Evening star., 1922-10-27
REDUCTION IN MEAT
PRICES UNLIKELY
Present Wholesale Charges
Expected to Continue for
Several Months.
by J. &. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

cperlhl DtSpdtcn 10 ne Stat.
NEW YORK, October 27.-New
standards of comparison as to prices
and conditions are being set up today
in n dozen different industries. Nor
NAL. as a term of comparison. for
some years has been taken to refer
TO the period before business was af-
fected by the war and its aftermath.
AT present. however. now and nor
mall are becoming synonymous.
That is, conditions in business. COM
merce and industry in the United
States, have stabilized to such an ex-
tent that present conditions represent
a state which will be normal for
some time to come.
This Is especially evident in the
packing house industry. according to
teiegraphic reports today from the
great packing centers Experts in
meat products and live stock declared
To-Day that present wholesale meat
prices are just about the level which
Will constitute new normal There
may be variations up or down from
those figures. but 1t is fairly safe to
hsure present prices as the future
standard.
Packers Making Money.
tuted profitable period for the pack
ers. The demand for meat products
or All kinds has widcned and has be-
come stronger with its broadening.
operating expenses of the packing
plants have been reduced. and oper-
ating conditions generally have
reached a fairly stable basis. 1t is
doubtful. packers assert. whether the
profitable operations of the late
months of 1922 will compensate for
a 10 of he
early months. especially as regards
pork packing.
The export buying market has m
proved. following betternent in
some of the exchanges and an increase
of productive activity in Europe. Eng
land is buying meats as we'll as fats
continental Europe has been buying
Iats for two months, and lately has
come into the market for other pro-
visions.
Lower Meat Prices Unlikely.
Reports from widely separated sec
sale price of meats in this country
VIII remain steady for the next two
months, with practically no possibil-
jty that price levels Will drop before
that time. This applies to beef. NUT
ton and pork. Retail prices of meats
have never dropped in proportion TO
reductions in the wholesale price. and
with the strong demand which now
exists. IL is entirely likely that there
will be Strengthening OF retail
prices. These. however. as always
Will be governed largely by the quail
dty of cuts demanded.
The fact that inquiries on foreign
account are coming in more rapidly
and in far greater volume than at any
time since the war is cited by pro-
vision men as the best proof that
present wholesale prices represent
real values. Beef in cold storage in
Atlantic coast points has been re-
duced fully one-half in some in
stances as compared with last year.
Wool stocks Extremely Low.
Stocks of wool are extremely low
and the leading wooden goods manu-
facturers are combing the Texas and
New Mexico ranges for clothing
grades and paying high prices direct
to growers. The fur industry is boom
ing. Nearly n million more skins have
been dressed this year than for a
similar period of 1921. and the de-
mand for the Christmas trade is
flooding furriers with orders.
Lumber production is up to 98 per
cent of normal and while both ship
ments and new business are well be-
low production this is attributed to
difficulties of transportation rather
than to d Slackening of demand for
railroad and building construction
purposes.
Candy manufacturers are hard put
TO 1t to keep pace with the early de-
mand for the holiday trade, and prac-
tically all of them are working over
time for the first time in two years.