10 keep his job When beef
is quoted al unreasonable prices It Is
often a question OF vital domestic econ
omy whether he shall carry a piece OF
corned beef to work with him in his lunch
basket, or whether the children shall take
il 10 school with them.
Comparative Tables of Cost
4 dinner for q family OF six people viii
cost this man one-third 10 two-ffths more
4
ago, and one-ffth more than It did three
weeks ago Two and a half pounds OF
meat is a conservative estimate for q
dinner for family Of that size, especially
as growing children often require as much
animal noUrishment as an adult This
Two and half pounds OF meat would have
cost, If it were round steak, from So 70
20 cents three weeks ago. Today it would
cost from IS to 80 cents.
This quantity Of brislIet could be pur-
chased three weeks ago for from Is to p
cents, according TO quality; nov it would
cost in the neighborhood Of IS cents.
If il we're chuck, shoulder, flank rump.
or neck-food that seldom makes its ap-
pearance on the tables Of those il good
circumstances. but which is not despised
by the laborer's wife as the basis Of
soups. stews. pot TOasts. and boiled din
ners-Jhe two and oBe-han pounds of
meat would have cost from 1872 cents TO
Is cents three weeks ago Now it cannot
be purchased for less than from Is cents
TO 50 cents.
Hard Question for Workers.
The cabbage. beans. turnips. potatoes.
rice, or tomatoes to go with this meat
have risen to a price which puts dessert
out Of the question
These figures do not appear startling to
anyone who does not realize the immedi-
ate results Of a rise IN prices On the
larder OF a man who can just support
himself and his family on his wages when
prices are reasonable.
go The people who do no manual labor
can subsist with less meat than they arc
now eating. and there are thousands OF
people who can patronize the vegetarian
cafes exclusively without serious detri-
mental effects.
II the laboTer stops eating meat the
next step will be that he viii cease to ex-
ist- The fish which he is now forced 10
eat has not sharpened his brains suff-
cicntly TO show him a way out Of his
dilemma