Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1915-02-24
PRICE Of MEAT
TAKES DROP IN
MARKETS HERE
Cost of Living Has Taken Con-
siderable Drop-Meat Sell
ing Here at Lowest Price
During Last Five Years.

The cost of living has taken con-
siderable drop and meat is selling In
the local markets, both at wholesale
and retail at the lowest figures in ef-
feet during the past FIVE years, ac-
cording to Perth Amboy butchers.
Pork chops, which six months ago
sold for twenty-five cents per pound,
may now be puchased at sixteen
cents, and less at special sales.
There has been a reduction of three
to five cents in the retail price of
chuck, sirloin and round steaks; two
or three cents per pound on lamb and
mutton-all cuts of lamb, mutton,
pork and beef are selling to the con-
sumner at prices never before quoted
during the past five years.
Explains Drop in Meat.
Butchers and wholesalers seem to
think that the cause of the drop in
the price of meats is the fact that
grain has scared to such a high
price that the farmers generally all
through the country have been sell
ing their cattle, hogs, sheep and
lambs, causing temporary flooding
of the market, and the consequent
reduction in price following larger
supply than demand. One whole
saler stated this morning that during
the past year there was tremen-
dous number of hogs raised IN this
country, exceeding the number raised
the year previous, which naturally
helped to cause the reduction in the
price of pork, which is more notlcea-
Bile than in any other stock.
Drop of Two Cents.
A wholesaler said this morning
that six months ago beef was selling
at wholesale to the butchers at four
teen cents, whereas it now brings
twelve; that pork was selling at
wholesale as high as sixteen cents,
and now only brings nine and one
half cents to eleven.
A restaurant proprietor who buys
his meat at wholesale from a New
YORK. house, says six months ago he
was paying av> high as twenty -siz
bea.s-.~..s s..-.s .
% nor Jshat now he gets the same
, ',.., o. for sixteen cents. He said
- ne was paying as high as nine
teen cents for pork loins and shoul-
ders, and now he pays twelve to
fourteen cents for the same quality
A. local butcher made the following
retail comparisons this morning of
prices to consumers six months ago
and those today, for the best meats:
Pork loins, sixteen cents, were
twenty: ribs of beef, sixteen cents,
were eighteen to twenty-four; pork
shoulders, eleven cents, were fifteen;
hams, smoked, fourteen to sixteen,
were twenty; sirloin steak, twenty
six, was thirty-two; round steak,
twenty to twenty-five, was twenty
six; chuck steak, fifteen and sixteen
cents, was eighteen and twenty:
lamb, eighteen cents, was twenty
two; mutton, thirteen and fourteen,
was sixteen.
At another store "Callie" hams
were selling this morning for ten
and one-half cents per pound spare
ribs at eleven cents; pork shoulders
at ten and one-half cents; veal chops
at eighteen cents; pork chops at
fourteen cents; pig feet, five cents
per pound; chicken fifteen and one
half; breast of veal, fifteen cents, etc.
Butchers and wholesalers do not
anticipate a further drop In the price
of meat, but believe that as soon as
the present surplus is absorbed. and
room is made In the big cold rage
houses for the cattle and hogs
thrown recently on the market, that
the price will gradually rise,
Bread is still selling here at five
cents per loaf, though the size has
been considerably reduced; eggs are
selling around thirty cents, and the
hens are laying well, which may
bring the price Of the bird fruit down
further; sugar has taken q recent
jump and raised from five cents to
six and one-half cents within the
past three weeks.