Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-03
0PA Considers
igherHogPrice
To Halt Strike
Independent Packers
Meet ! omorrow
On New Ceilings

While wholesale meat dealers in
the District today continued their
rebellion" against new price CELL
ings on pork products by refusing
to sell these products, a spokesman
for the Office of Price Administra-
ton held out the possibility that
an attempt to eliminate the
squeeze" of which wholesalers COM
plain might be made by controlling
the prices of live hogs.
Under no circumstances, the Off
cial said, would the ceilings, which
went into effect throughout the
country yesterday, be lifted or re-
vised upward
With few exceptions" he said,
these ceilings are generally con-
sidered good. We have not yet had
any organized protest over the new
ceilings. AS matter of fact. we
have received great deal of COM
mendation for correcting what had
previously been an unfair condi-'
ton
Consider Live Hog Prices.
The OPA official did not indicate
any immediate action on controlling
livestock prices was being consid-
cred by Leon Henderson's Office, but
he pointed out that the OPA had
not abandoned the idea by any
means"
The OPA, he reminded, has the
power to control the prices of live
hogs with the approval of Secretary
OF Agriculture Wickard and Eco
nomic Sterilization Director James
F. Byrnes.
I'VE have deferred any such &C
ton until we see how the new CELL
ings work out the OPA spokesman
said.
The official admitted that the
prices of live hogs were ranging up
to nearly IS cents a pound, whereas
the OPA ceilings were predicated on
a stable market of 13s. cents. He
expressed the hope, however, that
there will soon be a larger run of
hogs on the market which will force
down the livestock price despite the
demand
I'VE want to watch the ceilings
while and see how they reflect on
the general market" he said
The OPA official said that an
upward adjustment of pork ceilings
would not have the effect of
eliminating the pressure on whole
salers where such now exists but
would instead tend to force the price
Of live hogs to even higher levels.
Packers Meet Tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the National hide
pendent Meat Packers Association
was planning to meet here tomorrow
to discuss possible action to be taken
! on the new ceilings. Wilbur La Roe,
I j.. general counsel for the associa-
/ ton, said yesterday the ceilings were
Of no benefit to packers because they
failed to take into consideration the
upward spiral of live hog prices.
| Wholesalers in the District were
adamant in their announced inten-
ton of refusing to sell pork products
until some relief is furnished by the
OPA. They complained that under
the new set Of ceilings, it is impos-'
sible to sell pork products profitablv.
Previously pork ceilings were
| pegged at the level prevailing be-
tween last March 3 and g. OPA Of
ficials pointed out that this system
tended to freeze all the inequities
existing at that time. The variation
in market prices, they asserted, led
packing firms to ship their products
| into those areas where ceiling prices
were most favorable, with the result
that certain sections were undergo
ing virtual famine of pork prod
uctS.
The new ceilings, announced sew
eral weeks ago, established max
imum pork prices on about 80 diff
| ferent products in three different
zones throughout the country. In
addition, wholesalers and small
packers were allowed to add specific
charges to cover the costs of ship
ment and handling.