River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-02-10
MEAT PROFITS Big
SENATOR M'CUMBER DECLARES
FARMERS GETS INADEQUATE
RETURNS FOR PRODUCTS.
WILSON COMPARES PRICES
Secretary Shows Enormous Advances
Both by Wholesaler and Retailer
Says Rates on Sugar, Tea, Spices,
Crackers Have Been Reduced.

Washington.-"Th the farmer gets
an inadequate return for his prod
ucts," was the declaration of Senator
McCumber of North Dakota, Friday,
while discussing the question of in
creased foodstuff prices in the senate.
The senator made some statements
which, if they are founded on fact,
show that the packers, wholesalers
and retailers of meat are making prof
it's beyond the conception of the hui
man mind in their enormity. He used
his own knowledge, a report of Secre-
tary Wilson and a price card of the
senate restaurant to prove his con-
tention.
IAN average beef animal on Da-
kota ranch brings $70," he said, but,
according to the prices here" pointing
to the senate restaurant bill of fare,
''it is sold to the consumers who eat
there for the enormous sum of $4,000
enough to buy half farm. And
prices in the ordinary restaurant show
that the $40 beef animal is sold for
$4,000 The fact that the farmer gets
but $40 shows that he does not get the
money, and the effect of the bills to
take the tariff off meat and the prod
ucts of the farm would be to establish
a legislative boycott against the tille1
of the SOIL"
The comparison of prices submitted
by Secretary Wilson of the department
of agriculture show enormous in
creases by both wholesaler and re-
tailer-the advance being greater for
the retailer in one product and for
the wholesaler in another, but mostly
the big advance was by the whole
saler. Here are some samples:
Bread-Wholesale, Isl; retail, 40.
Butter-Wholesale Elgin, 29.S;
creamery EXTRA 27.5; dairy. 24.6; re-
tail, 30.6; no quality indicated.
Cheese-Wholesale 26.9; retail, 2O.3
Coffee-Wholesale SO; retail, SO.
retail, 1862.
Wheat -four Wholesale, spring,
1875; winter, 26.S; retail, 24.4; no
quality indicated
Lard-Wholesale 63.3; retail, 1872.
Beef-Wholesale, fresh, 11.8; salt
41.9; retail, fresh, 14.9; salt, 1915.
Dressed Wholesale, 21.4;
retail, 26.8.
Bacon-Wholesale, 54.4; retail, 52.9
Ham-Wholesale, 21.9: retail. 31.8.
Milk-Wholesale, 800; retail, 1871.
Observation-Disclosures, 70.6; retail.
255.
The report shows that prices on
sugar, tea, spices and soda crackers
have been slightly reduced.
The advances shown by the secre-
tary were for the year 1907 over the
year 1899, which was regarded as nor
NAL And great as those advances are,
they have been greatly swelled by ad-
vances since 1907.
In the report of the secretary, which
was in response to the resolution OF
Senator Crawford, he shows in a
measure why advances by the whole
salers we're generally greater than
those by retailers. The substitution
of poorer goods in the case he gives,
the report says:
"It is not possible, in taking the re-
tail prices over a large area, to secure
results standardized with the same
degree of accuracy as in the case Of
wholesale prices. 1t was known that
in the retail trade, as prices advance,
substitutions are made of the same
name but of inferior grade. 1t is i'm
possible to determine to what extent
this process of substitution may have
taken place in the various articles"