Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-29
SAYS GEORGIA BUTCHERS
WON'T PAY FOR HOME CATTLE

To the Editor of The Journal:
In your Semi Weekly Journal OF Aprii
24th read quite an extended article on
the rapidly increasing price Of beef In At
lanta and quite a severe denunciation OF
the beef trust.
1t seems to me there is another side
to this question which should commend
itself to the people and especially to the
farmers. While the so-called peer
trust" are charging high prices for beer
l notice too that live cattle are selling at
good prices on the Chicago market, from
six to seven cents per pound, and the
farmers in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Ne
braska. and adjacent states are getting
about six cents for their cattle at home
on their farms. How different is the sit
uation in this state. Local butchers are
only offering from two to two and one
half cents per pound gross and don't want
to buy them by weight at that price, pre-
ferring to buy as they say, by 1.-The head,
as one told the writer when 1 inquired.
What are you paying for good steers!
.me are paying about two cents. but we
are getting all we want by the head and
they only cost US about one and one-halt
cents"
Another butcher told me how he bought
a steer from a farmer who asked him
three cents per pound.
Now he says, don't want to buy this
here to weigh him. am going to pay
you the money for it. Now how much
money will it take to buy him. Inc
farmer says: II will not sell him for less
than $500" Butcher says. that is mighty
high. but have got to have some beef
right away. and it is too late to look Iur-
Their tonight and I will give it,.
The butcher told me the steer weighed
900 pounds when he reached town with
him and he charged me II 1-2 cents per
pound for steak from that same animal
Talk about 'robber trusts" do you
think they can beat home talent?
There are plenty of cattle here In the
country now for sale at IL to cents
per pound. Couldn't steak raised in Geor-
gia be sold for less than % cents per
pound? II that is not margin enough OF
profit it wouldn't reduce the price very
much If they stole the cattle.
The butchers would of course answer
1.-The quality is not good.
One of your resident butchers adver-
tises at your state fair that he can make
cattle rolling fat in so or 80 days fed on
cotton seed hulls and meal and that the
increase in weight more than paws for the
cost of feed and care and fits improved
condition doubles the value Of the animal
a thousand pounds. Steers bought at $50
so fattened would be worth $50 the IN
creased weight paying for feed and care.
Thus in 60 days he would make as
much as the farmer in three years Of
growth. Added to that the retail proft
made on the consumer at the prices quo
ted in your paper would make profit OF
$50 per cent more, in all. 250 per cent. re
Gods, what more do your butchers want?
If that would not suffice. they should sell
out and go into the prescription drug bus
mess, where they can sell aqua pura'
for one dollar per pint.
The butchers again claim that native
beef is not as good as western raised.
This 1 contend is not necessarily the case.
Having eaten the best selection of the
herds as sold by local butchers in the
west, II is no better than Georgia raised
killed under local conditions here; but
the slaughtering establishments have a
system OF refrigerating which brings the
quality up to that standard Of excellence
so pleasing to the consumer.
What we farmers and beef producers
need in this state is a branch OF this rob-
Der trust located here in our midst. They
are willing to divide with the producers.
Our daily prayer should be, God save
us from our friends, the local butchers.
CHARLES L. WHITE.
Riverside, Greene county, Ga.