Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-11
MEAT SCARCE, REPORT SAYS
One Cause of High Prices is Lower
Live Stock Receipts.
SMALLEST IN FIVE YEARS
Department of Commerce Presents
Figures showing Large Falling
Off Mt Seven Leading
Grain Receipts Also Less.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1o.-One contrib
uting cause to the high price Of meat, &C
cording to a report Of the Department OF
and Labor issued today, Is the
fact that live stock receipts for the year
1909 at seven leading interior markets OF
the United States were the owest since
1904.
The total live stock receipts for the year
1909 in these markets aggregated SS,G5,725
head. Particularly did receipts Of hogs
for the last year fall off. For each OF
the four years previous to 1909 the hos
receipts had been in excess Of 10000,
head, totaling more than 100000 in 1908
falling to is, s34,641 last year.
Cattle receipts in these markets for 1909
9,1S9, 312-while comparing favorably with
those of tho previous year. fell below the
totals for the three years before 1908
Sheep fell below thoVe in 1905 to 1907, but
compared favorably with 1908.
Receipts Of hogs at the Chicago market
for 1909 show a decrease Of 1927 4 a.
compared with the year before, or a de-
cline OF 10 per cent; receipts ar Kansas
City decreased II per cent, at Omaha Il
per cent, at st. Joseph, Mo-, % per cent,
while the decline at st. Louis was only 4
per cent.
Total Cattle Receipts Larger.
While the total number of cattle re-
ceipts at these seven principal markets
was larger than the year before, the 1903
cattle receipts at Chicago, 929, sos head
fell below the 5000, OJ mark for the first
time since 1909, constituting less than 81
per cent of the total for the seven primary
markets as contrasted with sc per cent,
the average proportion for the preceding
five years.
The annual aggregate shipments of pack
ing house products from Chicago, 151, 6sS.
713 pounds-were below those reported for
any of the previous five years, says the re-
port.
All the items in the grand total with the
exception of picked beef and pork, show
large declines as compared with the figures
for the previous years. The largest losses
since 1906 appear under the head Of canned
meats, the loss amounting to about 70 per
cent, and of lard, the shipments of which
declined about SO per cent since that year.
The report also shows that grain receipts
at fifteen of the principal markets during
1909 were 7H. 624,OS bushels, which was lower
than for any year since 1904.
NEW YORK, Feb. 1O.-Spurred on by
Judge Swayze's charge that a combination
to store food stuffs for the purpose Of ad-
vancing the price is an overt act, the Hud-
son county grand jury today continued its
investigation of the big cold storage ware
houses Of Jersey City.
In view Of the courts decision that an,
combination to raise prices is a conspiracy,
Prosecutor Garven counts on securing in
dictments that he believes will check the
system whereby high prices are maintained
in season and out.
Agitation in New York City against high
meat prices has simmered down and the
only measure now in view locally is the
cold storage regulation ordinance before
the board of aldermen. No action on this
measure is probable for a week at least.
Meat prices remain about stationary.