The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-12-04
HIGH COST OF MEAT,

The American Beef Producers Association
is sending out a picture of steer, showing
the various cuts and what they sell for at re-
tail. The total for an animal dressing 800
pounds is .S0, or an average OF q little over
20 cents pound. This does not take into ac-
count the hide, horns. talow and other by
products, which not only pay for the work of
killing and dressing the animal and the trans
portation Of the meat to the seaboard but
yields handsome profit, as well. The total
value of the steer to the trade is thus about
s190.
The Washington Post gives quotations from
the Kansas City stockyards and comments as
follows
Choice export and dressed beef steers &c. 80
to $500 fair to good, $3.50 to So 25. This
steer that the American Beef Producers' Asso-
ciation IS so good as to chop up for us for $163,
bone and edible beef, belongs to the best of
the fair to good or S625 the 100 pounds.
and cost the concern that slaughtered it less
than $40. The profit arising from that animal
ana tnat the consumer pays is more than 500.
NO wonder meat packer is millionaire that
made every railroad into and out of Chicago
say. prayers to him and beseech him for the
daily freight on which to subsistl
They put up the excuse that beef is high
because pasture lands are turned into corn
nelds Very good. What is the chief Office Of
corn IN our West2 To make beef and pork /;
and that farmer who sells corn in the grain is
headed straight for the poorhouse.
The Union-News has had good deal to say
about the high cost of living, and It not only
makes no apology but expects to say good
deal more, unless the strain becomes much
lighter in the near future, which unfortunately
does not seem probable. It is a source of sat-
isfaction to see the producers getting good
prices, but the difference between the amounts
received by the grower and those paid by the
consumer is so great that something is evil
IDENTIFY in need of readjustment. It is alleged
that prices are fixed by the Beef Trust, and it
seems not improbable that those who control
such large proportion of the country's output
OF dressed meat can to large extent dictate
prices. The remedy is not plainly apparent,
but there must be a remedy, and continued
discussion and agitation of the matter will per-
haps lead to a solution of the difficulty which
is so seriously affecting SO many households
in this and other countries. If the trust be at
fault the natural remedy would seem to be to
dissolve the trust and allow the price of meat
W D0 AAAcu w COui ipStlLlOu III the open mdFkets
In LENGTHY interview with representa-
tive of the Baltimore Sun on Monday Senator
Biddison of Baltimore county was asked about
his position concerning the adoption Of the
direct voting system for nominations by all
parties, to which he replied: my position
on this question is matter of public record,
as supported the extension of the Crawford
comfy system over the entire State at the last
session of the Legislature. The measure
which was considered at that time made it
mandatory for both parties to make direct
nominations. was elected to the State SEN
ate for the second term in 1907, and the plat
form of that campaign declared for direct nom
inations. am still believer in the redemp-
tion of that promise, as well as sill others that
were either made in the platform of that cam
paign or the last one. There should be, in my
judgment, some changes in the Senatorial
primary election law. The present one is not
as effective as it should be, and will do all in
my power to strengthen it."