Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-03
COMMODITY PRICE
SLUMP IS GENERAL
Dollar Value Rises as Cost of
FoodStuffS Hits
TObOggan.
Special Dispatch to The star.

NEW YORK, March 3.--Hordes Of
gifted and accomplished consumers,
those of the more ultimate or strap
hanging variety, are going to have
chance to catch up with their work.
Dehation of commodity prices, some
times rather alarming in the economic
equation, is welcome stranger to the
countless homes where dollar, like the
old gray mare, wasn't what 1t used to
be but now Is getting more so.
Although 1t cannot be said that the
white-collar Millennium actually has ar
rived, many millions, anonymous, save
for the telephone book, are the first
benefciaries Of the supposedly ill-wind
Of destiny which upset the stock market
and blew the world argosies of silver
and gold into new channels.
Public Gets Breaks"
While Babe Ruth's salary probably
was more absorbing topic to this con-
Stunning populace, its own collective SAL
airy was, in effect, being expanded con-
Siderably by such apparently remote
factors as the drop in Chinese silver.
The boss no longer rings the burglar
alarm when the humble jitney piece
enters a delicatesSen. The prices of
foodstuffs are falling, and, as long as
jobs last, with no serious cuts in Salar-
les. the great consuming public is get
ting the breaks" in recent prices.
Although the new 81 bill is smaller
than the one circulating year ago, it
will buy more food. A survey of leading
chain grocery stores in this city reveals
that it is now possible to buy one 20
ounce loaf of bread, pound of butter,
pound of coffee, a pound Of sugar
| and half dozen eggs. for 81. Just
year ago today one of those large old
fashioned size 81 bills would have
purchased only 20-ounce loaf of bread,
pound of butter, half a pound of
coffee and pound of sugar. In other
words, half pound Of coffee and half
dozen eggs now is being thrown IN for
| good measure.
1t may be interesting to compare
cash wholesale prices of commodities in
primary markets here at the end OF
last month and the same day year ago
and then compare retail price reduc-
tons, remembering that the largest part
of most of these declines has taken
place between the last of october and
/ the last of February.
The wholesale cost of pound of No.
7 Rio coffee in this market year ago
was 1875 cents, against l0A cents last
Thursday, or a drop of 81s cents
pound.
Drops in Prices.
J n Oh NO. q nara New 1OTk
wheat the latter part of February, 1929,
cost $1.401s wholesale, against $113l2
the same day this year, or net decline
i of 269s cents. A barrel of Spring pat
ent flour last year cost $685., against
$6.25 last month, or a drop of 80 cents.
Tea is down about cents a pound
in recent months, and If the predictions
of Chinese importers come true, It will
go lower, because the drop In silver in
that country is making it good place
to buy such commodities as tea and
silks, providing such purchases are made
with gold money.
Although the prices of raw sugar fll-
] lures are at their lowest level in history,
there has been very little change in
retail sugar prices, in some instances a
small fraction of a cent per pound, be-
cause that commodity always is used
as sales getter' and nets little profit
| to the retail seller.
Extra fine creamery butter wholesaled
here in February, 1929 at so cents q
pound. against "a cents on February
| 81 last. or a slash of 16 cents pound
Meanwhile the retail price of butter has
shown an everage decline of Is cents
pound.
First-class fresh eggs cost As cents a
dozen here wholesale in February, 1929,
against 2734, or a drop of TIA cents
a dozen. During the same time eggs
show an average drop of 10 cents a
dozen to the average consumer.
Copyright, 193o)