Evening star., 1943-05-27
Potato Dealers
Here Fear New
Black Market
See Ceilings Evoded
Under Roll Back:
SUPPLIES Increase

lQCO tne washington market little
more freely than they had been for
many weeks, dealers here today
feared that the new OPA order
rolling back" wholesale and retail
prices and raising the ceiling for
Florida producers would drive the
potatoes back into the black
markets.
Price reductions on the wholesale
and retail levels, which the OPA
estimated would average about 7
per cent. will make it necessary to
handle potatoes at above ceiling
prices or not at all. produce men
explained They criticized the OPA
Tor what they termed its failure to
understand conditions which exist
IN the potato market.
Situation to Improve.
Dealers said that unless the new
order lnterferes with deliveries, they
expect the potato situation to i'm
prove steadily from now on. This
view was borne out by statement
issued in New York today by Harvey
A. Baum, vice president and general
manager of the Atlantic Commission
Co., an affiliate of the Arp Tea Co..
who predicted there will be plenty of
new potatoes for civilians by the
middle of June.
Mr.. Baum, said to be the Nations
largest buyer Of fresh fruits and veg
etables, said that early new potatoes
must be consumed within a short
time after being harvested and are
. therefore unsuitable for overseas
| Shipment. This means, he said, that
| virtually the entire crop will 20 to
civilian tables and to Army and Navy
posts in this country He added that
! present acreages indicate there will
be 100000 more bushels of early
new potatoes harvested this year
than in 1912
Beef Supply Increases.
Meanwhile, the beef supply in the
washington area was increased to
some extent by new shipments which
arrived in time for some housewives
to cash in their accumulated red
stamps for a steak or roast Meat
dealers were not pesSimistic about
the supply OF meats and pointed out
/ mat Tor several months, there have
been almost inceaSsant shortages in
/ certain kinds of cuts. They felt
certain there was enough meat of
some description IN the city to satisfy
every one who could produce the
necessary points.
/ AT the same time the OPA ordered
per cent reduction in the price of
/ special cuts of beef and veal sold to
/ hotelS, restaurants, clubs and other
institutional eating places.
OPA accompanied the rollback hv
establishing dollars and cents ceiling
prices for packers. wholesalers and
motel supply houses selling beef and
veal fabricated especially for the
restaurant trade, Similar prices
were set for lamb and mutton in De-
cember.
Another Cut-Back Seen.
If the projected subsidy program
| goes through-and Congress has vet
/ to approve it-meat prices for this
trade are expected to be cut back
another 10 per cent, OPA pointed
out.
The new ceilings for hotels and
restaurants were accompanied by an
! ofder limiting the proportion of
oeef and veal which any wholesalers
may sell to these establishments in
the form of pre-fabricated cuts. This
measure, said OPA, was done to
safeguard normal channels of dis
tribution"
| OF an estimated Sl,OOO.OOO worth
OF meat and meat products sold to
publlc eating places in the last year,
beef and veal made up Is per cent,
OPA figured.
The OPA order on potatoes gave
Florida farmers ceiling price of
S34O 100 pounds until June /
and S2o0 thereafter at the same
time reducing markups allowed
wholesalers and retailers.
The cut-back of the Florida CELL
ing next week will be reviewed bv
the OPA and the Department of
Agriculture, it was learned. following
appeals made by members of the
Florida congressional delegation.
conferences were scheduled to be
held between the two agencies and
Senator Pepper, Democrat. of
Florida, with other Congress mem
berS from that State.
Representative Hendrix, Democrat,
OF Florida pointed out that farmers
in the Hastings area were DELAYED
by unfavorable weather in harvest
ing their crop, with the result that
tWo-thirds of these potatoes are still
lying in the ground He asked that
the higher price order be extended
to give producers reasonable time
TO get their potatoes out of the
ground.
Representative Green. Democrat.
OF Florida warned that if the order
were not extended about 10000 acres
OF potatoes would remain un-
harvested