Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-26
CUTS BUTTER PRICES
Public Agitation, Dealers Admit,
Forces Market Down.
BUTTERNE HAS SOME INFLUENCE
Omaha Creameries Are Caught with
100000 Pounds OF Outer on
Hand when Price IL Cut
o cents n Pound.

When the announcement came from Elgin
Monday afternoon that the price Of butter
had gone down 6 cents on the Elgin market
II caught the big oreameries in Omaha
| with 200.O 600 pounds of butter on hand. The
Elgin market controls the price in Omaha
and the entire country, In fact. 1t has be-
come a custom for the price set ON the
Elgin market Monday to be the price for
the following week. The best creamery
butter ought to retail row at "a or IS cents.
Creamery men freely admit that the agi-
tation over prices has had the effect Of
cutting down the market price because
people have been using more butterine and
less butter. which accounts for the large
supply the creameries have on hand. David
Cole Of the David Cole Creamery company
made the assertion that there was at
present more butterine used in Omaha than
butter.
Butter all over Nebraska VIII be s cents
cheaper Wednesday than Monday. as It
takes a day to disseminate the news. The
creameries will pey less for cream.
Neither eggs Eor meat has followed the
slump in butter, as there are few fresh
eggs to be had and local commission men
are paying the farmer IS a crate for eggs
today, which is about - cents a dozen.
we are not worried over the slump"
said David Cole. 9TH jobber and retailer
would both be better off II prices were.
not so high. The farmers have been get-
ting the benefit Of these high prices. We
figured on the year that WI made 3Sh cents
a 100 pounds on butter.
People condemn the cold storage firms,
but IL 1t was not for them the farmer
would get little or nothing for his stuff.
Thirty-two years ago in Omaha eggs sold
for 10 cents a dozen before Easter and
seven days later sold for Z cents a dozen.
so the farmer got practically nothing for
his eggs while his hens were laying. But
ter at the same time sold for 3 cents a
pound. Last year most Of the storage eggs
were put away in May and the farmers re-
ceived from is to 20 cents for them and
sold them at an average Of Is cents, maxi
ing one of the best years the egg man
ever had. The year before they lost money
on their storage eggs
This crusade for cheaper prices may
have It's effect, but the fact is that out
side of pork and eggs ana chickens the
prices on most things in the meat and
grocery departments are the same or less
than at the same time last year or the
year before" said A. l.. Schantz, manager
of The Bennett company. 1.-THE prices on
staples, such as sugar, navy beans, coffee,
bread, dried fruits and canned goods are
practically the same as for the last two
years. Butter has been high, but we keep
a woman to demonstrate butterine to in
duce people to use that wholesome substi-
tute. Beef is just as cheap as a year ago,
but people do not buy as much of the
cheaper cuts, but too many pick out the
hieh-prlced cuts. Four pounds Of boiling
beef may be had for the price Of one
pound Of pork chops"
This clamor against high prices is af-
fecting the grain and produce markets
On local change Tuesday dealers and
spectators were, prompt to sell, foreseeing
the utter futility' of any attempt to bull
In the face of this general protest against
the cost Of living.