Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-06-19
U. s Bacon Goes Begging.
More Than 100000 Pounds
Held In Storage In Baltimore.

More Than 2,4OO,OOO Pounds
Held In Storage In Baltimore.
More than 2,4OO, 900 pounds of army
bacon, on storage in Baltimore for when
the Government paid 40 cents pound,
is going begging among the wholesale
meat dealers of the country according to
dispatch from the Washington Bureau
of The Sun.
This was disclosed June Is, in the course
of the House debate on the army Dill.
With the Bureau of Markets OF the De-
partment of Agriculture as his authority
Representative S. D. Fess, of Ohio told
the House that in face of the extremely
high prices now prevailing, the packers
of the country have in cold storage L.
1897, 600, 900 pounds of meats and meat
products and 46, 600, 900 pounds of chicken.
These accumulated meats and fowl,
Mr.. Fess declared are greatly in excess
of the amounts which were in cold stor-
age during the war, and he demanded
to know why household consumers in
view of such condition, are not getting
the benefit of lower prices.
The amount of storage with the pri-
vate packers he showed, are in addition
to the l41, 900, 600 pounds of surplus meat
products which the army has on hand
Reading from the testimony of c. w.
Hare, Director of Sales of the War De-
partment before the House Military Al
fairs Committee, Representative Black,
of Texas, showed how when the army
bacon on storage at Baltimore was offer
ed to wholesale bidders, bids were received
from only IL concerns, and the highest
offer was 81 cents pound. All the bids
were rejected and Mr.. Hare was quoted
as saying that arrangements have been
made to dispose of the entire stock to
Baltimore commission house, at 70 cents
a pound, for distribution among the col
ored trade of the South.
Altogether, the testimony read by
Representative Black showed that there
is on hand at the army warehouses in
Baltimore more than 1000, 600 pounds OF
meats and meat products, some of which
the War Department has offered for
sale to penal and eleemosynary institu-
tons in the vicinity and in other parts
of the country, and part which probably
will be offered direct to the public at the
warehouse.
Explaining why the wholesale and re-
tail dealers did not bid higher for the
bacon, which is somewhat saltier than
commercial bacon and smoked longer,
Mr.. Hare told the committee, according
to Representative Black, was that the
tins in which the bacon and other meats
were packed are larger than the tins
ordinarily used in the trade and that they
were not put up or labeled to suit the
trade.
The lot sought to be sold in the bidding
at Baltimore, Mr.. Hare testified, amounts
in the aggregate to 2,430,0 900 pounds of
bacon in service crates. In addition,
there are on storage here S, 900, 900 pounds
of bacon in l2-pound cans; 10,O 600 pounds
of corned beef in 6-pound cans; $1,000
pounds of corned beef in 24-ounce cans;
and 10, 900 pounds of corned beef hash in
2-pound cans.
Representative Fess, quoting from the
Department of Agriculture figures show
ed that the private packers have in stor-
age at present the following amounts of
meats and meat products:
Frozen beef, 167, 900, 900 pounds; cured
beef, 27,0OO,000 pounds; frozen lamb and
mutton, 100000 pounds; frozen pork,
1873, 900, 900 pounds; dry salt pork, 4l3,-
OOO, 900 pounds; picked salt pork, 49,
900, 900 pounds; lard, l07, ZOO, 900 pounds,
and miscellaneous meat products, 49,
900, 900 pounds.
With regard to chicken he showed that
the packers have on ice 10, 900, 900 pounds
of broilers. as against 5000, 600 this time
last year, an increase of 246 per cent;
$4,000, 900 pounds of roasting chicken,
as against 1000, 600 last year, and ordin-
airy chickens, 1000, 900, as against A.,
900, OOO-a total of as, 600, 900 pounds. as
against IA, 900, 900 pounds.