Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-12-03
LIVE HOG PRICES
BACK To PRE-NAR
LEVEL, IS CLAIM
Beef Is Also on Downward
Path as Far as Prices Are
Concerned, One of "the
Bio Five" Declares.
fBx The Associated Pressl


Chicago, Dec. , (by the Associat-
ed Press. )-Hogs on the hoof have
returned to what is practically
their 1918 pre-war price, judging
from figures obtained today from
one of the big five packers. Pork
and pork products, at wholesale,
are on their way toward that same
level, the November report of the
Institute of American Meat Pack
ers indicates, and have reached the
scale prevailing in April, 1911,
when the United States entered the
war.
Beefs also is on the downward
path, the wholesale price of carcass
beef having dropped II per cent
since September l, according to the
institutes figures.
Live Hog Prices Drop.
The biggest drop recorded, is IN
live hogs. The packing house fig
ures show pork on the hoof
brought cents a pound in Novem-
Der. 1918. During the war the
farmer virtually was guaranteed a
minimum average of II IL cents;
In July, 1919, the price reached 20
cents pound Today hogs are
back around 10ia cents.
Retail prices, however, have not
kept pace with the falling whole
sale market, the packing house Oh
fetal said, but he declined to be
quoted directly on the ground That
retailers might boycott his com
pany.
Quotations from two retail deal
ers, one whose store is classed as
high price establishment ana the
other as a cut rate market, snow
wide divergence in prices, parity
due. however, both said. to a ar
ference in the grade of meat'han-
died.
Figures Show Range.
Figures furnished by the packers
and the two stores SHOW the loiioW-
ing range between the packlhs
house sale price and the retaiiefs
schedule:
Pork Ioins.
1913 1919 Today
Packers price >. 15 40 q
| First Retailer 80. bo 80
Fancy Smoked Hams.
Packers price :. II 40 rs
First Retailer. -. 90 90
Cut Price Store. -. "a ~
standard Leaf Lard.
Packers price -. 21a 3 -
First Retailer -. -. 5O ~
| Cn+ price Store 2OlA
Ioins Fall % Per Cent.
The bulletin of the Meat Pack
ers' institute says that During No
! vember the wholesale price of pork
! loins declined u per cent, makihs
a total drop of As per cent since
/ october /. other declines on NO
vember 30 as compared with Oc-
| tober of this year show
! Smoked hams, 33 per cent; ran
cy breakfast bacon Is per cent
standard bacon 25 per cent; fresh
skinned shoulders, 30 per cent
1 lard, 10 per cent. =
Fxplaining why the wholesale
price has failed to fan as last as
The livestock quotations. packing
house official said:
Reason for Slower Decline.
"There are two features or the
comparative price situation tha'
should be borne in mind. one Is
fine cost of by -products; the other
the cost of labor. The average con-
sumner naturally thinks of meat an
imals only as they affect his table
! He sees that the price of hogs mas
dropped and he thinks, OF course
that meat should follow at once.
"Only about 76 per cent of the
| live hog is meat. The other "a pei
cent consists of waste and by-prod-
ucts. which just now have ht|lt
value. Also in the carcass there are
parts that must be sold for ION
prices. The entire carcass does no'
bring pork loin prices, for example e,
| Labor is now receiving mucn
greater awards than it did in lsl"
The total increase of plant WAGES
| has been more than 10 per cent
"Thus, though there have been
substantial decreases. in wholesale
pork prices, these drops canho,
| quite equal the fall in live ANNA
prices