The Washington times., 1919-08-14

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/ unfair practice that has grown nj
in connection with informing tn
public on the prevailing price O.
beef"
When the public is informet
through advertisements that tn
average price of beef in Washington
last week was 19 cents or 20 cent?
pound" he said, lit cannot under
stand why il should be compelled {,
pay from IS cents to 60 cents {
pound for steaks.
The truth is there are several diff
ferent grades OF beef. and in ever,
carcass of beef there are many differ
ent cuts OF different values The
markets that are getting 90 cents 8
pound for porterhouse steak are
handling high grade, corn-fed beef
That quality of beef Is selling on this
market today at about IS cents a
pound in the carcass. The hindquAr-
tiers are selling for 80 cents a pound
and the loins are selling at SIS cents
a pound"
Illustrates His Point.
To demonstrate to the committe !,
! what he meant, Mr. Whitfield took
for an example a ioin Of beef that
! cost him 35 cents a pound. The total
weight OF the loin was eighty-two
! pounds. the total weight OF the trim
mings was 1872 pounds, leaving a net
weight of prime meat amounting TO
! 1914 pounds. The total cost OF the
| loin was S2s.IO; the value of the trim
| nlings, $3.50: the cost of the prime
meat, $24I0. The cost of the trimmed
loin was, 81 Z cents a pound.
From this you viii observe" he
told the committee, that without any
labor charge or expense attached to
the handling OF this meat the trim
med loin actually cost US 81 cents
a pound. In other words. we paid
the wholesaler. when buying an IN
trim med loin at 80 cents a pound the
ecu valent OF 5lh cents a pound for
the trimmed loin.
II want to say right here that
while this loin OF beef was purchased
from Armour. the same quality of
beef was quoted at the same price by
Swift, Wilson. and the other pack
ers. Furthermore. II would cost an
independent dealer just as much to
dress the same kind Of beef. There
was no overcharging involved in the
transaction.
Mr.. Whitfield went on to say II
Stesks were sold from this loin at
GO cents and SIS cents a pound for
the cuOfcest cuts, gross profit OF
only one-half of l per cent would be
realized.
He also said il the dealer sold his
sirloin steak at So cents and his
porterhouse steak at 60 cents a
pound, out OF this 35-cent-a-pound
loin Of beef. he would make a gross
profit OF 61z per cent
mo retailer can do business on
any such margin" he said.
The prices l referred to-" said Mr..
whitfield. "of advertising wholesale
prices, amounts TO a very serious de-
ception Of the public at the present
t'mr. The week ended August 8.
Swift & Co. advertised that then beef
averaged 1886 per cwt During that
week they sold straight carcasses of
beef. at IS cents a pound, and, no
doubt. sold some carcasses at II cents
pound. Out OF the top beef they
sold at % cents they no doubt sold
headquarters at b cents and untrim-
med loins at So cents
The general public are not inter.
ested in the price the packers get
for cheap grades of cows and bulls,
they for the most part are used in
the manufacture of sausages. But,
they are very greatly interested in
the prices a which the packers are
selling the retail markets their sup
ply OF beef The beef is billed 10
the branch house according TO grade. !
II would be a very simple matter fo-
the packer TO advertise the average |
price of each grade and so remove
from the public the very wrong. and !!
very dangerous opinion il now holds |
that the retail meat dealer is making !
100 per cent or 200 per cent profit, |
when, as a matter Of fact, he may be |
making a gross profit of 10 per cent
or 80 per cent
Puts Blame on Packers.
Mr.. Whitfield supplied the commit !
tee with statistics and data carefully /!
prepared. as exhibits, showing the /
margin OF profits realized by his COM |
pany on the sale of groceries and !
other necessities of life.
Mr.. Whitefield placed the blame for /
the high cost Of living on the pack !
ers generally, whom he said are al I
ways pretending 10 virtuous ignor- /
ance."
so far as our domestic meat prob
lem is concerned" he said, ''it is GER
tain that IL would be handled in a
way more consistent with the Amer
can ideal of fairness were the rail-
roads TO own the refrigerating cars
md stock yards, particularly the cars.
Ind required TO serve impartially the
small and the large packers OF the
II
Roads Should Own Cars. II
with a proper refrigerator car
ervIce from the railroads, small
packers would be able 10 compete !,
With the large ones for the business OF Il
he country. They would not be con-
ined to l5cal zones. as they now are. II
because OF lack Of shipping facilities. A
This one adjustment, in my judgment Il
would revolutioniZe the packer bust 1
.ess in few years, and give our large II
,enters OF population a competitive 4
service which they now lack and
which they very much need" u
Mr. Whitehead told the committee d
hey could not lower the cost of living
~ beating tom-toms." We are con-
.ronted with a problem in economies
md II cannot be solved by abuse. i
)Hly large-scale production and relief
rom unsouRd and burdensome taxa
Ion will bring the solution OF this
problem that the people are rightly
Lsking for"
FRIDINGER IN FORM.
Ed Fridinger. pitching for the
lenrocs, recently won the ninth
Fafc~hN --.sFna for