Show y INCREASE IN I MEAT PRICES 1 f Wholesale Quotations Are Arc 33 13 3 Per Cent Greater in Ten Years BIGGEST MEAT NEAT EATING P PEOPLE OPLE Smoot and Sim Sim- mOBS Disagree on Price Pric-e of Meat in Utah BY FREDERIC J. J HASKIN The 10 lUo most t distressing item iu the in in- asel cost ost of or living to th the ar average J householder i is the hi higher reo of oC r meats Tn tu most other countries jhU 1 is does docs not disturb the average t bouso iCe fife f for the simple rca n that meat o outs b too ninth to be e eaten at nt nfl all The States i is the only large harg o nation ii I worM world where common common people ri n afford to cat Ct meat err c day And Anti lie bO burden hero i is il becoming great The n addition of oC i 1 c cent n a pound lo to lolic lic price of oC the thc moat moal cou consumed by hr the u people means a total adili- adili nal naJ expenditure of each dye c Ill months month OH t Ii 1 Trice ri c a 1 il ii vest I gnU O ii n io o bv by the bureau of ot labor show how howat independent examinations bat at the wholesale prices of oC meats ha c approximately third one in fen Ii years Assuming that th-at the tho er a average ge pr price ce lias has advanced cd in tho same samo and that the average l price per fi oli ll of all tl meats was l 32 12 cents ten years ears ars ago the increase woul represent sent nt about 4 I cents a pound iu in in the Prices rices paid bv hy the consumer This r s asumption as- as errs on ou the side of vat bm m if at it all ea I crease Aggregates I 1 On this this' bu bass basis is the retail meat dealers dealers' th tho States charge c nearly more for furnishing the thc n s meat than thun the thc they lid dill a decade ita jo Six bun hundred million is s a t Whole lot Jot of money It is enough h to I J ay for or digging th thu Panama Canal and andu I In u n fleet ot of drea nau for br the tho Pacific on the thic t aide itle It is 13 s more than h to pay pa pathe the expenses s of tho the Q or a a Year But of J uT wo tho retail meat eat dealer has bus h to nr tue tb this hugo othet ibs of persons interested in the thc pro pro- lj m at and at t the h ho same time ho lias liH aH to fo hi his isi own 11 individual co cost t f Jr iving problem The hc in investigator must naturally be ben beU n U with nith the youn cattle which bich arc to toa a ron converted into tee beef cattle ettIc an and L lat Lit into No a Jess HU an u authority kag r Wilson son ot of the department tc of or agriculture declares that thit in in e e tig lo wUl find that the o 9 cattle catHa on oh grnes up to toM M two o ocara cara old olti sell for foi 4 1 cents I n. n pound nul aul that there thero ll Las haM been but buti o in the tho value of thc these e rat cat in twelve y years eara rs lie He concludes that I at-I bih bich price orico of ot m meat at is created some there hero between the tho tok tC k steer and the A portion of orl bi hit increase of price he hc linds is at imitable to the cattle feeder 1 cl 0 iani ru rs ugo ig in Iowa Jowa corn lorn did not Hot cost fost lire r ro than iO o cents cn s a bushel whilo r recent mouths months it hii has cost from HO HOto O 1 tt kt to 61 cuts cents a ll It is as as- rte tied b bv by tb the cattle feeder that h ha ho ba hos k s 5 a smaller profit out ont of bis bb bus busi- busi ii f s the present hi high h prices of ed d that he be made a 1 decade 4 go igo o when jh th feed and beef cattle were lo lower cr rAud ud iid more important than all perhaps 4 M the fat fact t that ha 1 the free grass 1111 ranges CS jf f f the the- western plains are arc rapidly di di- 1 f in ju extent Public jf Blames Packers fr J. J P rl the rn n a man attributes hutc larger proportion ot of the increased t of meat t to the packers than to toiny iny OJ other r factor rador of t the meat trade H It IB 8 believed d that they wield b ti o sword s which cuts cute down Ine he be price once to the cattle f raiser Jiser ou on the tho one I nil J nod and d puts up tho the price rho of meat melt to he the consumer on the other oilier hand band Of or orUI U LIO they have hu their defense ready at 3 H L times This defense e conies from froni the jt itself lt although tho the govi gov- gov ov meat i is now prosecuting tin t the he beef 1St The packer denies the charge Continued on pig page 1 1 j TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN MEAT PRICES Continued from page Ipac 1 i. that he lie i is is making more than he was a 4 cir 3 ago 0 and anI points to the statistics tics of J 1910 10 IIO h lS by the United States bure bureau n of or labor These chow that the tho price of bo beef boef f on ou u the hoof wa was about about 11 41 per cn cent higher in in 1910 than thanIn thanin thanin in 1 0 At t In tho same anic time the price of hoof heel 1 was as only 33 per pcr cent higher in 1910 thai thun it wn in 1900 1000 They assert that if the they arc lre rc responsible for the increased C price th then fi figures ures of the bureau of labor are arc worthless s aol that on t the he other hand j if r tho f figures Jures of or ortho the tho bureau of or labor Jabor arc correct thou the the- they arc dcarl clearly cd 01 from irom s1 bi I uty It is claimed by r n a n representative packer not identified With walt the c big bi four of Chicago that it costs his company about a i head bead to put PUr- chaco and drive e their cattle slaughter them nud aul refrigerate er te tho the beef Ho Ito says say that the tho byproduct of the packing house is worth in its ils state slate practically one fifth of the value of the on the hoof At tho recent a Washington butcher who ha has no facilities ties tics for utilizing a largo portion of the b byproduct declared that the tho pacKers could produce beef cheaper thap he hc I could When the senate investigated tho cost of living hj Senator Smoot declared de do- that b he found tho the of bome borne slaughtered meat in iu Utah was just as I bi high h as that of meat butchered In Jn in