Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-14
PRICES OF FOOD
ARE ON TObOGGAN
over j. s, IS CLAIM
Plentiful Supply of Products
4 Revealed by Chamber of
Commerce Official.

Lower prices for food. resulting
from bumper crops in all parts of the
United States. are predicted by A. w.
Douglas, chairman of the committee
on statistics and standards of the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States The conditions are shown in
Mr. Douglas monthly bulletin on crop
and business condition.
Receipt of grains at primary points
have not been heavy, due to a shortage
of cars. Mr. Douglas asserts. yet prices
have been on the toboggan slide be-
cause of a surplus which must sooner
or later find a foreign as well as do
nestle market. The winter wheat
crop will be about 535.000.000 bushels
and the spring crop not less than 215.-
000.o bushels. he states. With few
more timely rains. the corn crop will
reach 1000, 100000 bushels, of which
the south will furnish one-third. Tex
as has the greatest corn crop In MS
tory. Kansas has the unusual accom-
paniment of large corn and wheat
yields in the same season.
Plentiful Food supply.
There will be plentiful supply of
other food products. states Mr.. Douglas:
Grain. tubers. forage. fruits and vege-
ables.
Indecision and hesitancy characterize
the textile and some leather products,
SAYS Mr. Douglas 1t seems to be more
a waitinsrand readjustment period in
moderats'way than the preclude to any
marked change. the expert believes. This
waiting attitude commences with the
consumer and extends to the manufac-
turer, it is pointed out
Lack of transportation is the princi-
pal hindrance to better and larger dis
tribution Mr.. Douglas states.
This operates to maintain and even
advance prices because of the compare
tive scarcity thus caused" he says.
Railroad rate advances point the way
to an ultimate solution, but, at the
best, it seems long story Unless ex-
perience be misleading. the new pur-
chasing power of the railroads will be
a strong factor in mainta lining both
prices and the volume of business"
building Badly Hampered.
Regarding building operations. Mr..
Douglas states they are "hampered by
almost everything that can happen to
them-scarcity and the high price of
building material and difficulty of
financing loans on construction prof.
ects.''
The need of new housing and new
construction is too obvious to need
comment, says Mr.. Douglas, but it
also is obvious that only the most i'm
perative necessary construction can
proceed under the present costs, diff
fculties and uncertainties.
Mr.. Douglas calls talk" of auto
mobiles being classed as Injuries and
non-essentials "unknowing and fool
ish.'' The automobile industry gives
indication of reaching a peak. says
Mr.. Douglas, and this will release ma
terial for other steel and glass in
dustries which need these commodi-
ties. A complete point of ''satura-
ton" in the automobile industry.
I1N doc ut ,Sr1saY
Mr.. Douglas believes a readjustment,
long looked for. is now under way.
This has been a great season for
watermelons. says Mr.. Douglas. and
before the season ends 10000 cars will
have been shipped. They have been
coming northward at the rate of 1000
cars daily. Georgia leads the states
with 10000 carloads. with Florida and
South Carolina each approximating
1000 loads.