Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-02-01
Secretary Wilson Says Farmel
Is Not Getting Enough and
Retailer Too Much
CONSUMER GETS NO BENEFIT
While the price of Cattle Has Declined
Steadily the Price to the Consumer
Has Not Materially Decreased.
Competition In the Export Bush
ness,

farmer is not getting enough for his
hcs.f or the consumer Is paying too
mich. said James Wilson. the secre-
tary of agriculture. in answer to a
question as 10 the relation of thu pack
ing house to an increase or a decrease
in the price OF ntat.
Fat cattle are not so dear as they
| were few years ago and there are
good reasons why they should not be.
| But there are no very good reasons
why the consumer should pay as much
/ for his beefste.lk as ne paid few years
ago. Whether the packer or the re-
| taller Is 10 blame l can not tsll you.
but my impression Is that the retailer
| has absorbed most of the difference.
| The margin between those prices
| what the farmer receives and what the
| retailer pays-is much greater than II
should be.
when beef was at its highest two
or three years ago it was clearly appar
ent that there. was a scarcity in tn
material of which beef is made: II
corn crop had been very short. and
consequently beef became very dear
The retailers put their prices up Now
their prices are about the. same altho
cattle on the hoof are perhaps s1.50
per hundred less than they were at tina;
time"
How much difference. ought this to
make in the price of bsefsteak
That's a question that can not be
very well answered in brief: the high
est priced beef Is found on the back Of
the animal and on the ribs. The price
OF this should vary much mora than
that of the round and the neck. ana
ether cheaper pieces. But beef should
be in round figures 20 per cent cheaper
to the consumer than dt Is now, or the
farmer should be getting 90 per cen,
more for his stock. The trouble ls
mostly with the retailer. and where the
packer Is himself engaged in retailing
the trouble Is clearly with him.
Then the farmers price and the
consumers price have been much
nearer together in times past than
they are today"
Yes; much nearer. but how this
ne!ghhorMness OF pricss can again be
restored brings up the question OF the
regulation OF great combina tons. This
is something that is being considered
now, The new DEPARTMENT of COM
nlerce and labor has a bureau of cor
poutions which Is supposed 10 study
this question In the interest of all the
people.
South American Compositions.
With regard to the worlds prices of
beef have taken steps to ascertain the
extent to which Va are meeting COM
South America and South American
countries. While AL the facts are. no;
yet at my command. am strongly sns-
ricious that the Argentine people are
sending an increasing amount OF re-
frigerated quarters of beef to Grea;
Britain. This economic movement
ought normally to affect our beef prices
for the retailer or the farmer. The AR
gentine people can not ship their Iva
stock because of the foot and mouth
disease which they have there. So they
are compelled 10 slaughter ana sind p |
their product in refrigerated quarters.
and they must sell 1t for what they
can get. The volume of this trade Is
as to account in some parc for the |
cheaper prices OF beef that are now
prevailing abroad over those of short |
time ago. This should give us lower |
prices here, because the price in Lon |
don of our live animals and our re-
trigarated beef has much to do with |
our prices here. We sell abroad every
year $250.000. 900 worth OF animals and
animal products"
Tho Duty on Beef.
Would the removal Of the duty on
beef coming into this country from
Canada have any effect In bringing the
price for the farmer and the retailer |
nearer together?"
1.-The removal OF the duty would no.
much affect the retailers. and that |
would be the trouble in making tf< adj
vantage of any such change sift thru /
To the consumer. have always be-
lieved that az the duty We're taken or
ali agricultural products the people on
the linz. would get their meat and egg. /
ard hay and fish and some other things
cheaper than they now do. But wa
should near a protest from Gloucester
about fish. shouldn't we? suspect we
should hear from the New England
butter and fat cows. But you know /
am not much of tariff student any
way. It gives me mere than / can do
to keep track of these agricultural,
questions which are pressing for SCI
tlemairt. But I am nrotectionist. You
fJ,,, no