Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-02
outside Of the United States The
Hartford Courant recently said editor

daitrOrd Courant recently said editor
tally:
when the senate, unable to restrain
Its lmpatience to dig up the rock-bot-
tom facts concerning the rising cost
OF living and give them to the con-
sumner. gets busy on this self assigned
and important job. perhaps it will tell
why Americans have to pay more for
some American products than English
men pay for the same things. The
facts have long been understood. and
the senate investigation will be sure to
| tell why the things that are so are as
they are. They might begin with
American beef. If they hurry they
will be able to find people here who
are still INDUCING in this luxury, and
! they will have no trouble whatever in
getting London quotations.
son Wednesday, the New York
Worlds London correspondent was
asked to look at the London end of
the American beef business. 1t seems
that American beef sold by West End
| firms, to their richest customers is
slaughtered in Liverpool. and as the
steamship companies are not in bust
ness for their health, it may be assumed
that it costs something ito ship Ameri-
can cattle there. While the Worlds
London man was busy in london, it's
New York men We're busy at home. and
so the World was able to say in it's
news columns
"It is interesting to compare the
prices in London with those that New
Workers We're being forced to pay yes
terday. The West End of London cor
responds with our Fifth avenue or
| fashionable quarter. In that district
! Yesterday porterhouse steak was 35
cents a pound, sirloin 80 cents a pound
Is to IL cents more per pound than
the same beef was selling for in Lon
don after all the costs and charges of
carrying ii 5000 miles across the
ocean.
I Leaving the fashionable Fifth ave-
/ nue. quarter. the reporters priced beef
| in the middle class districts and
found that the middle class in New
York were paying from / to 3 cents a
pound more for their American beef
than the lords and dukes of London
paid for their American beef. The case
was thus summed up
The beef sold in London so much
cheaper than in New York is Aneri-
can beef, bought on the hoof in the
same market used by American pack
ers: it is shipped to Liverpool, is
slaughtered in that city, and then
shipped as meats turnout Great Britain
adding to the prime cost in America
the cost of two shipments and two
landings.
There is nothing particularly novel
about the conditions described. The
facts presented by the World and
other facts equally interesting. have
long been known to people who took
the trouble to know. Now that the
consumer is showing unusual persist
ence in inquiring what it is that is
being done to him, the senate will
hasten to tell him.
Now there is simple remedy for
this ''restra int of trade" which only re-
quires a public sentiment. an agitation
to put into law. It's this. BY a law
of the United States, require all per-
ishable food products in cold storage
TO be sold at public auction after a
certain number of weeks or months OF
cold storage. Experts will have to be
called to assist in the framing of such
a law. Perhaps one year would be the
time, TO avoid any injusticet to the own
ers of such products. But this ehoulc
de done Let the day any of these
products are placed III colu storage ps
a matter of public record. And six
months, nine months or a year from
that date, if the owner of such goods
fails to place it on the market. make
lit duty of the owner of the cold stor-
age building to offer such goods at pub
lie auction. OF course such a law
should also prevent any second storage
Of the same product. Who's the con
gresham to give the public the benefit
of his position?