The sun., 1919-01-22
FOOD PRICES DROP;
CONSUMER HOPEFUL
Fall Follows knowledge Of
Great Stores Lying Idle in
StOrehOuses.

The wholesale prices of beef, veal.
lamb, mutton, pork, live poultry and
butter and eggs have taken down
ward course in the past seven or eight
days. The drop in prices came since the
secret got out that the storehouses OF
the country are jammed with enormous
stocks OF foodstuffs.
The descent has been hurried along
by tho countrywide agitation in favor
OF the restoration of the country's food
stuffs business to n supply and demand
basis with no Governmental price fixing
or restrictions The open winter. which
has insured a big supply of vegetables
and other green stuffs which people can
use as substitutes for high price meats.
&C., has had its effect in lessenins the
demand for meats 1t follows, men In
the trade say. that when the demand
let's up and the supply ia abnormally
large prices must come down.
However, prices are dropping. and 1t
does looks as II the consumer will be
able to get the benefit of the big falling
off Just as soon as tho retailers think
they can abandon the habit of charging
high prices and lower retail prices to
the point where they belong.
AS soon as the consumer gets the Idea
| in his head that inflated war time
| prices are no longer necessary and
| looks around for the retailer who has
accepted tho new state of facts and Is
willing TO take a reasonable proft.
wholesalers predict that he will begin
| TO think that life is worth living again.
Q. Foy, the market reporter. said
, last night there is no reason on earth. In
view OF the present wholesale prices, why
consumers generally should not reap the
benefit OF a general drop in retail prices
( OF these commodities by Friday and Sat
urdsy at the latest
Retailers" he said with much en-
| phasis," might just as well make UP their
minds right now that we are sailing Into
a lower level Of prices"
| "Since the publication OF the storage
| reports" Mr.. F'oy said, prime beef has
| dropped from to 5 cents pound. The
lower grades are down from 3 to
cents a pound. Lamb and mutton are
from 8 to 10 cents a pound lower than
| they were a week ago. Veal dropped
from to 10 cents inside the last eight
days. Pork, heavy. has declined cents
Medium light pork has come down
cents a pound. The wholesale price OF
live poultry has dropped cents a pound
in one week, or from 35 cents to q and
rs cents.
THE price OF butter-creamery extras
which was 6712 cents January IA, was
81 n cents to-day. a drop of cents. The
price OF creamery extras has fallen from
20 cents January II to 6ll5 cents to-
day. or a decline of sia cents in ten
days Eggs, Western frsts which were
IS cents dozen January II, were
quoted today at from 81 TO 62 cents.
a drop of or : cents in ten days.
These declines means that things are
looking brighter for the consumers of the
country. who have long been suffering
stat raer st,aN
require to keep life going.
THE open winter. which we are now
enjoying, has contributed greatly to
bringing down the prices of these food
stuffs
Last winter, as everybody will re-
member with SILVER. 1t was so cold
that nearly million dollars worth 81
vegetables and other foodstuffs were
frozen In the terminals in New York
J and for days dump carts were kept busy
taking the destroyed stun to the dump.
ing grounds.
} This winter great quantities Of yege
tables have been coming In from tn
South. The people have been getting thu
benefit Of them. and much OF the vegs
tables have been used as substitutes for
high price meats. SO the demand fo'
meats fell off, while tho supply in.
crease and Of course the law OF supply
and demand had to work.
This open winter also has helped
: along the hen. Although che has beer
, eating high priced feeds she has beer
dropping eggs 10 beat the band and
these eggs she never would have Ia Id
!, In such abundance II regular winter
, conditions prevailed. Ordinarily egg.
start to come in from Texas about
February /. We have been getting then
I for some time. Now they are beins
shipped from Kansas. Missouri and
, Nebra ska"