The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-09
RETAILERS BLAME
FARMERS, PACKERS
Testimony as to High Price of
Meats in the Cost of Liy-
ing Investigation.
OF COURSE, RETAILERS
HAD NO AGREEMENT
All CuIpability in Controlling
Prices Is Easily Placed
Elsewhere.

WASHINGTON, March 9,-Retall
meat dealers today placed upon the
farmers and the packers responsibility
for the higher price Of meat in testl-
mony given before the senate committee
investigating the increased cost of llV-
ing
Five retail men from New York,
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washing
ton were heard. and Walter Brown,
n Washington dealer, who kills his own
meat, was the only one who did not
admit that the price Of meat had gone
up at least 10 per cent during the last
five years
Mr. Brown insisted that prices were
practically the same now as tl(n.
Agree as to Competition.
All agreed. however, that competi-
tion among the retailers kept the price
to the consumer as low as possible.
Each witness vigorously denied the
retailers were responsible for prevailing
prices and none would admit that any
agreement on prices existed among
them.
While no ono charged that the pack
ers were in a combination. all tho wit
nesses who had dealings with them
declared there seemed to be no compe-
IltlOn LOT TtJall w Utu COlu pI<ilub
was made to the packers about advanc-
ing prices. they said the latter explained
that the stock was scarce.
John Rohlman, who conducts n mar
ket in New York City, told the COM
mittce that competition among the re-
tailers in New York was so keen that
they had been unable TO keep pace with
the steadily increasing prices, which the
wholesalers had forced upon them dur.
in Tho last KFtenn He said
the increases during that time amount
TO about 4 cents n pound on beef, both
the retailer and the consumer. Asked
by Senator Simmons why the retailer
had not added something to the price
TO consumer to cover this increased ex-
pense for help and rent, the witness
said
Merchants Are Crushed,
''The merchants in New York City
are being crushed TO the wall by the
wholesalers, who represent the pack
ers. We have 10 sell at the lowest pos
sible price, otherwise others will under
sell us and we Will lose our trade. -
He declared that the retailers had no
agreement among themselves and that
they had no agreement with the whole
salers not to sell under a certain price.
He intimated that there appeared TO be
an understanding among the whole
salers. Beef had increased about 20
per cent in FIVE years, he said, and
pork and poultry had doubled in ten
years,
Questioned as to the price of staple
groceries. S. X. Harrison of Baltimore
said ii has increased. When he sug
gested that his firm had been forced
to quit handling a cheaper grade of
green tea because of the tariff, Mr..
Smoot interrupted impatientlY:
Rails at Pure Food Law.
"The tariff had nothing to do with
it. 1t was the pure food laws. -
The witness said there had been a
10 per cent increase in the groceries in
which his firm dealt during the last
FIVE years. Mr.. Harrison said that the
Elgin market controlled butter prices.
He declared the price had recently
dropped cents a pound without any
explanation. but that butter had again
advanced . cents.
b. IT. Lawrence, retail meat dealer
from Philadelphia, said prices had been
increased by the wholesalers of late
years, but he said he had still been
able to make profit of from Is to is
per cent without an unreasonable in
crease TO the consumer