The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-12-14
THIS WILL Be FAT
CHRISTMAS FOR
BEEF TRUST
American People Are Playing Santa
Claus This Year To Monopoly
With Lavish Hand-Meat
Profits Are Enormous.
Cost OF All Foods Is Averaging 80
Per Cent Above Last Year
Except Potatoes.

CHICAGO. H.. Dec li.--Thls is
going To be "A merry. merry Christmas
Tor the beef trust. The American
people are playing Santa Claus this
year 10 the monopoly with more
lavish hand than at any time since
the panic days of the civil war.
All who pay for Christmas din
ner will join in filling the already
bullying stocking of the packers. Meat
is higher poultry is much higher. nut.
ter Is higher, eggs are higher; in fact,
the whole Christmas blll.of.fare this
year, from soup TO nuts is going to cost
nom 10 To 50 per cent more than IL
did last year
Take turkey. for Instance Nearly
everybody. from the ragged urchin ON
the street to the millionaire. Is going
10 have bite OF turkey on Christmas.
The Salvation Army, which does such
good work for the poor every Christ.
mas. will be hit just as hard as the
man who pays his household expenses
every month with a check.
In fact the country Is facing a tur-
key famine At least that was the in.
formation given out by the packers
who have their coldstorage plants
packed with birds The cause Of the
famine is not lack of land on which
TO raise the barnyard monarchs.
scarcity OF eggs for Matching or lack
OF desire To market them, but the CON
tinucd acknowledgment of the industry
by the packers. They sent out reports
that enough turkeys were left on Ice
TO furnish Christmas dinners for
everybody This caused fear by the
turkey raisers that II would not pay
to raise any.
All this has played into the hands
or the beef trust men
Consumers must pay from - 10 2S
cents a pound Tor the turkeys. while
the best and largest Will bring above
80 cents Ducks will cost from lt'io
lG cents aud chickens from - 10 Is
cents pound. maybe more. Gran
berries. celery and other Christmas
dinner trimmings have gone 10 di4zs
heights
The cost OF all food except potatoes
+ averaging 80 per cent above last
years figures I'm other words the sal
AIRY OF Sl00-amonth Garner, # spent
Tor the table. will buy no moro than
could be bought last year with so
income
Potatoes cost only half as much a
lmshel as they did last year Butter
and eggs are SO high that every hous"-
wife has been 'skimpins" for months
The man vino doesn't like 20 play
Santa Claus 10 the beef trust ON
christmas will have a hard time of II
next year. too The packers have
Issued signed statements in wdlrh
they SAY the American people don
need 20 expect any reduction ia m"a..
Uncle Jim Wilson secretary OF ag"i-
culture. says the same thing. lie Put
his investigators go work tO hud ont
why meat was 80 high lie belev'
that i'm addition To the profits the pacN-
crs take as part of their Christmas
gift from the people tho retailer also
Is putting on big eXcess
Investigation by Secretary Wilson
men i'm so cities showed that tho aver
age price OF mcat exceeds the whole
sale price by ga per cent in eastern
states. IS per cent in the south AMI
middle west. and nearly 80 per cent IN
tho far west
Bnt the retailer is not 20 blame. as
the egures from Chicago show Thev
oro the highest i'm tho country, yet
practically all the retail trade in CHI,
capo is in the hands Of the big pack
crs themselves through their retail
markets in all parts Of the city.
Higher cost Of living It Is heard
everywhere. When will it stop? Is
the tariff the cause?
\ glance at the grocer's Christmas
Hill will provc that il is costing moro
to live all the time.
And the American people playing
Santa Claus to the beef trust. are the
sufferers