Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-17

replied. more, Of course, now than in nor
mai times, This is partly as a safety meas
ure against greater scarcity in the
future. But for the most part the meat
that is held rs meat which Is to be used in
by-products-sausage, etc. And several
miliions OF pounds Of meat in relation TO
the total consumption is almost negligible.
DEFENDS PACKERS
The idea that exists in the heads OF a
great many persons that the packers Tor
their own profit hold large consignments of
meat IN the storage houses is ridiculous
AT present we can't get enough live stock
70 keep our vast organization operating at
that the packers are profting by these high
prices: Personally I had the best year Of
my life when beef sold-wholesaie. Of
course-tor four and a half to Ave cents the
pound. There has been an increase in the
price OF ABOUT 800 per cent since then and
our prohts are not SO great
I'm a recent article T osdon Ar,o,,r
brings out this point forcibIv lie .a;d. .I
say frankly and boldly that ir,eA, prrce In.
ases the are not due to big profits so far as
ene meat purveyors are concerned The
packers profits on meat are 30 small as 10
oe a,nost negligible when applied TO the
moun. Ae.i Oh days purchase by an average
a. lar an FAMILY. 1t Is actually a fact that
tne fresh meai from the steer or the hog
vi .ne sheep Is sold by the packer to the
Ietaiier at figure which often fails 70 nav
.or ,ne raw product: that is, the animal on
tne moor l do not mean to infer that there
T,, ~ proht IN the slaughter Of live stock
~ ~neIo rs profit. but II comes from products
other than those sold as meat,
Packers earnings come from bvprod-
uc.s ana not from the sale Of meat: their
pronts actually make meat cheaper TO the
consumer and more remunerative to the
producer" ~ >
STOCK FEED AWAY UP
Maet dealers point out that the price Of
reed Tor animals has never been higher and
that at times labor simply cannot be had.
1t used to be-" one man said, "that a
farmer could buy corn for twenty-five cents
oushel to feed his hogs with. Now he is
lucky II he gets II for S1.50 or 81. 1t used to
De that the free grazing lands in the West
mad almost unlimitable boundaries. Now the
iand has been developed and the cattle are
cramped Tor space 1t used to be that you
could get a man on farm for So "a day.
NOW you can't get one for IS.
"It wuld be an object lesson to a great
many persons IL they could afford to 20
into Bucks County and buy n steer or a
COW. Then, II they reckoned their expenses
the labor, the transportation, the waste
that they had TO pay for in buying the
animal on the hoof, they would see where
the packer and the retailer get off They
"oulu see why ne mas 10 sell MS sirloln
at fifty cents a pound, and why he may be
forced to sell 1t at a dollar"
Proof positive of the shortage In meat Is
given, retailers say, by the mere fact that
the large meat packers are urging meatless
| days. If all deny themselves a little, seems
to be the theory. many will not have to &c
without it entirely.
And until the small farmer. millions OF
him, is stimulated to the raising of cattle
|
| decrease while the demand is on the in
crease. meat dealers declare. ITO meat o,
not to meat" will be a question that car
be answered only in the negative.