New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-09
NJ EAT TO GO HIGHER
RETAILERS GIVE WAY
Lay an Big Supply, Fearing
Still Further Increase.

The wholesale meat dealers got ihei'
new high prices for their product yes'ei
day. and made good their declaration thal
the furry OF public opposition was over,
! for the present at least. Moreover, fresf
meat was not in the market. except In the
case of beef. Even the New York man
ayers OF the great Chicago houses clam
ored by telegraph for unfrozen pork, sheep
and lamb, but without success. AS the re-
tail men have accepted the situation and
bought heavily at the current prices, fear
ing further rise. it is now certain that
by the end of the week retail prices will
be higher than before the foou boycotl
agitation was begun.
The great volume of these products which
the big dealers have been storing up dur
ing the last two weeks of slack trade is
now being unloaded on the retailers
whether they want il or not. Out of ff-
teen concerns which we're approached by
one dealer with an offer to buy fifty sheep
unfrozen, for delivery at any time during
the week. only five were readE to agree
to have that number of fresh carcasses to
sell al any price The supply of pork which
one large firm had on hand yesterday con-
sisted of 160 boxes of frozen meat and
four boxes Of fresh
The wholesale dealers are now complain
ing of delays in transportation. storms IN
the West, they say, have held back thelr
cars until they are unable TO furnish the
quantities of meat which the market de-
nands. The retail dealers insist that the
DELAYS are merely Incidental and that the
real reason for the shortage in the local
market is the concerted action Of the large
firms in deliberately cutting down their
Shipments to this city.
on he present
uation is in the annual report Of the Chi
cago Junction Railways and Union Stock
yards Company which was made public
yesterday at the stockholders meeting in
Jersey City. The company handles prac-
tically all the livestock which is shipped
into the Chicago yards for slaughter. Last
year 252, 10 cars were received a falling
off Of 5,ooS cars from the receipts for 1903.
Such q decrease, amounting to 10 per cent
of the total meat supply handled at the
great food depot of the country, is regard
ed furnishing in itself an explanation
of the increase in price which has fol-
lowed. The report calls attention to the
increased price of corn during the last
three years. and suggests that the farmers
have found il more profitable to sell their
grain directly than to feed it to livestock
Butter declined half a cent pound in
'he WhoIeSaIe market ana eggs from ~
TO cents The cold weather, which has
already been given as an explanation for
the returning popular demand for meat.
also affected the milk supply yesterday.
While there was no rise in price, the whole
sale dealers found themselves facing
serious shortage, and there was a consid-
cradle degree of activity in the market.
With the coming of Lent. in years past, it
has been supposed that there would be
falling off in the consumption of meat.
The dealers say. however. that for the last
four or FIVE years this movement has been
of greatly decreased importance. and this
year they expect it to be negligible