The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-06-21
GOES
UP AGAIN
Packers Raise Price $3.50 a
Hundred
THE NY. RETAILERS COMPLAIN
Charge That the Shipments Are Held
Back-This Is for the Purpose
of Boosting Their
Profits.
THE NY. RETAILERS COMPLAIN

New York, June 2I.-Retaiers through
out Greater New York were grumbling
Wednesday over the fact that the whole
sale price of beef had advanced $3.50 a
hundred pounds for selected, prime steers,
over the rate asked by the packers on
Tuesday, and many of them did not
hesitate to connect the sudden advance
with the announcement of the forthcom
ing dissolution of the National Packing
company. Even chuck steak, which was
selling for 10 cents at wholesale last
week, brought 1919 cents Wednesday
Henry Fredericks, a retail butcher. WIN
has string Of seven shops on the east
side, voiced the general Indignation of
the butchers when he was approached
for a statement as to the retailers point
of view Wednesday afternoon.
"All this talk about a dissolution of
the beef combine is foolish" he asserted.
THE proof that the packers still have
working agreement can be easily OBJ
etained by any man who has dealings
with them. No matter what packer
buy beef from, the price quoted is ex-
actly the same for the different grades
OF steers. II does not vary one fourth
of cent. This is the only business that
know of in which a heavy buyer is
unable to obtain consideration from the
wholesalers.
Zone would naturally suppose that a
retailer who buys dozen sides OF beef
at a time would get some slight favor
xuha : 10, ba. tai
as compared with the man who confines
his order 10 a single steer or even to ~
side of beef However, the big retailer
has not such advantage over the smaller
fry. The packers fix the price in Chi
cago and their representatives in this
city stick to it in every instance. II
you don't like their price, you can go
without beef; that is the way they look
at the matter.
"The only time that retailer can |
drive bargain with the wholesalers is
when shipment of beef has been in /
the chests longer than was anticipated,
and they have TO get rid of it in order
to make room for other carloads which /
are on the way. When this happens, a I
retailer may be able to get concession
Of one fourth or even half cent, but
have noticed that the reduction is /
carefully tackled on the selling price of
the new shipment when it arrives
At Washington market, several of the |
butchers declared that the packers were
the present high prices by |
their shipments and thus keep |
ing the market short. In the previous
they said, the combine kept
large quantities of fresh meat in cold
storage in Manhattan and Jersey City,
but this year were holding back the
i've cattle at fattening prices in the
West.
The official figures of the receipts of
i've cattle in this city for the last four
weeks are as follows: Week ended May
-. 1881; week ended June l. ll,0l4; /
week ended June s, / 2S9; week ended
Tune Is, s,742. These figures are point
i to by the retailers as proof that the
packers are shipping large quantities OF
i've cattle to England and selling there
IL competition with the cheap beef from
while at the same time they
ire maintaining record prices in the do
nestle market.
When an official of the Schwarzschild
/ Sulzberger company was informed of
lie appeared to be greatly amused.
anyone who says that the packers
re holding back cattle in order to main
ain high market in the East is talk !
ng nonsense" he declared. "As mat
er of fact, the packers are simply fol- !
owing their annual custom in curtailing
hipments at this season of the year. {
he consumption of meat in the summer {
J much less than during the rest of the
ear, and we are simply shipping for the ]
market that exists. ANY retailer who {
wants beef can buy all that he needs. J
here is no shortage such as would ]
ave to exist in order to affect prices.
THE wholesale price of beef is not
ne to the packers; it is due to the high
ost of grain. Corn has never been SD
Ugh in my experience. 1t is costing the
armer so much to fatten his cattle that ,
e is forced to demand higher price
or them and this increased cost of live
attic naturally results in higher market
rices for beef