The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-08
TURN THE SCREWS
People Feel the Cruel Hand Of
Beef Trust.
Advance of Two and a Half
Cents Per Pound.
QUEER REASONS GIVEN
Real Cause Is InactiOn of Inde-
pendent Packers,
Topeka Retail Men Squirm But
Dare Not Protest.
QUEER REASONS GIVEN

The beef trust like the Chigger is get
came and driven the small independent
concerns out of business
Since May 1. the packing house com
bine has advanced the wholesale price
on whole or half beeves from 51z and
6 cents a pound to cents. and on Mon
day the price will 90 to S1z cents.
On loin cuts and other choice cuts.
the price had advanced from IL cents
to is and 16 cents wholesale, while on
the second grade OF cuts the price is
Up from and cents to IL cents.
These advances of from 80 to 50 per
cent of course are reflected in the
prices Of the retailers. For the choicest
cuts of porterhouse, the price is now
221h cents; sirIoin is 20 cents and round
Is cents, an advance OF "a cents all
along the line. These prices are likely
to go still higher within a few days.
The packers say that the advance in
the price of beef is due to the increased
price of beef on the hoof. There has
been no advance in the price OF steers
on the local markets since April u,
they having ranged, as shown Dy the
State Journals market reports, from
$3.50 to $4.25. Prior to April Is, the
price ran from $500 to S4.00. This is an
advance of from 4 to y cent, and OF
course does not justify the increase which
the packers have made of from "a to
3 cents pound
The real reason for the increase in
dressed beef is found in the absence
of competition at this season of the
year. During the winter months. the
packing trust went up against a new
proposition here in Topeka Three or
four little independent packing houses
were started up in the vicinity of To-
peka, where farmers and stocknen
were able to dress their own beef ana
bring it in to market They supplied
a great many of the local meat mar
lSets, and kept the price of beef down
to a reasonable figure But now that
hot weather has come, the independent
packers have to quit. They have no Ice
or cold storage, and these are absolute
ly essential in hot weather. Now the
trust is getting its revenge It is jack
ing up the price of beef at the rate of
half a cent a week, and local retailers
will not attempt to prophesy when the
advance will STOP
Each advance during the past
month has been made in jumps Of
half a cent. All of the packing house
Representatives have acted in abso-
lutte harmony, Of course They have
come around to the local retailers on
Thursday and informed them that an
other half cent would go on the next
Monday, and solicited orders for the
ensuing week at current prices This
has been repeated so often that the
retailers are getting to expect IL as a
regular thing.
During the winter the packing
4
| the top notch, because the independ-
| ent concerns did not do much with
pork But now that summer has
1 come, and there is no demand for
pork. the price has dropped down TO
/ a low mark, and the packers are try
/ ing to work of little of that product
| All the Topeka retail meat men tell
1 the same story. One of the leading
| dealers of the city said today: Il don't
I dare to say anything for publication
unless my name is kept out. This busi-
m#a.r~~
/ the mercy of the meat trust. and theyr
can put the screws to us any time
| they please.
THE recent advances made by the
packers is entirely unreasonable. and
/ viii injure the retail meat business
1 just it did last summer. Then they
sent up the price Of meat 50 high that
we lost large portion Of our meat
/ trade They seem to be doing the
| same thing again So far we retailers
! have advanced prices only about 4
/ cents, which is not as much as the
packing house advance requires. But
it is not possible to shove up prices
/ like the packers do. We must make
our advance more gradually. But we
viii have to make it. rather ex-
pect that the packers viii make still
futher advances in their prices. as
they have announced one more for
next Monday, which will bring IL up
to u cents for halves.
do ] know that the packers are in
a cOmbiueE certainly know it to
my own SaLSLacLOn- The representa-
tives of these Kansas City houses
come in here one after another on a
given day, and tell me that on Ger
tain date prices will advance, and ad-
wise me to buy at existing prices. How
do they all happen to advance the
same amount on the same day2 Be
fore they commenced this advance I'm
prices, we would now and then get
one Of the representatives to cut 4
quarter of a cent or some trinfng
amount, Just to get our business. but
there is no cutting now. It is all
strictly schedule prices, and there Is
one schedule for all