The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-01-27
Butchers Consider Alleged
Necessity of Again Raising
The Price of Choice Meats
For Unique Reason.
BLAME FOR THIS Is
PLACED ON CUSTOMERS.
Patrons Desire Nothing But
The Higher Class Meats and
the Cheaper and Inferior
Grades Loss to Butchers.

Consumers of meat need not be at
all surprised if, at some time IN the
near future, they are called on by
their butchers TO pay a still further adj
vance in the prices of their steaks and
roasts. The protest, which is sure to
be aroused. is likely to be met with
the statement that the consumers are
themselves to blame for the increased
cost. from the fact that they are sat
isfied with but the best cuts, and the
dealer must charge sufficient
amount for these that he may put
to make them move.
A prominent meat dealer in discus
sing the situation. said: I'm my trade
there is practically no demand for the
cheaper cuts of boiling meat, and the
demand of nearly so per cent OF my
trade is for cuts which can be obtain
ed from but about 80 per cent of the
carcass. This compels us to dispose
of the remaining 70 per cent at a price
which leaves us no profit and, in some
cases, We are glad to dispose OF a
great deal of meat considerably below
that paid to the packing house
The prices current in the local mar
liet are about as follows: No. | shank,
s cents a pound; No. ,. round, Is
. cents; No. 8. rump, to 10 cents; No.
4, loin, 20 10 p cents; No. ), rib. 1213
to 10 cents; No 6. flank, D cents; No,
7. plate, cents; No. s, chuck, 5 to 10
= cents; No. 9, clod (faD. , cents; No,
10. neck, s cents. The fore-quarters
of the beef, in relation to the whole,
are as follows: Flank. 3 Is per cent;
shoulder, 6 %; plate, Is Is; neck,
2-3; chuck, IA Is and rib 10 The
hindquarters are sized thus: Flank.
) 1-3 per cent; tenderIoin, 2-3; sir
loin. 7-2-3; round, with shank on, IS;
rump, Is; suet, 4 ID. The loss to
the carcass in cutting for re tail is de
clared ~in some cases to run sixteen
pounds to the hundred weight.
Forced to Raise Price.
II is a fact, which the dealer will
make no attempt to deny, that he is
forced, by lack of a demand for the
cheaper cuts, to add to the prices of
his best meat what he must lose on
the balance of the carcass, which
leads inevitably to the fact that the
opulent consumer of loin must help
his less fortunate brother to pay for
his round and chuck
That the consumer of these desir-
able portions of the butchers stock is
MOTTO be deferred i'll the qualification
of his tastes by mere advance in
price is evidenced by the fact cited by
the dealer that he sold almost four
times as much pork two months ago
when the prices We're IS and 20 cents
as he does today when he sells the
same grade at from 10 to 1215 cents
lie accounts for this fact on the sup
position that his customers tastes
have changed from pork to beef and
they do not consider the price when
they know what they want
Six Cents Pound Alive.
A 1,4o0-pOund steer of good grade
costs about SIS on the hoof, which
makes an average of slightly over {
cents per pound for the live beef and
the man who pays % cents per pound
for his choice loin would have Just
grounds for the feeling that he had
been held up by the much maligned
Beef Trust, but. unfortunately for his
butcher, he does not include in his
hasty calculations the fact that al
beef is not loin-a condition of affairs
that makes a very vital difference In
the profit and loss account of the deal
er who must allow no inconsiderable
amount of his stock to leave his mar
ket at cents pound in the form o.
fat. Some parts of the steer fol
which he paid Il trifle over cents {
pound are thrown away and TO this
loss must be added that occasionet
by the reduction i'll the price of hides
which amounts to about $3.50 pei
steer