Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-23
The Settlement of the Beet Strike.

and their employees have reached d
satisfactory basis for the adjustment
of their differences, the public may
look for a sharp drop in the price of
meat within few days.
The strike had only been in progress
for nine days. but it had served to
demonstrate the fact that the people of
this country are not nearly 80 de-
houses, as was generally supposed.
While it is true that the meat supply
of the country is largely controlled by
these mammoth establishments, it is
also true, as has been fully demon
strated, that they have no absolute
monopoly of the situation. The at
tempt which was made by certain
newspapers at the outset. to draw a
comparison between the beef strike
regions, was speedily shown to be de-
cidedly far-fetched. The coal trust
had absolute control of the sources of
supply, which were limited, at best, to
very small area. The beef trust has
never had any such grip upon the gen.
erai situation. Cattle are found in
greater or less numbers in all the states
OF the Union, as are also sheep, poul-
try and swine. There were also plenty
of men to slaughter them. If the
great packing houses did not buy the
cattle Of the ranches, there were small
the country ready to do SOFAS soon as
the local sources of supply We're eX-
hausted. Indeed one of the astonishing
features of the strike was the rapidity
with which these small concerns seized
upon the situation, and the astonishing
extent to which they were able to in
crease their output. In this they Were,
undoubtedly, assisted to a considerable
extent by the strikers, and it may safe
ly be assumed that this phase of the
situation exercised an important bear
ing upon the agreement that was
finally reached between the packers
and the unions.
So far as the public was concerned
the strike could not, possibly, have
come at a more favora BILE season of the
year. There is always a disposition to
eat less meat and more fish in the sum-
mer months and there was, moreover,
an ample supply of fruits, berries and
fresh vegetables in the market.
So far as the consumers We're con-
cerned, therefore, no serious mcon-
venience was felt. Those who did not
feel able to buy meats at the high
prices charged. simply dropped them
from their bill of fare, and were,
doubtless, no worse off for the sacri-
nee. Those who could afford to have
them were able to get them. Unques-
tionably there was an enormous shrink
age in the demand for meats, and it is
not surprising to learn that the end OF
the strike finds many places, especially
in New England, with more meat on
hand than they can possibly hope to
listing rates. This must mean a prompt
crop in prices; SO that, in a compare
lively short time, the beef business will
be back upon as low if not lower basis
than existed before the strike.
Even at that the prices of meat will
remain high. and the question natural
ly arises, why, in view of this cOndi-
ton, cur Maine farmers could not
make Il good profit in the raising of
stock. Not many years ago all the
meat consumed in our State was raised
on Maine farms. Western competition
has changed all this. There were a
number of years during which the
prices of Western beef were SO low
that Eastern farmers could not COM
pete with them at Il profit. Within the
past year or two these conditions have
largely changed. There are many
observers Of events who express the
opinion that good beef cattle can now
be raised in Maine at a fair profit. I'm
Uuestionably the consumption of all
kinds of meat products has vastly in
creased during the past two decades,
and it would take a vastly larger num-
Der of cattle TO supply our home de-
mand than was the case under old con-
ditions. If any attempt We're made to
supply this demand in full it would,
probably. be met with a drop in the
prices of the Western products.
A sufficient number of cattle, how
ever, could probably be raised and sold
in Maine, under the conditions that
have existed for the past year or two,
to at least render us reasonably indie
pendent of Western sources of sup
ply.
Judge Parker appears to have been