The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-12-17
CUDAHY Tells
OF meat Cost
SAYS WAY TO GET BACK TO OLD
FASHIONED PRICES Is TO USE
"CORNED BEEF" OCCASIONAL
I "

| In his annual report TO the share
holders, L. a. Cudaiiy. president of the
i Cudahy Packing company. says:
! In my last annual report 1 said as
follows:
I'VE wish that the public could
from day to day follow accurately
with US the costs of labor. material
and live stock and could see with us
how these items account for the in
creased price of meats. Two things
are fundamental. Cheap meats can
not be made from high priced live
stock with high priced labor Neither
does the total packers profit. which
amounts at best but to fraction of a
| cent a pound, have any material effect
upon the prices which the consumer
pays to the retailer for meats and
other products"
/ If during the past year, which has
been SO filled with MISUNDERSTANDING
general dissatisfaction. public criti-
cisn and agitation. the public or its
Representatives could have followed
with us the items mentioned, we feel
sure it would have been to the benefit
Of everyone. And we feel satisfied that
if others had as intimate knowledge of
facts and conditions as does the man.
agement of a packing company, they
would fully appreciate the efficiency
of the services performed (notwith-
standing numer1ess. difficulties) and
| the nominal charge by way of profit
made for such services.
During the year the packing in
dustry has been the subject of bitter
and organized attack for the purpose
of promoting legislation seeking TO
subject it to still greater government
control The public may not realize
that even now the packing industry is
probably subject to more supervision
and more detailed control in its OPP
erations than any other business. Not
withstanding this fact and. the efforts
being made for additional legislation.
we have also been subjected to many
attacks and great agitation in the
public press and otherwise on account
of high prices. AS to these we are
certainly not the cause. but in fact
a tremendous and perhaps the only in
fluence which has operated to hold
them down at all. Our gross sales
and net profits ESTIMATED income and
excess profit taxes being deducted) for
this fiscal year and for the one i'm
rnediately preceding it. are as fol-
lows:
Year ending November . 1918:
Gross sales. 1856 $50, a714s: net profit,
$3,S76, S0S.56.
Year ending November . 1919: Gross
sales, 100000. 10000; net profit, So
0649a452.
1t will be observed from the figures
submitted that not only is our rate
of profit compared to gross sales
this year less than ever. but also that
our average profit per pound has been
certainly less than &c. Surely no fair
I.,I 1
profits. considering the risk and the
uncertainties of the business large
part of with is in a highly persl'able
commodity. are in any sense adequate.
And it is a strange anomaly that in
a year which on the whole has result
ed in rela tively low profits we have
none the loss been subjected to great
~ increased criticism.
The facts and experience of retail
ers indicate that so far as the pur-
chasing public is concerned. there has
been an abnormal demand this year
for articles of the highest price and
quality. Everybody has wanted the
best and has seemed to have the
money TO pay any price for il. Cheap
meats and cheap everything appears
to be a drug on the market and al
most unsala Bile. If there was bet
ter demand for. and if better price
could be. realized from the cheaper
cuts. it would have the most beneficial
effect all around. 1t would reduce
the demand for the highest grades ard
proba bly, would reduce their prices-it
would also enable the animal as a
whole to be handled to better adj
vantage and, while really decreasing
the prices which the public is paying
for the meats. would produce more
money for the animal and its products
considered as whole.
The surest way to get back to tho