The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-19

 ment is powerless to control retailers. except those doing business of moro than $1oo,000 year. He did not care to discuss the question of whether Congress would be asked to extend his authority, saying he wanted to give the retailers a chance first
 ILLUSTRATION GIVEN
 As an illustration of how the
 price to the consumer is keeping
 mp, a statement issued by the ad-
 ministration said beef now is sell
 ing in Chicago mt I4M cents s
 pound, compared with IS cents in
 July. while the average retail price
 of round steak now Is 3I cents
 compared with 27 cents in July.
 The milIers' price for first patent
 flour in jute bags ranges from sI0
 to $10.7O, but the average retail
 price is S13.7z, or, the administra-
 ton says, from $1.50 to s2 more
 than the wholesale figure war
 rants. Sugar should sell from to
 sR cents n pound in spite of the
 present temporary shortage, as the
 wholesale figures have not ad-
 yanced.
 Now that it fs all over, Mir HooN4s said, it may be admitted that in Ssf tember the country faced a seriotl shortage of flour and New York eff, at one time was down to d 36-hou supply. Virtually the same conditici prevailed at Philadelphia and othe consuming centers.
 HOOVER'S STATEMENT
 The food administration consider The administrators statement follows that, subject to cooperation from tn farmers and the retailers, the corner ha now been turned in high prices and tha most of the essential commodities shoult one after another continue to show re ductions tetween now and the end of tn year. The food administration has n control of either the grower or his or ganization nor of the great majority 0 retailers. The foundations have been Tai, for regulation of the intermediate trades and where these regulations have com into force and the trades are co-operat
 
 dent in the wholesale prices.
 FLOUR PRICES VARY
 The current prices at which flour being sold at the milf door in jute bag vary somewhat with the locality an freight charges on wheat. Toledo show ing tlie lowest prices at sl0 for first pat ent and s9.70 for second patent, the high est being Suffalo, at sl070 for first pat ent and sl0.70 for second patent; Mime apolis being sl06O for first patent an s.0.46 for second patent. This shows large reduction under August prices.
 The regulations on the distributio of wheat and the manufacture of flou were put into force the middle of Ser tenlber.
 RETAIL PRICE TOO HIGH
 ..'rhe average retail price on first patents in 70s cities on Octo-
 her 1s wns $I3.77. or from $1.5O
 to s2 per barrel higher than is warranted by the price being made by the miliers. In other words, the retail price has not wholly re-
 sponded to the reductions made by the milIers.
 "The bean harvest this year is est | maled by the department of agricultul ar approximately 100000 bushels in e, l cess of last year, or nearly double las year, and promises an abundant suppi. he growers association in prominei bean producing states are holding bear for from 131ac to 15c per pound, s against an average price realized by tf grower last year of Sc per pound. Thel l has been 100 per cent increase in tf 1 Manchurian bean crop, and it is no | estimated at 1000, coo tons owing to shil 1 ping shortage, practically the only outl' is to the United States, and these bear 1 Will flow into the American market frol December on much below the prices no being demanded for American beans
 "The corn harvest this year is 6oo0oo,e 1 to 7Oy.0OO GOO bushels over last year, an wil! he generally available about the CT i of November. The price of corn rose 1 g. g per bushei in July and now stant at $1 90 per bushel in Chicago. New cor l is quoted in Chicago at $l.13 per bush for December, and indicates nearly a per cent drop in the price of corn me when the new corn is generally availabl l CHEAPER FEED PROMISED
 The very large corn supplies from Il new harvest. together with the larg supplies of barley. velvet beans, cotts seed, peanut and soy bean meal. all pron I ise much cheaper cattle. hog and pou 1 try feed and win enable the productie of beef. pork. poultry and dairy produc at much lower levels of cost to | farmer than today, and his earnings e
 (Csati.ued sA Fsss TAsss1