Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-02
FIND PRICES
ARE CHEAPER
MANY NECESSITIES SHOW DE-
CREASE IN COST
LOWER FIGURES ARE REGARDED
AS PROBABLE
Interruption Of Shipping to the East
and ReadJustment of Prices Gem
orally to Bring Era Of
Cheapness

Cheaper provisions for domestic use
are In part a reality In Los Angeles
now, apC those dealing in wholesale
quantities as well as many retailers
predict lower prices before long. There
are two important reasons given for
this prospect. One is the curtailment
of shipments to the east, due to the
financial depression, and the other is
general readjustment of prices.
Many wholesalers of produce and pro-
visions say the market has been kept
at a high price too long and that the
natural process of readjustment is in
progress. This has been evident in
many lines of canned goods and staples
that are wholesaled by cases where the
drop in the case prices can have no
effect upon the retail price. For In
stance. in canned milk drop of 10 or
IS cent? on a case of four dozen tins
would he a large item in the wholesale
market, but would not be sufficient to
reach the retail buyer.
Grocers say that all produce, except
a few unreasonable stuffs, are at bot
tom prices. Last year when potatoes
were wholesaling at 50 there was a
scarcity and big shipping demand.
Now the market is glutted and the diff
ferent kinds are selling from rs cents
81 bag to SLIGO hundred weight. Re-
tailers are getting from $1.10 to 81, ac-
cording to the kinds. Not in a long
time have potatoes been as abundant
or as cheap.
Butter and Eggs
Ranch eggs are selling at retail for
% cents a dozen and ranch storage at
IL cents A year ago they We're selling
FOR 40 cents for fresh ranch. Butter
that was 80 cents and 81 a year ago is
&C. 60. fxrrn-
mound roll. The wholesale market for
creamery butter yesterday was go cents
and this is a drop of Is cents in the last
ten days. Chez Sc is cheaper, being 20
cents q pound for the desirable grades
of both eastern and California.
Last year local dealers were import
ing sauerkraut from the east because
of the scarcely of cabbage, but now 1t
is wholesalinG at so cents sack-about
so pounds-and retailing at cents
head. Cauliflower, that was high last
year. is now sc abundant that giant
heads ave sold at cents, retail.
There is practically no change in SUI
car, coffee and tea. In fresh meats and
cured mea there has been a slight
advance, probably greater In the fresh
meat than the other. This has been
due, it is explained, to the advance of
feed, and amounts on the average
throughout q carcass 10 " cent
round There have been two advances
in the last sixty days, each of "a OF
cent. The retail price, however, has
not been seriously affected.
Other Examples
Here arr come retail prices of other
things the prices being regarded as
equal to or below those of year ago:
Cranberries, 10 cents quart; lemons,
| 20 cents a dozen; oranges, 10 to 20
cents q dozen; tangerines, Is and 20
| cents dozen; apples, cents pound;
tananas, 1G cents a pound; sweet po-
tatoes (scarceJ, ten pounds for % cents.
Poultry is selling at rs cents for
dressed spring chicken, % for ducks
and hens, with other grades about pro-
portionate. Fish have been scarce and
are wholesaling at 6 and cents
pound, which Is about a cent higher
than last year.
In fresh meats, beef is selling at Q
cents for roasts, 7 for boiling, for
stewing, and IL to 20 cents for steaks.
Lamb is selling at from to 15 cents.
Eastern hams are bringing 131s cents,
whole fiitches of bacon, Is cents, and
slices q cents. Case sausages run from
g to II cents.
On the whole it is the judgment of
hose handling produce and provisions
that prices now are, on the average,
considerably less than at the same time
last year.