Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-11
REASONS GIVEN FOR
PRICE FLUCTUATIONS
Meat and Produce Dealers Believe
Matters Will Eventually Get
Back to Normal.

Some of the Philadelphia newspapers
having expressed pcssimstic views re-
gard,ng the prevailing prices of food
supplies IN that city, under the changed
cnnd,sons following the lifting of the
food administration han, inquiries were
made of some of the dealers IN this city
who are IN position to speak with
knowledge of the facts
Regarding the prices Of meats, Max
Natthcs. nf the Wilmington Provision
Co. SAID: There has been an advance
IN the wholesale prices OF beet mutton
and pork, amounting IN the case oi lambs
80 three cents a pound on the hooi,
which means double that figure for dressed
carcascs and triple over the retalier
counter; but this consider only tempo
rary fuctuation. more or less to be eN-
rccted AZ this season of the year and due
To conditions existing on the ranches in
the grazing regions around the holidays
The ranches celebrate the holidays not
hv individual days. hut by 'layof for
a fortnight or three weeks; with the re-
sui, that there II a falling of. and some
times a total cessation of shipments,
thus affecting the mar kct.
lie Illustrated this situation by refer
ing "a y shcaf of telegrams ON his desk.
daily bulletins OF receipts ~ the Chicago
stock wards: for the inst two days OF
fhl, week the arrival uf hogs was few
hundred head Ter dav. whilc on Wednes-
daV and THURSDAY tlcy were t2,oOO and
81 OOn. respectively
inothcr aspect ~ tic matter u That
III dCk,Ns ~ transportation. which he
Illustrated hY 'he non-arrival last Mon
,lav ot car of beef which was due and
expected. hut winch did not show up
re.s
sulting made IL necessary to raisc the
prices 10 the dealers slightly. hut not
enough 10 matCIially affect retail prices,
and this increase IN price was dropped
when supplies increased
Mr.. Matthcs referred 10 these huctua-
tIuns rs illustrating he attitude Of packers
generally IN this part uf The country, who
~ carving over no surplus stock. buy
unr and selling onl1 - their trade re-
mlu,~ Which uak,> the market very
SENSITIVE a. ~hC.t fluctuations Tie =
uml II thc ppnlun, however that
,on,ilt,ot~ vii tslr steadily declining
J.nd. winch VIII however. cover the
r,st - th,. wear III returning 10 level
uis, tnr.tlh the >amc a. that existing tc-
trrc Il, world var
Nth regard 10 'h, cgC market {
Dlggau~ sand Thc,o arc practically
ftu storage eggs IN stock doubt u
man could tud ton carloads ~ any price
This CONDITION l. due to the government
regulations. IN large part Int slows tie
l"nctii fhai storage practise has on the
cgi,ahling of demand and supply such
-.utas Oggs =, aIe avallAhlc commend
= ,tnt, III wholesale by the hoN which
:, aniy ten cents Undcr hat for strIctlN
tt,.,l nearby
\, r,caId> vegetables potatoes at 81 80
and II - wholesale PEI tlshel are not
h,gi. p-iccd. some ,an hc had AZ 81 -.
int not the sort that this locahtv de
mands The requirements " the govern
ment for camps and cant nments have
used up an enormous part oi the supply,
l0.OOO.OO0 bushels being drawn from the
States OF Wisconsin and New York alone
Onions, which were sli per hundred
pounds "a year ago. arc today s. 30 70
81 - per hundred Cabbage is tempo
rauly short n supply here ! spot raI
ioad would command todaN. Sjasl
above value; but thSt even j. only Il
quarter cent per pound. and should not
greatly afi ,ct the market, but The le-
taller find, difficulty u adlust IN hIs
price, a these increase tv pennies, when
costs increase only by fractions
Nlr DIgGan- &. To louk> forward 10
gradual scttlIng down n commodity
Prices. covering. however, several months.