Evening star., 1943-11-21
D. {. Meat Jobbers
Warned 10 Cut Prices
Before Stocks Spoil

officials of the War Foods Ad-
ministration and the Office of Price
Administration said yesterday that
any Washington meat dealers who
have built their stocks to such a
point that utility beef is threatening
to spoil on their hands should stop
buying and hold sales to get rid of
their over-supply.
The officials were commenting or
complaints by Washington whole
sslers supplying the hotel and res
taurant trade who reported that
they were suffering excessive meat
losses because their customers lacked
ration points to absorb growing sup
plies resulting from the removal of
slaughtering restrictions Septem-
ber l.
Reluctant to Cut Prices.
At least one of the complaining
meat wholesalers is following this
advice, at least in part.
Il got ten cattle in this morning. ."
he said last night They were so
poor that I wired the shipper that
ii he sent me another pound I was
going to ship it right back.
Asked if he could not follow the
suggestion of OPA officials and re-
duce his prices in order to avoid
having meat spoil on his hands. this
same dealer agreed that such a
procedure had been open to him,
but intimated he had been reluctant
to adopt it.
From Baltimore. 1t was reported
that wastage of meat there has not
yet reached serious proportions al
though cold storage facilities are
at a premium. A survey indicated
that the Maryland city has a sur
plus OF meats, particularly of pork
products, for the first time in many
months.
Overbuying Blamed.
Meanwhile spokesman for the
War Food Administration said that
While the organization has facilities
for buying up market surpluses, it
cannot acquire less than carload
lots. He blamed the Washington
dealers difficulties on overbuying.
There has been a heavy run on
cattle just now" the VIA spokes-
man said. However. we don't force
them to buy and We have no report
from any other city of meat spoil
age. These men have probably over
bought and they are hollering their
heads off. You and would probably
holler, too"
A representative of the Cudahy
Packing Co, asserting that there
has been what he described as "a
little trouble with meat of the
cheaper grades" said that his con-
Germ had had no trouble with spoil
age
There is more of the cheaper
meats at this time of the year" he
said. We have been able to sell
all that We have been getting al
though sometimes We have had to
reduce our price in order to do it."
Bowles Warning" Recalled.
At the Office of War Information
1t was pointed out that Chester
Bowles, Price Administrator, had
warned in September that the &C
tlon OF the War Food AdminiStra-
ton in Suspending quotas on the
slaughter of livestock and inventory
restrictions on meat stocks would
subject the rationing program to
severe strain.
With quotas on the output of
individual slaughtering plants lifted
September l, Mr. BoWles told the
SlaughtererS they would need to eX-
erclse extreme care not to sell for
CIVILIAN use more meat than con-
Sumers are able to buy at present
point values.
According to one of the iobbers
who reported his meat spoilage was
running we'll above normal, District
hotels and restaurants have been
gong INTO the hole on their ration
banking accounts with the result
that they have used up substantial
portions of future point allotments
before they have received them.
2 Restaurants Cited.
Recently. too, the District OPA
Began checkup on all ration over
GRATIS. resulting in proceedings
against two restaurants. Meat
dealers, also. have been requested
by c. K. Osterman, of the District
food rationing Office, to furnish
list of all accounts owing ration
points beyond the Today period
allowed by law.
All these factors, it was said
have combined to bring a sharp
drop in hotel and restaurant buying
in the last few weeks and the
jobbers said to have been caught
with excess stocks are those who
are limited to the hotel and restaur-
ant trade under OPA regulations.
Steadily increasing point values
on such items as butter, sirloins.
ribs and hamburger, it was said.
have also operated to cut hotel ana
restaurant buying.
One large downtown hotel, a meat
1obber asserted. now has a daily
meat quota which permits it to sell
only eighty 5-ounce steaks a night
and its meat bill has dropped from
5000 to $1,000 a month.