Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-01-16
BUTCHERS ONLY
AFTER PEDDLERS
SAYS MATHEWS
No Intention To Cut Out Cured
Meat SaIes-Point Out
Objections

butchers of the city against meat
peddlers was never meant to include
cured meats, and that the butchers
have no objection, in fact want no
restriction, against the farmer sell
| ing cured meats, was the statement
today of r. T. Mathews, local mar
ket man, in discussing the contro-
versy that has arisen over the altera-
ton of the special license ordinance
recently by the city council. AT
| the same time Mr.. Mathews stat
ed that some of the utterances of
lpersons representing themselves as
speaking for the farmers at the coun-
ell meeting last Friday were unfair
and incorrect.
"In the first place." he said, at
was never the intention of the deal
ers to include cured meats. We fa-
ivor allowing, the farmers to sell their
cured hams, shoulders, side meat and
cured sausage as much as they care
to, and make no complaint whatever.
What we do object to, and all we OBJ
ject to, is the professional meat ped
dler and the man who peddles meat
! without sanitary restrictions, while
we are obliged to observe sanitary
rules. There are a number of farm
ers who have been making a business
| of buying up hogs and peddling the
meat around town We submit that
this is not right or fair to the dealer
in town who pays his license. And
| they do not have to observe any sani-
tary restrictions. The butcher can
not even hang a quarter of meat out
in front Of his place of business as
an advertisement; lie must keep it in.
side away from the dust and properly
screened.
No Meat Protection.
/ The peddler, however, comes into
town with his meat and goes up and
down the streets, with all kinds oil
persons handling it, possibly many OF
them diseased, and with dust from
the street flying, fully as much dust
as would come in contact with a
piece of meat hanging out at the mar.
ket.
Some have suggested that the city
compel the farmers to have their
meats passed by sanitary inspector
before going out to sell it, and fore.
ling them to obtain a permit, making
affidavit that their meat was produc.
ed on their own farms. Such restric.
tlon would be harder blow to the
farmers that what we have been ask.
ing.
II cite an example of how the ped.
dlers work A certain man has been
peddling meat around town all sea.
son. We went to the city marshal
and he said he couldn't touch this
man, as he had asserted the meat
was raised on his own place. We in
vestigated and found from his neigh.
bors where he had been buy.
ing his meat. He had been simply
lying about raising it, and had been
coming in here making a business of
selling meat, without sanitary restric-
tion and without paying license. II
isn't right and it isn't fair.
81 have been farmer most of my
life; and know both sides of this
question. One of the men who stood
up before the council the other day
and said there was no money in sell
ing meat wholesale has been buying
from farmers and selling the meat to
the butchers at a profit during the
warm months. His howl comes in
the winter when he doesn't. need ice
md he thinks he has chance to pick
lp extra money peddling the meat
| Something of Prices.
Farmers ask the market man Is
I ents for livers and peddle them for
10 cents apiece; | offered man / S
ents the other day for chitterlings
md he peddled them out at 12 Up
.ents. | have the proof of these
statements. And there are plenty. of
other examples of the kind.
"As for the consumer in the city
le doesn't have to~pay big price
% the market man, and he is get
ing, in the way of good meat and
,anitary conditions A man will lei
lis wife go to the millinery store and
! pay $50 for hat, in which the profit
S so to rs per cent and think little
If it; the transaction requires one
person and paper bag to wrap W
| The package. 1t requires market
IA whole day to sell $50 worth Of
meat, gross, with several meat cut
ers at work and several boys on bi
icycles to deliver it. SO you see
where the profits are in this business
TIE fact is, we are making moth
ing just now in these reconstruction
| lines. But we do not believe W.
! should be put out of business to save
| the farmer any more than we believe
the farmer should be put out of busi
mess TO save us. What we want i
Ito do the right thing and have thl
right thing done by US. We want t.
lput a stop to the peddler who make
| it business-and that is all we wan
land ask