Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-09-26
MEAT DEALERS TESTIFY
IN PRICE BOARD HEARING
: committee Fails to Find Trace OF
ProfitccrinG During Probe
of Business.
lower PRICES PREDICTED
Packers Representatives Say Figures
Will Drop in Near Future aS
Market Shows Signs of Early
Break

If there is any nroHtecrinc in meats
in Richmond ii did not com, 10 lish,
when the fair-n-ico committee as
semblod ycsteraay .a,ft.crnoooIm IN Inc
STATEMENTS from thc REPRESENTATIVES
OF six packing houses Of n2ti"na! rcrU-
sation and on" retail dealer mere; -
apnoar before the committee spoh"
freely in. answer to the In'Si.onS 81
chairman. They did not 'Nads thG
Questions nut 10 them and al! Shnwr how.
possible way When Mr. Morton ASKED
tha, they ss0d price lists 20 the >"jun-
cii o. p'rfcnsc SSTn n"nSi,S na''''"
Against >tnndnrdiha,i"n.
No starting facts we're reN'aISH :
rach man took what w'"ld ot IN w
prices on certain meats ry Mr. Nor.
con Vas asked about nm" Cond.ton O.
tie local meat market ant, y hsih.r, IN
his opinion. meat prcts could pc So ,i9
ardi@ed TO ,h's. %9nST! me 2'rs ans l WfT
mat profits on certain wctl dChn%i
ma; even tfat would nc difficult h.-
cause Of The constantly shifting mar
6Sn'jjv s.x who,esaie houscse wcrs
ars.d - have men 2MT,sIIeHi ana a., ~
sni "3l. Ih@ , T|rI
o. the FrS 81 MiSn5J < 60. NJ. Eichei
Iecia-.4 chat INC cost Of doing bust
ness va-.yi s~ow = 10 q T"- cent
and tina; ne 1rev ot no Nay prodteer-
3Tt ,rs-c is any va~ - 7-oatrc- in
!. 9l@ - discover h.W Hchc.
tsrlain> rrirr Var Variance {, 80,
c,.ded NJ Ecne and in tho course -
his 7.0ltsS % the questions .; NJ MOI
ION SAID that mo oss: beef VAS NOW
co. So 10 a -
was apparent al once thai Tho mom-
Sers OF the committee considered this
from - 20 80 cents for s;eaks. AMI
when MI EiChcl tooE the chair ne
was al once asked Why retail o-,css
dealers paid only % cents for beet
Mr.. EiChel explained IN ;ull saying
that this price ,apniied 70 ..ges Of
that tha-c was much meat from tn.
side which had 10 No sold al NerN
S cents he declared. and was obtained
for cast-on and undesirable portions.
The finest steak AT his 81 or Ma, priced
at So cent a pound Mr.. Eichcl tcsti-
fed and was much in demand thcr
hcins larger purchases OF choice steaks
1han of cheaper meats.
Ncat Prices lower.
Meat prices arc lower now than they
were thirty days ago, Il developed in
the course Of the meeting. Tho aver
age reduction pound was said TO hN
OF the repressnt8;,ivGs of ne pig pack
prices were going sun l"wer within
short time. S t. Chandler. Of Morri:
& Co. said tina, The pork market ha'
broken badly and THAI the packer;
were losing money now on pork prod
nets. Lard was also getting cheaper
Ire declared.
Only three members OF tho fair-pric'
committee were prcscnt-Mr Morton
II W. Merchant and Mrs. Stuar, Mich
..,,s., rfr1,,, aF
questions. Mrs MichauN did not take
part in the discussion hn, listened in
tcntly 10 the testimony as j; was given
Other engagements interfcrcd With IN,
attendance Of the other members. Al
of whom had been notified 10y Acting
Chairman Morton.
Meet Again Tomorrow.
In statement made before the open
5nG OF the meeting for the tcstimou!
of the meat men. Mr. Morton declare,
that he was impressed with tho i'm
portancc Of rapid, hut careful. procc
durc in investigating tho nigh cost o
food and fuel He had been INFORMED
since his connection with the commit
tee, ne said, 10y local authorities tina
1hcrc were several avenues by which
Drohtce-s could be reached and il tn
laws were not far-rcachjnE enough u
secure THAI result, they should h'
.ChanSca TO meet prcsent-day condi
lions. f;vcry'rnan i'm business should
he aHow6dN 10 make a reasonable proh
and he wiring to give informa,ior
about his activities TO u committee dUl,
authorized. hc declared. in conclusion.
The next meeting az the commit"
Will be held in thc Corporation Com
mission courtroom Saturday At noon
By that time a new chairman, to TAX
7he place of II. Grayson Das6ieil, re
eigred, will probably have been ap
pointed T." Colonel G Il. Kelley. sec
Lctary Of the Virginia Council Of De
5cnSc. Colonel Kelley viii return Z
Eichmond Saturday morning from
Washington after conference Wit
:he Aforementioned on the worI
and poweT OF fair-pricc committee
throughout the state