Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-07
WAR OVER BUTTER
SEEMS TW0-S|DED.
---------
Producers, Dealers and Consum-
res All Interested in the
Question.
TRUST SAY soME-oTHERs NO
Law Of supply and Demand CITED bS
Crcamcrics--Sizc of Purse iicsu
latcs Mr.. FamiIyman.

Is Salt Lake controlled by n butter
trust? Has the price OF butter fat been
boosted TO such an extent that the
small rreauerics and dealers can no
longer stay in the fight with The nj
legged trust? These are Questions Oh
serious moment To- many people ~ SAT-
Lake city. not the least of whom are
the small dealer and representatives oil
small lairics and creameries. The Gon-
sumer, incidentally, figures IN that ne.
"pays the freight. e., the cost OF tsle
butter, be ii at the price SET by tne
small crcamcries and wholesale ueal
ors. Or by the people III llie aliesca
combine.
Fresh butter Is now and has
for two or three weeks, been ceiling
ut 40 cents per pound retail. sweet
cream butter has been ana IS nov
selling at 50 cents the pound. Wii'ie
storags butter, which has been KEPT III
the local storage plant al u tempera =
ture of zero since last june u Iet''h s
ing for 30 cents
In IL conversation in regard 70 Wy
butter situation this morning, w M
Williams manager of the Elgin crchi'l-
cry of this city stated that the price
of butter was controlled entirety ny
Il "
."rherc IS a scarcity of fresh butter
said MIR. Williams, and naturally the
price goes up. as is the, case with every
other commodity upon the market
When the supply increases 70 more
than the consumption, the price goes
down.
KNOWS No; TRUST.
There Is no trust or combine that
II know of. to control or regulate tho
price of butter. We sell our product
With the idea of making Il reasonable
profit, after paying the farmer for MS
butter fat. This amounts to 81 cent?
per pound at the present time, and
fresh butter cannot he tetfiled at that
basis for butter fat at less than Az
cents per pound.
One big factor in this discussion
that is overlooked by many, continued
Mr.. Williams, ..;ind that is that the
creameries are compelled to lay out
large amounts TO take care Of the
flush supply of milk in the spring
months, when the storage butter IS
made. a We paid out 100000 last year
lin taking care of the surplus milk pro-
tluced by the farmers, and we we're
compelled to place the butter IN stor-5
age, which quality butter Is sold at 10
cents per pound less than fresh butter
But it is good butter, and is sold by
us, plainly marked storage butter, ana
there is no attempt to deceive In sell
ing this, or any brand of butter. Tho
quality and weight are plainly MARI
ed on each package. and the customer
can suit himself which butter he takes.
.,The Salt Lake public has mot been
discriminating in the matter of butter,
Icloice. Heretofore all butter was but
ter. and the dealers paid for butter
practically the same price for MI class.
Thar cities tin Dllt-f
ter Ia carefully classified and sold ac-
cortling to merit. would rather pay
10 cents pei. pound more for my butter
and know that It was good than to pay
! 10 cents less and take chances on the
quality. We pay "a cents per pound
now for,butter fat, and with the over
run of Is per cent the creamery is able
4 to sell the butter SO that 1t sells at ~
y cents. In Seattle they are paying SO
+ cents a pound right now for fresh but.
ter, and III other other cities the same"
NO PROFIT IN COWS.
c. L. Pace, Il farmer who runs
ranches in Parley's park. and in the
north end of Salt Lake valley, who
was present, said that there was hard
ly and profit In keeping COWS even at
the rate butter fat is selling for now.
''And should the price OF butter fat 60
10 less than % cents" said Mr.. Pace,
+ l'le = ufll.STS WOulu Ju5Lt US well #Scll
theil, COWS and go our of business"
Mr.. Pace figured out Il iist OF OK
penses for Keeping cows, which COM
pared with the returns brought the
farmer out considerably "in the hole"
and said there vas no money in the
business.
THE OTHER SIDE.
]. NJ. Christensen, Who conducts an
establishment at l09 south West TEN
pie street, selling the product OF two
creamerles, said:
I'VE are selling fresh creamery but
Ter at 50 cents II pound retail, or 80
rents a pound wholesale. do not
see why the price Of butter fat should
have been raised to 81 cents at this
season of the year. 1t has never been
the case before, and should not be so
now. The only explanation | can give
for 1t is that the trust wants to put
4 all the little fellows out of business by.
boosting the price of butter fat un-i
III the small fellows are out of the
way, when they will have it all their.
own way, and can dictate to the farm
ers what the price OF butter fat shall
be. We have been able to keep up
so far" said Mr., Christensen, "and
viii continue to sell our fresh butter
ut IS cents or five cents less than the
trust price. as long as the farmers
on us we will be compelled of course.
to quit selling butter,
THINK THERE is a TRUST.
''NYe get all the fresh butter we