The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-05-01
CONSUMER IS NO
BETTER OFF YET
Retail Meat Prices Stay
lin Despite Wholesale
Decline
GRAVY FOR BUTCHER?
p,odurcr Gets Pre-War Prices
But Retailers Say Demand
Keeps Selling Price Up

,IucAGO. April 30.-Retail
h,,,l hers arc now dipping their ladle
,rbov a.e clngng onto the bowl
,,it5 a vengeance take It. from those
MI. produ.c livestock and prepare
a. .,r tho market
with d. ices of both cattle and hogs
down tu rrc-wrr levels, the retail
market still holds up and there is
rttle prospect of The public getting
a,, ero4t benefit from the slump
I'm iiyetork prices according to lead
,rs IN close touch with market con
dtions.
while prices Of choice beef steers
dropped 10 the lowest point in the
last decade. there has been an ad
vance Of from ] TO 2 cents in the
last two weeks FOR the best grade
NJ beef
strengthening of Demand"
The advance in beef quotations
was explained by butchers who said
there had been a strengthening Of
Tho demand due TO the scarcity
packers had been killing no more
than necessary and had little in
storage II was learned, so that as
soon az tho demand was felt IL had
an immediate effect on retail and
wholesale prices OF meat, but not or
livestock,
Market quotations show that live
stock Is selling below nre-war levels.
SO that the responsibility for keep
ing M retail prices cannot be placed
on the producer.
The buck" is then passed up 10
the packer-the wholesaler.
Market quotations on such articles
that tho packer sells which can be
compared to pre-war prices put the
packers In the clear Of the respon-
sihiity they say. Lard Is down "a
or IN cents which was about the
figure in 1916.
And Pork Price Stays Up.
The first meat product to com
plcte liquidation. according to pack
ers, was pork. Wholesale pork
reached the 1914 level some time ago
and vet retail pork prices are still
far above the figure OF seven year,
ago
Three and cnefourth pounds Of
pork roast today sold for s1.1S al
a leading retail butcher shop, The
,lme piece OF meat could be obtained
from any packer employees organiza
tion shop for about cents. Thi
IS above the wholesale price, as th'
employs shop must also pay IL
overhead charges from the sellini
price, the same as other retail shops
Hogs and cattle now being received
are the choicest grades. They hav'
been fed heavily in the winter ol
cheap corn and other feed. An alb
normal number OF high class hog
and cattle are reported at practicall'
all markets.
No Demand for Low Grades.
Butchers say the reason that price
remain up Il because there is no de
mand for the low grades" of mea
and they must make enough prof
on the high grades to make up 70
the loss in the low grades The
must buy both classes from tn
packer.
Inquiry at a half dozen Chicag
butcher shops for soup bones an
other cuts usually regarded as "lo,
grade brought the response tina
they had nothing Of the sort on hanC
Even tho once lowly liver man
ages TO retain the high caste {
which II was elevated in the wa,
Although the price OF the live an
mai is Just the same as it was te
years ago when enough liver coul
he obtained for nickel to feed
FAMILY OF six. Chicago butchers wer
charging 10 cents a pound.