The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-29
ADVANCE IN THE
 RETAIL PRICE OF FOOD IS CHECKED

Hartford, March 29-In review of foodstuffs prices issued today by the Federal Food Administration, it appears that Connecticut is noted throughout thee ountry as being highest in the average pricef or eggs. The food administration analysis of the retail prices for foodstuffs is as follows:
 Advances in retail prices on food stuffs have been checked. Like the race between the Allied conductive powers and the submarine menace is the race between high prices and high priced destroyers. But the advantage is slightly on the side of the regulat- ing forces.
 NO one expects low prices in war | time. At the same time it is now l accepted as the business of govern ment that prices shall not be per mitted to rise above the point war ranted by economic conditions. Since | the United States began to regulate | distribution and to limit profits, there has been a steady settling of prices to the normal economic line. We still l AA~sA' begun and we do not have the extor- | tionate prices we had at the beginning of the war.
 "A study of the trend of retail food prices for the last quarter of 1917, issued by the United States Food Ad- ministration, shows that in this per- iod, out of group of 29 articles list ed, prices declined on nine, increased on 18 and remained the same on two. Decreases were shown in wheat flour, tomatoes, corn. pork chops, while | increases were shown in bacon, ham, lard, butter, cheese and eggs.
 "The most important decrease was that of 10 cents per 1-8 barrel bag of flour. Another favorable change was that in the price of the 16 to IT ounce loaf of wheat bread, which sold al 11.3 cents on October 6, while or Dec 29 it was 1O.3 cents. This de- crease of about 10 per cent, in the price of a pound loaf of bread, follow ed the cooperation of the bakers with the Food Administration in standard izing the processes of baking.
 "A comparison of the average state quotations on a pound loaf of wheat bread shows an increase in the mum Der of states quoting this size loaf al less than ten cents.
 Q Prices still cling around the max imum on food stuffs which offer few
 opportunities for progressive stabili
 zation. All diary products show market value increases in both tht United States and Canada. A com parison shows that with regard tC price increases the United States il
 better off than Canada. During tht period in which one-third, or out O.
 29. food products in the United States were decreasing in price, only two
 out of 22 food commodities were showing a decrease in Canada. "As to variations in prices betweel different sections of the United States the report shows that they are no as a rule accidental but reflect nor i nal price differences extending owe periods of time. Thus flour is con sistent1y highest in Florida and low
 est in Idaho. Corn meal is cheaper i
 the Southern states than elsewhere During the period covered by the rec
 ord, Connecticut was almost consist
 ently highest in average price for egg! as was Rhode Island for round steal During the same quarter, Idaho re v ported the lowest average price Q potatoes ten times; California on sug ar Il times, and Oregon on roun steak 12 times.