The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-04-20
NEAT PRICES NOW At
TOP NOTCH FIGURES
Great Falling Of In Consumption
OF Best Grades.

Nuch attention was attracted by The
Times story on Tuesday in which it was
pointed out that the prices of meats
have gone up urreasonabIy in the lasr
two weeks. It was shown. that the jump
in prices was from pa cents TO . cents
per pound on all kinds OF meat ana it
was so sudden il could not be explained
or he ground Of scarcity Of cattle
During the past week the new prices
have been in full blast. but they have
not been increased a slight concession
was made when pork went down half a
cent per pound but as # is now so
high as to be beyond the reach Of peo-
pie in moderate circumstances, the con
cession did not cause great jubilatjon.
As predicted in The Times, the sales of
meat have fallen of to a marked eI-
tent One prominent dealer who makes
q specially of cutting his prices to a
small margin of profit. and. therefore.
should suffer less in proportion than
others who charge the usual percentage
of profit. said yesterday his sales of
meat have fallen of fully one-third in
the pas week
The decrease was in the better classes
Of meats. The price on the cheaper
grades cannot be increased too much
without driving away trade and working
hardship OF their customers. so the
butchers add the increased cost to the
choice meats. and keep the others as low
/ as possible. How many people keeping
large families on small salaries have
( OBJ al
cannot be determined. but the number
/ is probably large, The cheap meats did
not fall of in their volume Of sale to a
very marked extent, because people who
| formerly bought the better kinds refused
| to pay the present prices and bought the
| inferior meat.
| The price OF chickens has been mode
rate, and the sale OF them has grown
rapidly Chickens Weighing two and
three-quarter pounds can be bought for
! Is cents per pound, and q good house
keeper viii make a certain moneys
worth of chickens go further than the
same moneys worth Of beefsteak, as 1t
/ IS now sold.
| Eggs remain Unexpectedly cheap. sell
/ ing At Is cents per dozen, and finding
/ heavy sales When egg are cheap the
meat situation is always relieved, and
/ thfs has proved no exception in the
! present condition of affairs. The egg
market in. each city depends to a large
extent upon the egg conditions in the
country from which the city draws IT'S
! produce, and the Virginia and Maryland
hens are evidently working overtime 10
| keep the price as low as II is now.
! A rather peculiar fact in connection
with the rise in meat prices is that sau-
sage continues to sell for 4 price around
the normal. though pork IS excessively
dear. Thirteen and fifteen cents per
/ pound is the price Of Western sausage
now. and the price has not risen with
the general increase. The same is true
Of puddings. which are selling at 10
! cents per pound.
+ The butchers are keeping a close
watch on the new meat stalls in the
I markets, and the new stores which sell
meat, to find if the meat trust is going
after the smaller retail trade. as was
! rumored but so far nothing tangible has
| developed Many Of the small butchers
/ and dealers are firmly convinced tnc
trust viii take such step, but do not
think it will be done until after me
present prices have ruined OF disheart-
ened as many as possible OF the indie
! pendent dealers.