The Washington herald., 1907-06-20
MEAT MAY GO HIGHER
Advance i'll Prices Natural,
Says Secretary Wilson.
LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Chief of Agricultural Department
Declares Prosperity at bottom of
Better Than Queen Elizabeth In
All Her GIOry"-soTae Statistics.

Secretary of Agriculture Wilson ycster-
day said that the recent increase in the
price OF all meats was entirely natural,
and he added that a further increase in
prices would not be surprising.
lie believes that the rise is due solely
to the law Of supply and demand. The
American people are eating more meat,
and the farmers are not raising as many
cattle as formerly. American prosperity
IS at the bottom Of the situation.
Every housewife has noticed that the
price Of meats is higher to-day than it
has ever been before. Here are some
prices Of meats:
Lamb chops 35 cents a pound
SHloin steak 2 cents pound.
Portsrhouse steak, 2 cents a pound.
Round steak. % cents pound.
leg Of lamb q cents pound.
Veal chops. q cents a pound.
Porterhouse roast. 25 cents a pound.
Pot roast, IS 10 20 cents a pound.
These are average figures. Some house
wives may be paying less; some may be
paying more. But those who are paying
more have the consolation that those vino
are paying less will soon be paying more.
Increase Entirely Natural.
Secretary Wilson, when asked about
these startling figures, said that he had
not made any investigation. but that he
regarded tho Increase IN prices as entire
ly natural
THE American people are eating more
hcfgrp in fhaff
lives" he said. THAT French King who
bOasted that his country was SO pros
porous that his humblest subject had a
fowl IN the pot every Sunday would cut
a small figure in America to-day. The
American workingman has meat every
dsy. and. as a matter of fact, most Of
them have meat for breakfast and for
dinner. And the American workingman
wants the best meat in the market, too.
He is earning to-day better wages than
he ever earned before I'm all his life.
Skilled workmen are earning easily s. a
day, and unekiied labor gets from $50
TO s. a day. Getting good wages. he
wants a good table.
Why" said the Secretary, "a man dig
ging a sewer to-day Is better fed than
queen Elizabeth in ali her glory Natural
~ then. the prices Of meats have gone up
lust as the prices Of everything else have
gone up and will go higher.
More Mouths TO Feed.
Then. too. there are hundreds Of thou
sands Of more mouths TO feed in this
country every day. Last year there were
more than a million immigrants. This
wear. l am told by the Secretary OF Com
nerce. that there will be hundreds Of
thousands more immigrants than there
were last year, On one day at Ellls
Island the arrivals OF immigrants were
more than 1900 All these people soon
find work. Meat was a luxury 70 them
at home. Meat once a week was the beS'
they ever knew Now, In America, max
ing money. and more money, too, than
thew ever dreamed Of making al home
they want 20 live well, and so they eat
meat. Besides, you must remember thal
men who work require meat TO sustain
their strength
Now. with all this constantly jncreas-
ing demand for meat, the price is going
up because there IS not an Increase III
the supply OF cattle in proportion 70 the
increased demand There is an enormous
export trade. which cuts great hole IN
the supply. Last year We sent abroad
more than 1923. 10000 worth Of animals
meats and animal products. TIE farms
and the ranges are not increasing theiI
supply Of cattle proportiOnately.
Cost of Production Increased.
1T costs more 70 raise cattle now The
price Of farm labor has risen enormously
The great commercial prosperity Of this
county has drawn every available farmer
boy and farm hand TO the cities to work
In our factories. in our shops, and I'm all
the other many forms Of industrial ac-
tivity. A farmer Is now compelled 20 pay
wages to his farm hands that proportion
ately are Just as high as are the wages
that builders and other employers pay IN
the cities.
The price Of grain has gone up. and
| the farmer can make more money raising
grain or hay, or other crops that he can
/ harvest with labor-saving machinery
than he can in raising and fattening cat
tie for the market Possibly. too. not
| so many cattle reaches the markets now
betALEe the 4Slu ltiSk''NttCaA u N-L--4A e--.
| der the meat-inspection law makes il
| useless to send 10 the market cattle that
might formerly perhaps have passed Al
| all events, the supply has not increased
as much as it ought"
Borne Ont by Statistics.
The figures of the Bureau Of Statistics
Of the Treasury Department fully bear
out this statement or Secretary Wilson
The comparison Of the weekly receipts
of cattle at Chicago during the month OF
May, 1906, and the month of May Of this
year. these being the latest figures avail.
able. show that comparing week for week
| there were received far less cattle thi;
veal. Stunning up the four weeks, the
| receipts last May a year ago were nearly
/ 10000 head more than May Of this year.
! II was suggested 10 Mr.. Wilson that IL
| the public mind the increase in the price
| Of meats was due solely 10 the deter
mInation Of the meat packers Of Chicago
| to so far increase the prices as TO make
| the public pay for the losses suffered by
/ the packers as the result of the meat
| inspection law.
Il don't think there is anything in
that" said the Secretary. LAS a matter
Of fact, Chicago does not fix the price
of cattle New York and the East have
their buyers az Chicago, and they com
| pete too sharuly for Chicago alone 10 fl
| the price. think, as l have said, thai
| the increase is entirely natural owing e
the fact that the American people are
| prosperous and want TO eat meat and
so according 10 the law Of supply and de
maud they are paying bigger prices"
Southern Pacific Exonerated.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
/ announced Yesterday that II had discoy.