The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-29
MEAT is CHEAPER
Packing House Strike and Its
Effect Here.
Wholesale Price Lower Than
Before the Trouble.
ALL In LOCAL TRADE.
Wolff Supplying All Used in
Topeka.
Cattle Used Now Are Called
"Grass Fed"
ALL IN LOCAL TRADE.

There is a peculiar thing about the
big packing house strike. Instead of
increasing the price of meat on the
local markets, it has actually brought
about a reduction. The packing
houses. a week ago, were charging
81 to 91s cents, while today the
price ranges from ~ to 81.
This decrease in the price of meat,
however, signifies a decline in quality,
according to the butchers of the city.
They say that the cattle which are
now being slaughtered for the local
market are all grass fed stock, much
inferior to the grades which have
been on the market. They say that
the packing houses are paying about
two or three cents a pound less for
the grass fed stock, and that therefore
the packing house profits are greater
than they were before the strike. So
If people find nowadays that their
beefsteaks are tough and their roasts
rubbery, they may know that they are
getting grass fed cattle.
In order to circumvent the packing
houses. which are really getting
about cents pound more for meat
thar the butchers think they should
get, some of the local butchers are
days.
OF course it is not at all surprising
that the packing houses should take
advantage of the opportunity to sell
poorer grades of meat at the old
prices 1t would be a very unusual
thing if the price of meat does not
materially advance if the packing
house strike continues.
The smaller independent packing
houses are the ones which are being
materially benefited by the packing
house strike. The strike only affects
the big packing huoses which are in
~
mour, Swift, Cudahy, S. & s and
Dold- with possibly a few minor con-
Germs Institutions like that of Wolff
in Topeka are afforded an oppor-
tunity to run things about to suit
themselves for while. This is the
silver lining to the strike cloud. 1t is
helping the independent concerns in
their fight against the combine, and is
contributing toward the success of a
promising local industry.
Wolff is supplying almost all the
meat eaten in Topeka just now The
Kansas City packing houses are able
TO get out a carload of meat once in
a while but their supply is uncertain
and the Topeka representatives are
very much handicapped in their work
one of the officials of the Wolff
Packing company was asked today
for statement concerning the effect
of the strike on the local situation He
said.
we are selling more meat than
We uAu OeAoIS the strike Our plant
Is always running about full capacity
so there is not much chance for us
TO increase our force or enlarge our
output We can sell all the meat we
can get out Our beef trade is con-
fined almost exclusively to Topeka
1t does not seem likely to me that
this ue-up of the big packing houses
will be of any great permanent ad-
vantage to the Independent concerns
IT is my experience that people will
buy their meat where they can buv
II to best advantage. They might
come over to the Independent packer
during the strike. but unless he could
give them better goods or better
prices than the members of the COM
bine, they would be likely to go back
TO their former place of trading
1T has not been necessary to in
crease the price of beef so far Cat
tie have been coming in quite freely