The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-08-16
MEAT PRICES
WILL SOAR
Big Winter Beef Shortage
Predicted from New
York
DROUGHT IS A
SERIOUS MENACE
Many Cattle Being Forced
to Market as a
{ Result

New York, Aug. l6-The Sun says
This country win experience next win
ter the greatest shortage of beef in its
history. Prices which already have adj.
vanced 25 to so per cent in year are
to be 10 to ID per cent higher by Jan. l.
Meat will sell at unheard of figures.
The representatives of big packer
In Chicago said yesterday: Forty cents
pound for the choice cuts seems a
certainty, 45 cents is probability, and
even so cents possibility before
spring"
George i. Mccarthy, proprietor of the
National Provisioner, said that the stock
population in the United States is more
depleted at present than it has been at
any previous time in ten years, That in
itself, Mr. Mccarthy said, is sufficient
cause for very high retail prices But
the drought in Kansas, Oklahoma and
the Southwest has aggravated the situa-
ton bad before, till it may now be
called alarming.
The expert buyer for Richard Web.
Der, butcher with an extensive bust
ness in New York, didn't hesitate to
say that prices are going sky high by
midwinter. The average price paid by
the laborer for beef to-day, he said, is
10 cents a pound. The same cuts will
be Is cents or more in few months.
The same authority predicted that the
average price of sirloin steaks will creep
up three cents in as many months, whle
the average price of porterhouse steaks
will advance four to five cents in the
same period.
The corn killing drought in Kansas
and neighboring states has deprived the
cattle raising sections of feed for their
stock Fodder remains, but the corn
itself, necessary to fatten the steers
for market, will have to be shipped into
sections of the country naturally gram
exporters, at an expense that will pre-
clude the idea of satisfactory profit by
cattle raisers at anything near the pres.
ent prices.
For ten days a steady rush Of cattle
to the big stock markets of the middle
West has been in progress. The raisers
can't afford to hold and feed the cattle.
Tn many instances cows are being sent
to market in such numbers that the
generation of calves due next spring will
be much less than the average.
Cattle receipts in the western markets
first rose above the normal when the
hot weather killed the pasturage. Car
load after carload of steers went to Chi
cago and Kansas City. The general
movement to-, the slaughter houses is
still in progress. In the first three
days of the present week 10000 cattle
were received at the western markets,
nearly as many as in the entire week
year ago.
The same conditions to a certain ex
tent holds true in the hog market, and
receipts have been nearly doubled since
the drought.
The general situation is about as bad
in the East Mr.. Mccarthy said that
farmers over great part of the East
are selling cattle just now that they
would be holding had the hay crop been
up to the standard.
Live stock prices are naturally slump
ing while the markets are loaded with
stock. But in spite of the fact that
steers and hogs are costing the packers
less than at any time for several months
no reduction in the wholesale price of
meats is announced, and the housewife
has obtained no benefits in the mar
kets.
The drought, according to stock men,
will result in immense profits for the
packers because of their ability to buy
now when the cattle raisers are at a
disadvantage and to set new prices this
winter when there is scarcity in the
cattle receipts.