New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-25
POU[TERERS WILL GIVE
THE HEART|EST THANKS
Price of Turkey May Reach Its
Highest Mark on CON-
ing Holiday.
BLAME LAID ON CONSUMER
Dealers Say That Lofty Prices
Are Due to Concentration OF
Demand Into Space
of Few Days.

Some time between now and Thursday
stop tor a moment and think Of all you
have TO be thankful for. If you are
Democrat the election is source OF COM
forting speculation. If you are SUI
ragist, think of the states which the
cause has captured. If you are base
hall roOter, remember that the Giants
won the pennant.
Even should none of these facts cause
you TO rejoice. you doubtless have much
for which to be thankful. Conjure all up
within your mind and get yourself in
state Of perfect peace before YOU HE
yourself TO the butchers for the pro-
verbal Thanksgiving turkey. for unless
the unexpected happens between now and
Wednesday there is a Jolt coming which
may do much to destroy the thankful
mood in which all good citizens find
themselves at the Presidents order
around the latter part of the month OF
November
The old cry of Turkey higher than
ever before" has been raised again this
year, and apparently it is only too true.
The wholesale figure for the dressed
ARTICLE without which no Thanksgiving
dinner is complete was in the neighbor-
hood of 2S cents a pound on Saturday.
The Droha Utilities are that the price will
go higher.
According to the man in the long
white apron who sells turkeys, the prices
asked this year are no higher I'm com
parisOn with the general cost of other
commodities than in former years Re-
ports from the rural districts which ship
large numbers of birds to the city mar
kets state that there are sufficient tur-
keys 20 go round. Why, then, the poor
old ultimate consumer wonders. are
prices bordering on the prohibitive?
The Why and Wherefore.
One theory advanced is that the public
is entirely responsible for the present
state of things People have always
been unwilling to buy turkeys until a
day OF SO before the time they are to be
eaten. Except in the larger restaurants,
the consumption of turkey is practically
nil at times other than Thanksgiving
and Christmas. \ few weeks before
these holidays the poultry men have TO
begin killing and shipping the birds to
the city in order that the demand for
them may be met when the rush sets in
because few are sold until the eve Of the
holiday there is cost entailed in keep
ing the turkeys until the public is ready
10 buy them; hence the high price.
The man who pays the household bills
may ;hink otherwise. but ii seems d GER
tainty that in spite Of aamathemss he
may heap upon the butchers head he i.
certain TO pay in the neighborhoOd Of 40
cents a pound for his gObbler
The increased cost OF turkey, as well az
the sarnishments Of the properly pre-
pared Thanksgiving feast. will doubtless
make itself felt more In the tenement
house districts of the city than else
where. Some comfort may be derived by
those TO whom the chances OF eating
bountiiul Thanksgiving dinner are always
matter Of speculation in knowing that
elaborate preparations are now being
made by many charitable institutions to
provide properly for them. Last year the
luea OF giving uncOOked basket dinners
10 the needy was employed by one OF
the largest institutions doing relief work
IN New York and this year they intend
10 operate On greater scale. Besides
this expeGient there will be many long
boards about which will gather the ha-
DitueS Of the Bowery and all the other
members Of the submerged tenth
Cost Third Higher This Year.
1t has been estimated by authorities
vino pose as knowing that the cost Of
the Thanksgiving dinner this year Will
be third more than last. IL you do not
remember what last years spread cost,
get out your receipt files and figure out
what is coming TO you at the end OF the
week II viii not avail any one much
10 try to hedge by buying chickens, ducks
or geese as g substitute. for there again
the prices have acted like the mercury
in a thermometer on q hot day. Nege-
"a hles 100 are rather cOSllN- In SWIM