Chicago Chi ea cago o Senator Simmons took a cou trun vie view Ho lEe declared d that his bis meat in In North Carolina cost him no more than half as much as his meat in Wash Wash- ington Senator Johnston asserted that ho bo knew a place in Alabama where ho bo could bu buy good beef at 1 G cents a 3 pound A year rear or two to n ngo no o Secretary Wilson Vilson S made an investigation into tb the tho price of beef in seventy eight i ht cities The Tho result re rc suIt sult of this in investigation showed that the tho retailer sold bis his meat at an advance ad vance of 38 per cent ab above o Moro More oro remarkable than this was the disclosure dis ds closure that prices advance aule more rapidly rap rap- idly on tho cheaper cuts an and grades of meat than on the higher priced and better grades Thus it was found that the burden foil fell more il heavily upon tho the poor Secretary Wilson estimated that the poor have bave been for forced cd to contribute I nearly double the gross profits contributed ted by br the well to do tin And AnI yet et it has hus always alT been claimed that t the tho e hi higher her cost of meat arises from the partiality of the people for the better cuts than the necessarily low prices of the cheaper cheap er cr cuts and cheaper cattle Retailer Blames Method of ot Living The Tho retail merchant insists that modern mod mol ern era retailing conditions arcS arc such th that t the he really makes less mone money than he be did when his hh prices were one lower ocr Some retailers have c made sworn statements state stateS ments in which they declare that flat dW dwelling and telephones t tend nJ to ma make c I their m methods of distribution so costly that nothing less than the thc prices they charge 1 will afford them a living Ono One grocer tracer declared that he bad two meat stands in a Baltimore market and that on tho the one a roust could conid be bou bought ht at cents rents a pound while on the other the the same Mme cut rut would woul co COt t 2 cents a pound oun Maii people their marketing marketing mar mar- to their cooks rooks and aDd fre frequently tho thic explanation of a big meat bill is to be found thereA there A Washington ton butcher tells an experience experience he lie had with r Lady adv She had hind been dealing with him fory for y years cars ars One d day a now cook came came tl to the British embassy York Sh She went to the meat man roan and de demanded IC- IC a n commission commiss on on all m moats meats ats bought for tIme tIle dors dor's household He lie refused to pRy pay pa the commission ion whereupon she d declared she be would make malie him him r rue c the day by hr taking the thc emba embassy embassy's s 8 tride away avay from froni him A week or so o later hater the tho ambassadors ambassador's wife t telephoned the butcher to como come to the embassy She informed inform d him that sho had find not hail had a good steak or roa roast t for several cral weeks and wanted to know what tho trouble was He Ic told her what hat tho the cook had said to him Another An other cook was waR brought fro from in New NewYork ew en York and the Hie British embassy J hal hat good meat thereafter This meat nun I tJ declares de clares that in ill a large c number of prices lT ct's arc charged cd which will 1 in include in- in clude chuie commissions to cooks and butlers but N Not ot t only has th the price of beef mutton mute mut ton nail and pork increased but that olevery olevery ol 01 r c every other kind of meat HS as s well Twenty I en t ty years Cars ago Smithfield hams hanis could bo be hOll bought hl for 10 mo rents cents lIts a J pound A W Washington 1 market man recently ex- ex an nn account ho kept with Mrs Mis 3 T 11 n she hi hc was al in th the t hito house Tho The turkeys for her hll Thanksgiving ins din ncr ner cost only 10 If a pound The Tit it account ac- ac r- r count contained rm do of other items 1 which showed as remarkable hlo a oner Cne from pT prices les Ht U pr present nt prevailing l It is said Fairl that of al nil all products ts sold ooM bv in inthe the he meat mau InU fi fish h show hn thi the smallest JIlt over Q prices one and two U de de- t t-ades ago 0 Meat Inspection Law Laws Blamed pr persons ons attribute pun part of the responsibility fo for higher meat pr prices etl to the hc of time the mr meat tt inspection laws lan arrs They point out that several sc milion mil mil- iio lion ion animals are an condemned annually all and that th millions of f r pounds l of meat From othen iF healthy animals also alfo Ifo roach reach the f fertilizer fa factory et on It Tt has hu lien eon Oll estimated t that at approximately 1 t Iper per rent cent of all the hO hogs I sent ont lo 10 kt t an ar are condemned and that au nu average aver er t r. r ax age of a pOll pound 1111 and amid H a half lr of rat meat from roni rach each I slaughtered animal is cou cou- dc iii a ed Perhaps the mo most niost t spontaneous rou aol rapidly rapilly spreading movement et ever o inaugurated in the United tl 1 States was that begun in ill 1910 lOhO in ill Cleveland for the meat dealers during time tho tho I r reign l n of high meat prices The lime move move- cut was as starred Tred b W V Sr liu a factor factory One lIr day daV he lie rate w-ioto on nn oni nna II a i ship alip of If paper a It pledge that he hc le would a not miot ln ri t tIll the iu f of or hiJ high prices IHl buy a aJi merit H UP lie showed this thi it tie pledge dge o to hi hit friends In Tn i vet f 1 others other hail had n It similar ledge r 1 In In a fortnight the ruo ll hail iad become an j wide ip imi the tho nation 1111 Imd a hundreds of cities Many j meat lt declared 1 t I that hat the they lo t I hUI f sands of dollars h by ti h cru crusade However How ever er as us was vIs the of fight fishl died in ill few fw weel o out tt a a I ind the f famous mr meat t boycott was o cr I Tomorrow THE TIre COST OF LIVING G. G III Tho The Tho F Family Grocery Bill |