Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16
FAMINE NOT PROBABLE
BEST MEATS ARE SCARCE, OTHER
GRADES PLENTIFUL.
Retail Merchants Do Not Like to Dis
cuss Prices-Little Prospect
Of Local Strike.

The end Of the week brings little change
in the local meat market in spite of the
fact that the Chicago strike Is still nearly
as far from being settled as 1t was several
days ago. There Is still no cause to fear
that there will be a meat famine. either on
account of a lack Of live stock to kill or a
strike Of the local union meat cutters.
Prices generally considered no
higher in the local market today than they
were yesterday. that is to say. for the kinds
of meat that can be secured. Prime New
York beef. which IL the sort used by the
best restaurants and small consumers of
this city. cannot be bought at any price.
when a few weeks ago 1t could be bought
at notice in any quantity for liz and Ii
cents. If 1t were here today it would prob
ably sell at u and I cents advance over
normal prices.
A Star reporter made the rounds OF some
of the principal wholesale meat dealers
this morning with proprietor Of several
restaurants in the city. Although offering
II and Is cents a pound for prime New
York beef, this proprietor was unable to
get a single piece. He was told that 1t
was not to be had.
The reporter saw him buy good home
dressed lamb at II cents a pound, the mer-
chant acknowledging that the same grade
had sold for II and l3 cents last Monday
Merchants Will Not Talk.
The merchants are still very retcent
about speaking of the market conditions,
except to say that prices are not advancing
and there is enough of the medium grades
of meat in town to last a week or more.
Buyers of the best meat say. however. that
the medium grades of meat. meaning,
doubtless, the native-dressed variety. are
not what they want and In many cases are
so poor that they not worth the prices
they bring. The price of this sort of meat
is about two cents In advance of what it
was last week
The price of chickens Is not advancing
but maintains the level reached two weeks
ago. Dressed springers, weighing a pound
and pound and a half, are selling for -
cents pound retail.
1t is hard for one not acquainted with
the intricacies of the meat business to I'M
derstand the things that go to make the
price. Pieces of meat at wholesale. though
the quality be the same. sell at different
prices, according to the total weight. There
are also various small differences In quality
and cut. which. though hard for the UNI
trained eye to discover, cause wide differ
ences in prices.
No Fear of Famine.
Reports Of sensational character pre-
dieting a local meat famine and a strike of
the local butcherworkers have turned out to
be without foundation.
Even if the strike conditions in the west
continue to prevail for some time it is
not likely that Washington will have to
go without meat entirely, so long as the
people are willing TO eat the poorer grades.
AS has been stated. however, the best
meats cannot now be obtained in some
instances, this being absolutely true of
Prime New York beef.
ON the other hand, the reports, which
have gone to the opposite extreme and
said there plenty of meat in town for
aI-erybn6y manlfeStilV wrong also.
There is only plenty of certain kind, and
this makes the statement misleading.
1t is the general opinion among mer-
chants that the prices have reached the
ton. but, of course, nothing accurate can
be said in this regard They may go up
much higher tomorrow, or some unexpect-
ed shipment to the city may cause
slump.