Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-10
MEAT PRICES
ARE RAISED BY
WHOLESALERS
Increase So Marked Retailers
Are Forced to Boost
/ Cost.

Meat prices are soaring. The whole
sale rates have advanced so faf that
II will be no longer possible Tor retail
merchants to hold them to their pres
emf figures. Pork has been Increased
"a ner hundred pounds over last week,
and other meats have been Increased
in like proportion. Whole beer OF the
quality selling for fifteen cents a
pound last week have risen 70 SIX
teen this week. The housewife VINO
bought steaks for from twenty-five
Ia fwenty-eight cents a pound last
week will be compelled to pay thirty
or more cents a pound this week
Lamb and mutton have also been ad-
xanced from one to two cents pound
over the rates fixed a week ago.
Retailers generally complain that
the rise has been very injurious 10
their business. Buying has fallen of,
they say, people purchasing more OF
vegetables or fish, and less OF meat
The packers admit this ana say
that they regret it. but are helpless,
They point out that the rise would
come even il there was no war. The
increase has been natural and
gradual, they assert and is solely
caused by the law OF supply and de-
mand. They add that they are anxi-
Gus to bring the prices within the
reach of the great mass of the peo-
ole. but are unable to do So
..The packers profit is per pound
and not per cent" said leading rep
resentative today. "A low market
would mean plenty of sales, and
corresponding increase in our profits.
The fact is that we are not getting
enough meats TO supply the demand.
NV ice box should be full today, at
the beginning of the week, but it is
net. 1t is about two-thirds fun and
when the middle of the week comes,
it will be empty. Even at the pres
ent rates, I could sell twice what I
have"
One of the retailers said today that
he did not believe that the demand
exceeded the actual supply. He
charged that the big packers were
holding back beef and mutton, and
they were disposing OF certain parts
of their stock secretly.
Edward Kohn. Newark representa-
tive of Morris & Co., talking of the
condition today, pointed out the rea-
sens for the present state of the mar
ket. He said that in the metropoli-
tan district, embracing New York city
and it's immediate neighborhood, a
population of approximately 100000
people consume 10000 beeves a week.
The average farm production
throughout the United States is but
twenty-five head of beef cattle per
year.
Every week the metropolitan dis
trict depopulates 1000 farms, and it
therefore uses up the entire output of
80, 900 farms to supply the New York
district alone. This enormous con-
sumption would under any condition
reduce the available supply of beef
and send the price up.
But. in addition to this. he declared
that the cattle farms of other years
are either being abandoned or con-
verified to other uses. The average
man finds the growing of cattle too
onerous an occupation. A good corn
crop is quite as profitable as beef and
the grower does not have to leave his
bed before sunrise to care for the
corn. If he grows cattle 1t means
that he will be In the fields at
o'clock attending to their needs. So
I. is that the cattleman is becoming
more scarce in the land and his
product becomes more expensive.
Another packer, talking of prices,
said that last year this country inn
ported about a million pounds of Ar
gentine beef daily. Within the last
few days the war in Europe has en-
tirely stopped the importation of Ar
gentine meat. The sudden cessation
of a supply OF million pounds daily
was bound to have an effect on the
market, the result OF which cannot
at this time be predicted.
1t was also said that meat price
quotations must have a wider range
than they have at present. There
are 1--WE grades of meat on the mar
ket at all times" said a packer to-
day. Quotations displaying prices of
meat of low grade are injurious to
the trade. The hest grade costs from
ten to fifteen cents pound more
khan the lowest grade, and it is worth
the difference"