The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-04-27
PRICES PLAYING SEE.SAW.
Some Food Costs More and Some
Costs Less.


going down?
The question is one that interests
everybody and yet no one around
Baltimore seems to be able to answer
| it,
On some hands there is an indica-
ton of falling off in the prices Of
| foods stuffs. Yet other reports are
| discouraging. Yesterday there was
| slight decline in the price Of some of
but offsetting this a stall keeper in
Lexington market made the predic-
| tiOn that before another week shall
| have passed the price of beef, at any
rate will have advanced from one to
| three cents a pound. II am now get
| ting % cents a pound for rib roasts
and 30 cents pound for porterhouse
| steak" said he, "and unless some
thing unexpected happens 1 will have
to get more before the last Of next
week"
With probable advance in the price
| of meat, however, there comes a re-
| port Of a considerable reduction in
| the price Of flour and bread loaf.
Wheat has been on the decline for
| several months. On February first,
| that commodity sold on the Balti-
more market for $1,2S bushel. Yes
terday it closed at $1.O5 1-2 a bush.
el-a decline of one-half Of a cent
from the ruling prices of the day be-
fore, and general decline from the
| February high-water mark Of % 1-2
| cents a bushel.
The price Of wheat today is nearly
33 per cent. lower than it was at this
| time last year. but then the market
| was completely dominated by a vest
| ern speculator who had manipulated
a corner For that reason it would
hardly be fair to make a comparison
| Of the prices Of this year with the
| prices for the corresponding periou
of 1909.
Several reasons are assigned for
| the falling off in wheat prices. Chief
| among them is a lack Of export de-
mand. due to fairly good crops hav-
| ing been harvested in other wheat
| growing countries. The Argentine
crop is up to the average. The India
crop is also of fair size, while from
| Russia comes the report that it's crop
! is the largest grown in years. Again
| the millers throughout the country,
| in anticipation of shortage and not
| Wishing to be caught short as they
| were in 1909, stocked up early in the
season and have had on hand sum.
| cient wheat to carry them over. Then,
too, the prospects for a bumper crop
| this year have had it's effect on the
market. According to all reports
there is every indication that this
years crop is going to be one of the
best harvested for a long time.
Wheat is not the only food commo-
dity that has declined in price. Old
| potatoes are lower now than they
| the retail markets the ruling prices
| range from about SO cents a bushel
up, according to quality, but the
| statement is made that out West,
| where a great many farmers held
back their crops in anticipation of
| higher prices, they are now glad to
| get rid of them at from 20 to 25 cents
| a bushel, and as a matter of fact po-
| tatoes are selling at a lower figure
in New York State
Early vegetables are also some
| what lower in price than they were
| at this time last year. This is ex-
| planned by some Of the dealers as be-
| ing due to an advanced season. These
| men are authority for the statement
that vegetables are coming to the
| market this year fully two weeks
earlier than they did last year
| With the prices Of some food stuffs
going up and the prices of others
| coming down, it would hardly seem
safe to forecast future living costs.
About all that can be said is that
| there is strong hope that the raises
| and declines will balance each other
| and prevent the cost of living from
| becoming any greater than it now is.
Baltimore Sun.
| Charters Recorded.