Evening star., 1936-02-27
PRICE SKYR0CKET
IS CURv|NG DOWN
Department of Agriculture
Is Encouraged by Re-
port Trend.
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

On the eve of the Inauguration OF
the most far-reaching farm program
the United States has ever known.
Department of Agriculture officials
today drew encouragement from re-
ports indicating the skyrocket up
shoot of the price of food has halted.
Expanded imports of food and farm
commodities, however, in the face OF
. plan to curtail more acreage than
ever before, foreshadowed energetic
renewal of one argument advanced
against the economy Of crop control.
Loudest denunciations OF the in
validated agricultural adjustment act,
aside from criticisms leveled by con-
stitutional theorists, came from out
ragged housewives, pinched by rapid
rises to the cost of meat and vege-
tables, and from foreign traders who
watched the bottom drop out of the
export market while the value Of agri-
cultural imports steadily mounted.
Prices Fall l Per Cent.
The average cost of all foods in
the United States fell almost per
cent below December 81. 1885, during
the first two weeks of 1886, the agri-
cultural chieftains were told, and
bread prices had declined markedly
in II cities by January 81. Last Au-
gust the value of meat reached so
high a level that women came to
Washington to complain. Congress
ordered the Federal Trade Commits
sion to make an investigation.
The sensation in the food cost
rise was the pork chop, once the
meat of the common man, but in
1885 greater luxury than even beef
steak. But the January report shows
pork chops lower by TT per cent,
lard by So per cent and whole smoked
ham by 9 per cent.
'All hog products dropped in price
during the first half of January
the Secretary of Agriculture was told
by the A. A. A. Consumers Counsel,
most of the drop occurring soon after
the Supreme Court 1nvalidated the
processing taxes AS usual, the prices
of fresh hog products responded more
quickly to the change in the whole
sale market than did the prices of
esred products. Some further fall
Ire il in retail prices of hog products
may occur"
Dollar Devaluation Blamed.
The Counsels Office at the same
time took care to absolve the workings
of the agricultural adjustment act
from as much blame as possible for
the price rise of 1885 and attributed
1t to dollar devaluation. with its
marked effect on the chief export
products of cotton and wheat, and
to the business pickup. which brought
of consumers and strengthened the
demand for food and other farm
products"
Certain drops in food prices which
consumers can expect in coming
months will have nothing to do with
the discontinuance of production con-
troll programs or the taxes" the Con-
sumer's Guide contends. They would
have taken place had these programs
continued. Pork prices will probably
show slight falling off in the early
Summer and more pronounced drop
in the late Summer.
The A. A. A. corn and hog pro-
gram for 1886 provided for an in
creased production over 1885. Better
cuts of beef may possibly join in the
downward movement. Egg prices will
from now until May. AS supplies of
various fresh fruits and vegetables in
crease with the warmer weather,
prices will fall away. Butter is
usually cheaper in June. Bread
prices, if they follow the movement
of wheat prices, should ease up next
Summer"
Brazil Expects Better Crops.
News that Brazil hopes for increased
income from larger crops came from
Commercial Attache Ralph H Acker-
man in Rio de Janeiro at the same
time the Department OF Commerce
disclosed an increase in cotton i'm
ports into the United States during
the six months ended January 81 over
the same period in 1885. The rapid
development of Brazilian cotton mar
ket is a recent South American trade
development attributed to the ADJUST
ment act by its detractors.
Value of United States imports OF
cotton, once the great export crop OF
America, from August, 1885, through
January, 1896, compared with the same
period year before are; Unmanufac-
tured cotton, this year, $9l1 600; last
year, $500 900; manufactured cotton,
include semi manufactures. this year,
$4,026 900; last year. S3,077 900.
Wheat, another major export item
in years past, also showed an upturn
in the import column-$2 $4,000 for
3,081 900 bushels now, compared with
$1,442,000 for 100000 bushels 13
months ago. United States exports of
grain wheat the six months ending in
January amounted to 10000 bushels,
sold for $4,000. United States traders
peddled abroad $1,234,00O worth of
wheat flour. 253,O00 barrels.
Despite the antipathy of opponents
OF cotton control, the department re-
port showed cotton exports for the
six months ending in January came
to $294,666.000 for unmanufactured
fiber, $7,666. 900 for semi manufactured
and $2,598, 900 for manufactured cot
ton. Value of raw cotton exported
during the six months ended May 81,
1888, when the agricultural adjust
ment act was few weeks old, came to
$50, 100000