Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-02


had been reported.
For the 10 cities the total retail cost
charged to customers above the whole
sale cost paid by the retailers is Ss per
cent In five cities the rate of increase
Is 20 per cent. or under; in 10 cities. 81 to
30 per cent; in IL cities. 81 to 40 per cent;
In IL cities, Al TO 80 per cent; and in Il
cities, over 80 per cent.
The average retail price exceeded the
average wholesale price by 3l4 per cent.
in the North Atlantic States; by IS per
cent in the South Atlantic; by Ss per
cent in the North Central; 1914 per cent.
III the western; and the highest increase
was found in the South Central states,
"a per cent.
A gross profit OF 20 per cent was found
in New York city and In Philadelphia, %
per cent. in Buffalo. n. y, 80 per cent.
in Boston. Mass, II per cent. in Balt-
more, Md, AZ per cent. in Washington.
ID. c., i6 per cent. In Chicago. ILL.,, 25 per
cent. in Cincinnati, Ohio, % per cent In
omaha, Neb.. Is per cent in Kansas city,
Mo, q and 81 per cent. in Minneapolis
and St. Paul. Mimi. 40 per cent in
Milwaukee. Wis, and Detroit, Mich, 30
per cent in st. Louis. Mo-. a per cent. in
Mobile, Ala. 50 per cent. in San Francisco
"a per cent. in Seattle and 81 per cent
In Denver. Colo.
The lower the grade of beef the greater
the percentage Of gross profit. In Bos-
ton. for illustration. the rate OF gross
profits is nearly twice as great for beef
costing s cents at wholesale as for beef
costing il and liz cents. I.ow-priced
beef is marked up nearly twice as much
relatively as high-priced beef In other
words. perhaps 1t is a safe Inference tina I
the poor people pay nearly twice as much
profit as the well-to-do people pay.
The retailers delivery service is costly.
however, and the retail business is over
done. The multiplication Of small shops
Is burden to consumers and no source
Of riches to the small shopkeepcrs.
PRICES AND SUPPLY.
The ascending prices OF meat suggest
inquiry as to whether the prices of the
farmers beef cattle and hogs have in
creased at the farm in tho same degree
| that meat has TO the consumer. For the
| purpose of making comparisons, the mea II
price level of l>S6-laO0 u period OF com
parativey low prices, = adopted as a
base line. represented by 100, and for each
animal and commodity this price level is
| computed.
| The farmer has failed to receive share
Of higher beef prices with regard to the
raw animal. The price level of two-year-
old steers at the farm being regarded at
| 100 for 1SeG-l9ro. the price of such steers
rose to 1853 in 1860. declined TO SIS in 1908.
and rose to zoos in 1909. all for the date OF
| January l and for prices at the farm,
substantially before corn feeding bad e
gun.
The price Of corn in 1863 at the farm is
represented by 2Is6 compared with 100
for the price level OF 1s36-19to ant the
price of the best native steers at the Chi
cago stock yards in the same year is
1893. which Is much above the index
number" for the price of the animal at
the farm and much below the price of
corn at the farm. The inference is that
the farmer gets some return for the high
priced corn he feeds to his steers. but not
return equal to 81 cents bushel for his
corn, which is the price for the last two
years. As for the unfed steer. 1t does no,
participate in the upward movement OF
p.ices in its farm value.
The wholesale prices OF fresh beef car
casses have increased In about the same
degree that the prices Of steers have a,
the stock yards and the retail prices o!
fresh beef have kept pace with the whole
sale prices.
The increasing prices of fresh beef
therefore, are due to increasing prices OF
animals at the stock yards. and this Is
explained by the abnormal circumstance.
to which the raising of beef animals ha.
been subject in recent years
/ There has been a breaking up OF rang'
|
the mo fence" law by the national gov
eminent and by encroachments of tn
settlers upon the ranges, made possible
by the practice OF dry farming. No
all Of the cattle have gone directly from
the ranges to the saughterhouses;
great portion Of them has gone to farm
for maturing and finishing. largely upoi
corn. This extra demand on the corr
crop is reflected in corn prices. which ar,
now higher than they nave been since tn,
records of the department of agriculture
began. In 1866. except for 1851.
HOG SITUATION MORE FAIR
The farmers situation with regard t,
hogs is more fair to the farmer than tn
cattle situation is, but still it is apparen
that during the Ia t three years the prize
, of corn has been too high for the pric
Of hogs. The relative price of hogs OF
. the farm January !. 1900. was 1913 a
compared with 100 for the mean price O
1s96-l90O. and the average cost of all hog
. slaughtered at principal markets in tn
year before was l4el, or about the sam
as the farm price. The price Of diesse
hogs of 100 pounds in New York in 1876
stands at 1887. and the carcasses Of mar
ket pigs at Chicago at 1854. which is ap
, proximat ely the number representing tn
, relative retail price of fresh pork.
n In the case OF hogs. therefore, the far
mer has fully participated in the risn
prices, whereas in the case OF the far
, mers cattle the unfed animals are bare
, ~ as valuable as they were nine to
years ago, and had not the price of cor
assembled to high figure, perhaps h
would not have shared in the higher bee
prices.
The foregoing conclusions for fires
a meat The prices OF cured and prepare
: meats have increased In much greater d.
: gree than the prices OF other meat hay
n Increased. both for beef and pork. Thes
g cured meats include bacon, picked bee
e picked pork, and lard.
!. FARMERS SHARE IN PRICES.
: There has beel a tendency of The an
q mails and crops of the farm to increas
7, in value per unit at the farm at a fastt
q rate than all commodities have increase
n at wholesale.
. Within the wholesale trade also far