The Washington herald., 1910-09-25
WILSON EXPLAINS
HIGH MEAT PRICES
In Address Before COnSerya.
ton Congress.
GROSS PROFIT SO PER CENT
Attributes Costumes of Diktrfbu-
ton 10 OVERRIDING the Retail Bust
nesS-CustomeFs CIamor for Choice
Cuts, Which Results I'm Forcing I'D
Prices-Some Interesting Figures.

In his address before the Conservation
Congress in ST, Paul. James Wilson. Sec
Rotary Of Agriculture. presented some in
teresting facts about the consumption Of
meats and the cost OF their production.
Upon this subject he said:
High prices OF fresh meats and Of
their products are OF such concern TO
nearly every family that an examination
OF the subject is timely With over two
hfths OF the expenditures OF families OF
medium income devoted 70 food. and With
one-third OF the national dietary com
posed Of meat. the present situation is
! felt by the income Of 1900, 900 families.
For nifty cities throughout the United
States for which reports were received,
the mean gross profit in selling beef. that
| is. the total retail cost charged 20 con-
I sumers above wholesale cost paid by the
| retailers. is IS per cent In five cities
/ the rate OF increase is 20 per cent. or un-
/ der; in ten cities. q 10 30 per cent: in
twelve cities, 81 20 40 per cent; in twelve
] cities Il 70 50 per cent and IN eleven
cities, over 30 per cent
Services Are Costly.
There are some services connected
/ with a retail meat or meat and grocery
/ business in a city that consumers desire
! FOR their accommodation that are costly
/ 10 them. They want delivery Of goods
/ perhaps by special trip. and this REQUIRES
at least one man. horse. and wagon.
/ They want the market man also 10 send
p man 20 their dwellings TO take orders
Much more productive Of costliness 10
the retail distribution Of meat is the over
doing OF the retail business. The multi
plication Of small shops IS a burden 10
/ consumers and no source OF riches 10 the
small shopkeepers When twenty or more
small shops divide the retail business
within an area that could be served by
one large shop. the expense OF the many
shops for labor horses rent. and other
things that are IN excess OF what would
be sufficient for the one shop must 90
into the retail prices OF the meat sold.
Furthermore. customers are disposed
TO focus their choice OF cuts on certain
ones. and these naturally bear the higher
beyond the cash or credit OF the Gus
| toner, then the sirloins must be had in
stead OF another cut for roasting. Steaks
and roasts are the preferences Of beef
customers, and steaks and roasts must
have names that are regarded as respec-
table.
Consequently, one-hfth Of the carcass
Is bought at the highest prlces-porter-
house steak at p to 80 cents a pound. sir
loin at 20 70 % cents. and rib roastsat 20
cents-these being some Of the prices
noted in the returns received from the
nifty cities. Calorimeter tests show that
the cheaper cuts have about the same
nutTiment as the dear6..
Meats at High Prices.
Tn the meantime all the meat pro-
duced in this country has not been eaten
here. Prodigious exports have gone 10
all the countries OF the globe The ex-
ports Of cattle for slaughter rose 10 $685.
COO In 1904, since which time there has
been decline to 2Os,OOO in 1909.
Most of the exports OF meat and its
products are stated in pounds in the for
eign trade reports. and. as far as so
stated, the exports of beef and beef
products averaged 80, 100000 pounds yearly
for ls5l-ls55, lO9OOO.o0O pounds for 1S7l-lS75,
100000 pounds for lSSiIss5, s40,6j5.003
pounds for IsSs-1s9O, 52l.0OO.oOO for 1881
1895. 6Oi 10000 pounds for lS9s-ls00 617.-
0o0,000 pounds for l90l-19O5, 733,O0O.O0O
pounds for 1906, 6eo.oOOOOO pounds for 1907.
5i9,0O0,o0O pounds for 1905 and 100000
pounds for 1909
Inquiry into the price of milk in sixty
cities and towns shows that the farmer
receives ass cents per quart and the re-
taller gets $50 per quart"
George T. Smallwood, principal Of the
Washington Seminary, has purchased the
property at Oak and Sixteenth streets. with
a frontage on Sixteenth street Of over 325
feet. The house now on the premises VIII
be remodeled and enlarged and will be
colonial in design The property contains
over 1900 square feet, not including the
parking, which will be double terraced
under the direction OF landscape artist.
Mr.. smallwood will occupy the property
as his home.
The Russian Technical Society OF ST.
Petersburg has decided to postpone its
exhibition to demonstrate the application
Of electricity TO railways from August
q to November IS. 1910. until April Is,
1911.
Work is progressing on a sixty-mile
underground telegraph cable between
Leeds and stockton When completed
Il Will make a chain OF such cables ex-
tending from London to Newcastle-on-