The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-12-01
REPORT OF
SEC. WILSON
CONTINUED from Page One.)

Continued from Page One.)
by year is better and better prepared
to provide the capital and make the
expenditures needed to improve his
agriculture and to educate his chill
dren for farm life and work"
Meat Prices.
Retail Meat Prices:- Secretary
Wilson has just finished a unique in
vestigation made for the of
this report relating to tae increase
of wholesale prices of beef when
old at retail. Through employees of
the Bureau of Animal Industry inqui-
ries were made i'm so cities-large
medium. and snall-in all paris of
the country. A schedule was prepar-
ed 10 recor the actual experiences
Of retailers in buying and selling a
carcass or half carcass of beef, and
among the facts ascertained were
tde weight and Wholesale cost of a
certain piece of beef. usually a half
carcass Then followed the weight
and retail price of every cut for which
a uniform price was charged by the
retail dealer. Thus in became pos
sible not only to compare high-priced
and low priced cuts. but also TO COM
pute accurately the total retail price
per pound and consumers cost of the
beef piece for watch the Wholesale
price per pound and cost of the en-
tire piece had been reported.
Consumer pays IS per cent, above
whilesale.-For the 50 cities the to-
al e all cost charged to customers
above the wholesale cost paid by the
retailers is IS per cent. In , cities
the rate of increase is 20 per cent or
under: in 10 cities 81 to 80 per cent;
in IL cities, 81 to 40 @ cent; in IL
cities, Al to 50 per cent; in IL cities
ver 80 per ent
The average retail price exceeded
The average wholesale price by 31.4
per cent in the North Atlantic States:
by IS per cen in the South Atlantic:
by 5S FER ZEN i'm the Mort Central;
39.4 Ter cen in the Western: and the
aiehSst increase was found in the
South Central States, 81 per cent.
\ gross profit of % per cen was
found in New York City aud in Phi
l~adelphia. rs per cen in Buffalo, y
v. 30 per cent in Boston, Mass. =.
pei cen in Baltimore, Md, ~ pei
cent in Washington. II. C.. i6 per
cent in Chicago. H., 25 per cent in
Cincinnati. Ohio. 80 per cent in Oma-
IA. NebT., rs per cent in Kansas City,
81 and 30 per cent in Minneapolis
and ST. Poul. Mimi, 10 per CEN in
AlilN dAhtt. w AS-- anu DGA III MftH--
50 pei cent in St. Louis, Mo. 81 per
cent ia Mobile, Ala, 80 per cen in
IA Francisco. - per N IN Seattle.
and = per ceIt in Denver, Colo.
The lower the grade of beef the
greater the percentage of gross profit.
In Boston for illustration. the rate of
gross profit is nearly twice as srsat
fer beef costing s cents at Wholesale
as for beef costing IL and liz cents.
Low priced beef is marked zap nearly
twice as much relatively as .ligh pric-
I'd ~ef. In ether verbs, perhaps il
is a sGfe inference that the BOO 2eo-
pie lay nearly twice as much profit
as toe well-to-do people pay.
Features of Retail Business.-The
retailers delivery service is costly,
however. and the retail business is
overdone. The multiplication of small
shops is a burden to consumers aud
~ source of riches TO the small shop
keepers. Wien twenty OF more small
shops divide the retail business with
IN an area that could be served by
one large shop. the expense; Of the
many shops for labor horses, renc and
oihe things. tnat are In excess Uf
whl5 would be sufficient for the Il
shcu must go into the retail prices
IF the meat sold.
Furthermore, customers choose The
higher priced cuts of meats. Steak
and roasts are the preferences, and
these must have names hat are Ie-
sarded as respectable. Consequent
One-fifth of the carcass is bought al
the highest price-porterhouse steak
at prices as high as % and 80 cents
a pound, sirloin at 20 to % cents,
and rib roasts al 30 cents.
Prices and supply of Meats.-The
ascend : prices of meat suggest in
quiry as 10 whether tie prices of the
farmer beef cattle ard hoks have
increased at the farm in he same de
gree that meat has to the consim6r
For the purpose of making cJnpari
sons. the mean price level of 1896
1900. a period of comparatively low
prices. Is adopted as a base line. rep
resented by leo. and for each animal
and commodity this price level is
computed.
No Gain in Unfed Beef Cattle
sarmer has failed to receive a
share of higher beef prices with re
gard TO the raw animal. The price
level of ~two-year-old steers at the
farm feing regarded as 100 for 1896
1900, the price of such steers rose to
1859 in 1900, declined to S5.5 in 1905,
and rose TO l0O.S in 1909, all for TIE
iafe o. January / and for prices at
The farm. substantially before corn
feeding had begun.
Bee Prices due to Corn Prices
The price of corn in 1909 at the farm
IS represented by 21S.6 compared
with o for the price level of 1896
1900, and the price OF the best native
steers at the Chicago Stock Yards in
the same year is 1899, which is much
above the Index number" for the
price of the animal at the farm and
mucn below the price of corn at the
farm. The inference is that the far
gets some return for the high
priced corn hat he feeds 10 his steers
not a return eq'Ial to 60 cents a
busnel for his corn. which is tie