The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-05
%PORTERHOUSE WILL
s1RY At % CENTS
Day Of Cheap Beet Over Ac-
cording to Colonel.
Power.
QUOTE IN
Less Cattle and More People
the Cause He
Says.

Porterhouse steaks will continue to
sell at So cents q pound at least for
another generation. In the opinion Of
Colonel ]. B. Power Of Fargo. The
day. Of cheap beef. according to Col
onel Power. - over. for the reason
that supply Of beef cattle IL not
increasing IN proportion to the popu.
for choice cuts.
Reasons why beef should retail at
SO cents a pound z given by Colonel
Power in an interview by Frank Park
er Stockbridge. author of an article
entitled. Beef" Thirty-two Cents q
Pound for Steak and Why" appear.
inE In h October number Of Tho
Worlds Work. Tho article also con-
tains an interview with John Clay OF
bearing his NAME.
Butcher Makes. But Loses
The author Of the article. describing
his effort to And why he should pay
~ cents tor a 2 pound porterhouse
steak. first takes up the attitude Of
the butcher. who says he makes
money selling porterhouse steaks. but
loses money on inferior cuts. Next
comes MIR. Clay. who tells OF the taste
OF all classes for the better grade
meats. the reason for advances. and
finally and conclusively. Colonel Pow
er. The interview carries Mr.. Stock
bridge to the colonies Helendale farm.
forty miles out Of Fargo.
The solution OF 3c-cert porterhouee
steaks lies in the two concluding
paragraphs Of the discussion between
Colonel Power and Mr.. StockbridSe.
The query and the %colcnel's answsr
follow:
Well. il o are not making to-
much. and the packer is losing money.
and the retailer Is only making a fair
pound for the .p~orterhcuse steak that
cost me only 20 cents ten years ago."
! insisted.
That Same Immutable Law.
1T all comes hack" replied Colonel
Power. Ito the one law that congress
has 80 far been unable to repeal-the
law OF supply and demand. There are
not so many cattle al there were ana
there are more people demanding beef.
And long before there are enough cat
tie being raised to supply the demand
for beef there will be millions more
people in the cities demanding beet.
You will probably not live long enough
to buy porterhouse steaks again for
less than 30 cents a pound"
Illustrating hts solution Of high beef.
which he holds due to the law OF sup
ply and demand. Colonel Power told
his interviewer a method he used to
determine the high cost Of beet:
Il made an investigation two q
was cheating you. sold fifteen steers
to Swift & Co. at South st. Paul for
$2.314. followed one steer through
the packing house. Swift g. Co. paid
$50 for him. The heef went to the
retailer for $6S.4o. There were $50
pounds OF marketable meat on the
steer. which the packers paid for at a
rate OF 10 3-4 cents a pound. found
the retailer getting a fraction more
carcass.
Profit in By.Products.
He was getting from rs to 80 cents
a pound for loin and ribs. is to 20
cents a pound for round and rump.
but only 5 tt 10 cents a pound for
~ per cent Of the carcass included in
cheap cuts. The retailer got $3.50
for the steer which brought me $50
from the packing house."
Colonel Power explains the loss Of
the packing house. holding that the
by.products on the steer he traced
bring the packer his profit.
MIR. Clay puts the proposition Of
owing fashion:
While the farmer 10 getting more
for his cattle than ever before. it 10
partly because Of the increased de.
mand and shortage Of supply. and
partly because it costs him more to
produce a steer and t get It in con.
dition than 1t used &c. That 10 the
real reason why Your steak cost you
SO cents a pound. There are more
people eating steaks every year and
fewer people producing them.
Coachman's Wife Could Afford It.
NOT long ago in a butcher shop
nesr my home I protested paying so
cents a pound for a steak. The butch.
er. in reply 70 my protest. said: I
don't know what we are coming to.
All I know is that your coachman's
"ife an hour age paid the same price
for the same cut.
EnEla a fnnn esm ssa. Amsr's am beef III. in
from South America. bought there
last winter. at wholesale. loins Of Ar.
genuine beef for 10 cents . pound: the
Wholesale rate in Chicago for Ameri.
can beef OF the same quality MAJ more
than 20 cents.
Out OF the toll that the consumer
pays. the farmer gets tho largest sin
s.e prom. me nest roo OF this IL
that the farmers Of America are buy
ing automobiles faster than the city
people are manufacturing them"
The butchers explanation OF high
beef prices to MIR. Stockbridge. is that
he charges high prices on the choice
cuts. composing the minor part Of 4
TO make up for his loss on the
sale OF cheap cuts. for which there
is little demand. He makes no larger
profits today than Yesterday. he says.
Tor the expense OF running his bust.
ness has risen with the high price Of
the product he sells.
ELEVATOR BURNED.