Evening star., 1919-08-13
GAME HIGH MEAT
N PACKERS PRICES
Retail Dealers Tell Senators,
However, Profits Are 6
to 7 Per Cent.
OVERHEAD CHARGES HIGH

they could not afford to sell meats
more cheaply as long as they have to
nav the packers present prices. ana
"a long as their overhead charges were
so great
In the next breath they said' now
ever. that their net profits were from
to per cent and their gross
profits about Is per cent. Iheir net
profits for last year ran from s''oo0
TO $1,000. while their investments III
business were very small, some oi
+bem testifyinx that not more man
S50O or $1,000 was invested. hhusv
who have delivery business Wy
sutomobile necessarily have larger
Investments.
Same Rent; Higher Labor.
rbex also testified that the rentals
of their stalls in the Center ma -
had not been Increased IN .n 80,
year. They said. however .;as. .H for
wera forced to pay high prices ioi
their labor. that
The general consensus was -; .
last wear was the best, SO far as ous
ness is concerned. that the 80
meat dealers had experienced n
The dealers said they did not Delese
thst the business this year would De
40 good. because the population was
Se1,ine off and the demand not so
vreat q. W. Zimmerman OF the Ce
ter market said in TINS cos..s
that. while the retail meat pus.ne o.oJ
th;s vear was fair, it was not as gCou
"a last wear and that the demand ior
meats had fallen off 20 per cent
Hold People Responsible.
,,.rs declared that the
ueonle of Washington were larseIS
RESPONSIBLE for the present nIsn
prices. because they would not cou
slider eating the cheaper cuts OIL D
I. s. Beal said that this was apPaI-
entity true of all classes; Una. sv;ng
the best cuts; that plumbers ana o.ner
artisans who were making 80 TO % q
dsv made the same demands ana hau u
the money to pay for them. ne sal%
he had at least 1000 pounds OF DeSi ""i,
to corn which he would fke 10 SCH
for 10 cents pound.
'sIf we had more demand Tor corne9
beef, stew meat. etc. we couio anoru u u
to sell the better cuts more cnesply,
he said. He added that he hao soio
100 pounds Of "trimmings nj sas,.. the erI 49, DE-
clared that it had stood him $SV
when he purchased the beef from the
packers.
No Competition Among Packers.
The retailers said that the packers
had practically no coppetition. ana
that the retailers were forced 10 go
to them to get the beef, and to take
it at the prices nxed by the packsrs.
Prices of the packers were pretty
much the same for the same grades $
Of beef. they said. The retailers did
not charge, however. that there was
collusion among the packers In nxlng
prices to them. :.
sohdetfhes asRa6 %iqsYittssfic %iqsY tbsicss ssk1a We're re
coming down. The retailers said they
told the customers they did not know.
but that they could not come down
while they. the retailers, had to pay
10 much for beef.
Those heard by the committee yes
terday were James A. Mead, w. F.
Miller, Lowe Counselman, L. J. Riley,
T. s. Beal. T. r. Dowducy, G. W. Zim-
norman and Edward Brooke.
Some of the retailers said that they
were paying about the same for beef
this year as they had last year. while
others said they paid from to to .
cents pound less than they did a
year ago They said they were paying
from Fl to "a cents pound for beef
now, depending upon the grade OF beef
purchased. They gave prices for meat
at retail. charging as high as 50 cents
in some cases for porter house steaks.
and so and o5 cents for loin steaks.
Bacon that was purchased at So cents,
one dealer said, he sold at 20 cents a
pound. Ribs, roast beef, sells from 30
to 4S cents a pound, it was said.
Phone and Delivery Blamed.
The telephone and delivery system,
the retailers testified, had a large ef-
feet upon keeping up prices. Gus
toners phone them at any hour Of
the day and expect immediate de-
livery. when they could order early
and permit deliveries once or twice a
day. The butchers are compelled to
deliver large purchases of vegetables
along with the meats purchased in
order to accommodate customers, too.
J.. J. Riley told the committee that he
did cash and carry" business, max
ing no deliveries. He said that he had
paid 3s cents for loin meat and had
cut it up and sold it for so to 55
cents a pound and had not made the
cost of the meat in his sales. He said
he would like to demonstrate this
Tor the committee il they would visit
his place of business.
Retail meat dealers have been more
prosperous the last year or two, he
said Before that they Just about
made a living" The stalls in the
Center market are all occupied and
n -