Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-09-28
HOW PRICES HAVE SCARED
Increased Living Cost In Various
Large Cities.

During the last decade prices of
potatoes changed most and sugar the
least. Their advances were II.9 and
S.5 per cent. respectively. During the
last year bacon which decreased Just
|one-tenth Of l per cent, was the only
one of the fifteen principal articles
of food that showed a decline in
price, while nine Of the fifteen ad-
vanced more than 10 per cent, vary
ing from "a per cent. for milk to
.1S.6 for round steak.
OF the fifteen only eggs, butter.
milk and sugar were lower. but the
price Of three of these four Is normal
ly lower during summers than dur
ing winters. Specimens of the sta e.
ments of merchants in various cities
published in the report follow:
New York-Meats in general are
so high that if prices continue much
longer will be obliged to close up
business. Have already lost about
$500 since advance in prices.
Chicago-Jobbing pr;ce on flour
has advanced 80 cents per barrel and
unless there is a decline in the near
future retail prices will advance.
Baltimore-If the present high
prices prevail much longer in the
wholesale market, / do 0 know
what will become of the retail deal
ers.
Boston-Cheap sirloins are 80 high
and poor that ! am not cutting any
at present. Both grades Of cattle
have gone up and the above prices
just about let me out without profit.
A Second-Beef. especially on
cheaper cuts, 10 to 20 per cent. high
A Third-The high price of meats
is causing US to close our place Of
business on or about July A.
New MISUNDERSTANDING this week
we will advance 2 cents a pound on
all meats, as we are paying the high
est price for beef and lambs in my
time. / cannot say the reasons; the
jobber blames the farmers; the farm
er blames the high price of corn.
Philadelphia-No money in meats
at the above prices.
A Second-We paid, June IL, Is
IL cents a pound for rumps and
rounds and IL IL cents a pound
for chucks Of beef, the highest price
in the history of our business.
Salt Lake City-Everything seems
to be at the top, but nothing shows
any decline.
Remarks of merchants accompany
ing the price reports for May told the
same story. This is the showing made
for the food prices In the last year,
according to the report on the foods
investigated:
Decrease in price; Smoked bacon,
l per cent.
Increase in price: Fresh milk "a
per cent; smoked ham Fl; hens 3.S;
granulated sugar 6; Irish potatoes,
rs; wheat flour. 10.7; pork chops,
11.2; pure lard, lib; butter, 1873;
sir1oin steak, Ill; rib roast IT'S;
round steak, 1876.
The advance during the decade,
comparing the price June Is, last
with the average for the 10 years
was as follows:
Granulated sugar, So per cent;
strictly fresh eggs. gel; fresh milk,
80: creamery butter, 1913; wheat
flour, 1913; pure lard, 55.3; hens,
5S.1; sirloin steak, 59.5; smoked
hams, GLIB; corr meal, 63.7; rib
roast, 63.S; round steak, S.4; pork
chops, Sc; smoked bacon 96.7; Irish
potatoes, 11.9.
In the North Atlantic States, Penn
sylvania white ash coal, stove size
was 11.3 per cent. higher on April
Is, 1912, than a year before. Penn
~syIvania anthracite white ash, chest
nut size, 11.S higher, and bituminous
IL per cent. higher.
The net prices of gas for house
hold use on April 10. compared with
the previous year, showed that re-
auctions ranged from 5 to Is cents
for manufactured gas among 54 com
panies in 36 cities, and practically
unchanged among the natural gas
plants.