The New York herald., 1921-02-20
WHOLESALE PRICES
OF FOOD AGAIN DROP
Commissioner Porter Compares
Costs Of Week With Those
of Last.
VEGETABLES IN PLENTY
Meat Council Issues Bulletin
of Bargain Prices in
Meats.

Acting on the principle that the best
way to discourage pronteering by re-
tailers in food is to keep before the
public the fact that wholesale prices
of food are now very low and sinking
lower, DR.. Eugene H. Porter State Com
viewed yesterday the price situation for
the last week. At the same time the
Meat Council of New York issued a
bulletin of bargain prices in all kinds
OF meats.
Wholesale prices for farm products
IN the New York markets continued at
very low levels in the last week." Com
missioner Porter said. Large receipts
of fresh vegetables from the South more
than met the slow demand. In many
cases the farmers received little more
than enough to pay the freight and
commission charges. Potatoes sold at
rs to S5 cents a bushel for the best
quality at the railroad yards, and Long
Island potatoes in the wholesale mar
ket brought from S3.25 to $3.40 a bag
of 165 pounds. The public is not eating
as many potatoes as last year, in spite
of the much lower prices.
Dealers Hold Back Eggs.
approximately 218 carloads Of ap-
pies were received last week from New
York State and other parts Of the coun-
try. The best A grade Baldwins sold
at $3.50 to S. a barrel, and greetings
at the same price.
Eggs in the wholesale market were
the same price at the end of this last
week as the week before. The prices
went down as low as so cents a dozen
for the fancy white eggs during the first
part of the week and then up again TO
5S cents. This rise in price was in spite
of very heavy receipts. and Is undoubt-
edly due largely to the withdrawal OF
eggs from sale by the merchants in order
to create an artificial scarcity and keep
up prices. Up to Friday last week 134,S
24S cases containing thirty dozen eggs
each were received from domestic sources
and 11,133 cases of Chinese eggs. Be
cause of the big supply in the country
prices are bound to 90 much lower In
short time. State hennery browns OF the
best quality sold at the end OF the week
at As cents to 46 cents a dozen whole
sale.
"A comparison of prices in February,
1914, with prices of the last week on SIX
of the principal perlshable food commo-
dities shows that potatoes, cabbage and
carrots are lower, apples are few cents
higher barrel, butter Is about IL cents
higher a pound for best creamery grade
and hennery white eggs are 1S cents
higher a dozen.
'"rhe receipts of domestic butter last
week were heavier than during the week
previous. The best creamery butter sold
on Friday for 4S cents to 40 cents. That
price was three cents higher than Mon
days price and about is cents higher
than the February, 1914, price, when
this grade of butter sold for 80 cents
pound. The finest grade OF State dairy
butter sold on Friday for A cents to 4s
cents a pound. which price was about IL
cents above the wholesale price on the
corresponding day in 1914. A price com
parison of other grades shows similar
difference with 1914 prices in all cases
lower than at present.
"A large quantity of lettuce was re-
ceived from Florida and very few cars
OF 1t brought more than the freight
charges because of the poor condition in
which 1t arrived"
bargain Meat Prices.
The Meat Council disseminated this
cheerful information:
Housewives all over the city are be-
ing attracted back to their tavorite dishes
by the bargain meat prices prevailing
now. according to reports from butchers
to the Meat Council of New York. Where
last week the women passed by good
cuts of meat at low prices and insisted
on poultry at any price. they are appar-
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