The Mankato free press., 1909-12-10
CHARGE MADE AGAINST RETAIL
ERS BY SECRETARY WILSON.
Claims That Inspectors Have Probed
Into Figures and They Find That
Per Cent to the Good Is Quite
High; William E. Curtis Writes
Lengthy Story in Which He Deals
In Same Data.

FORMATION WIilcn VIII Oe OF general IN
tcrest. The letter was lengthy and il
reproduced only in part:
Secretary Wilson has been maxim:
unique Investigation into the reasons
for the advance in the prices of meats
which, he says, is of vital interest t.
100000 families in the United States
and he finds that the retailers ar,
chiefly responsible, although othel
causes have contributed more or less
''He is making a further inquiry into
The reasons for the increase in the
prices of butter, eggs, groceries and al
other sorts of food products the resuls
of which will be ready for publication
soon.
Secretary Wilson asserts that two
ffths of the expenditures of the fam
lilies of medium incomes are devoted
TO food, and that one third of the ma.
tional dietary is composed of meat, a
fact which is keenly appreciated by
everybody.
Does Some Probing.
"The investigation into the increase
of retail prices for meat has been
made through employees of the Agricul-
tural Department in fifty different
cities and towns. large, medium and
small, in different parts of the coun-
try; they were selected at random and
represent commercial and manufactur-
ing centers and agricultural communi-
ties. A schedule was prepared to re-
cord the actual experiences of retailers
in buying and selling carcass or a
half of beef; the weight and whole
sale cost in bluk and the weight and
retail price. for every cut for which
a uniform price is charged Thus it
became possible not only TO compare
high-priced and low-priced cuts, but
also to compute accurately the total
retail price per pound and the con-
sumers' share of the price charged BY
the wholesalers. @
"For the fifty places throughout the
United States from which the reports
were received the mean gross profit
in selling beef, that is the retail price
charged consumers above the wholesale
price paid by the retailers, averages
SO per cent. In five cities it is 20
per cent or under; in ten cities be-
tween Fl and 80 per cent; in twelve
cities between Al and so per cent, and
in eleven cities more than so per cent
profit is enjoyed by the retailer.
The average profit enjoyed by the
retailers in the north Atlantic states
is 3l.4 per cent; in the south Allan.
tic states, 3S per cent; in the northern
central states, 3S per cent; in the
southern central states, "a per cent;
in the northwestern states, 80 per cent
in the southwestern states, 422 pei
cent; in the Pacific states, 1916 pei
cent.
Range of Profit.
'The following table shows the profit
charged by retailers of meats over and
above the wholesale prices in the vari
Gus towns named:
Holyoke, Mass, Al; Springfield, Mass.
10; Boston, SO; New York City, 20;
Buffalo, %; Cana joharie, N. ", 46;
Cortland, so; Olean, n. Y, %; Phil
adelphia, 20; Harrisburg, Al; Allen
town, Pa, so; Baltimore, II; Wash
ington, AZ; Richmond, Va, 2l Au
gusta, Ca, 6l; Cincinnati 25; Chicago
46; Minneapolis, 81; st. Paul, 35; De-
troit, 40; Milwaukee, 40; Alton, Ill
52; st. Louis, 80; Cedar Rapids, SO;
East Liverpool, o., 40; Port Huron
Mich, 81; Wichita, Kan, 40; Winona
Mimi, 27; Omaha, %; South Omaha
25; Kansas City, Kan, so; Kansas
City, Mo-. %; Fort Smith, Ark, 81;
Mobile, Ga; Nashville, 83; Natchez, Sc;
Shreveport, 6S; Fort Worth, 3S; Louis
vile, 50; Memphis, 80; Lewiston, Id.
62; Denver, 81; Cheyenne, 80; Salt
Lake, SO; San Francisco, 80; Seattle
"a; Spokane, S.; Tocoma, l6.
The above figures were obtained by
canvassing the butcher shops in tine
towns named, getting the ordinary re-
tail prices for the meats of different
qualities, taking an average and com
pairing them with the wholesale prices
to the retailer. The largest profit, az
you will observe, is enjoyed by the
retailers of Shreveport, La. and the
lowest by the retailers of Tacoma
Wash.
cit seems very queer that there
should be such striking difference
between retail and wholesale prices a:
10 per cent; in Holyoke, which is only
a few miles away, it is Al per cent
In Baltimore it is IL and in Wash
ington 42 In Cincinnati it is % ant
in Louisville it is So; in Minneapolis
it is 27 and in st. Paul it is 35; ir
Harrisburg it is AZ and Philadelphia
only 90, In Kansas City, Mo-, it i!
2s, while across the river at Kansa!
Citv. Kan, the profit is so per cent
But suppose that these differences
are due to all understanding between
the retailers in the respective towns
because, as rule, whether there arr
organized associations or not the prices
will be about the same for the same
cuts of meat, and it is asserted tina,
the wholesalers insist upon uniformity
of prices in meat, as they do i'll otnel
commodities.
Makes a Broad Assertion.
Everywhere appears the genera
fact that the lower the grade of bee