Evening star., 1943-03-05

continued From First Page.l
pointed out the overcharged GUS
toner may take advantage of the
$50 minimum damage suit provision
of the price law.
See Drop in Hog Price.
OPA price specialists declared
that the new retail pork prices.
along with recently established
wholesale ceilings, will result in sub
stantlal reduction of the price of
live hogs. They said black market
operations have tended to increase
hog prices, and predicted there
would be decline of more than a
cent per pound from the current
high Of nearly 16 cents. Should the
decrease materialize it should lessen
the need for ceilings on live hogs.
Some pork products are not COW
cred by the new regulations. These
are sausage, canned pork, quick
frozen cuts and number of other
items such as brains, liver, heart,
kldneys, tongue and head meat.
These will remain under previous
ceilings which fixes prices as the
highest charged by a store last
March.
Price Administrator Brown de-
clared that the new prices should
make for a more even distribution
of the pork supply over the country
since the incentive to ship meat to
high price areas will be removed.
Similarly, in locality. the specific
prices should result in better dis
trlbution among stores, since the
butcher who had high ceiling will
not have such an advantage after
April /.
Admits Squeeze.
Explaining that pork naturally"
moved to regions and stores having
the highest ceilings, Mr. Brown ad-
mitted that current retail pricing
methods resulted in a squeeze on
to patronize high-priced markets
to get pork
Undoubtedly, this situation has
been at least contributing factor
in the black market operations
which have cropped up in meats"
the price administrator said. "OPA's
enforcement drive on the black
markets revealed that a small mi
norlty of retailers-unable to obtain
sufficient pork to satisfy the de-
mands of their cuStomers-have de-
serted their customary suppliers for
fiv-by- might, hastily set up, illegal
abattoirs where much of the black
market meat is slaughtered, Others
have acceded to demands Of a few
wholesalers, knowingly taking short
weights or making additional over
ceiling payments in one manner or
another, in order to secure supplies.
In turn. Of course, the additional
cost Of these price evaslons and
subterfuges may have been passed
on TO the ultimate consumer. The
housewife, in large measure, has
been unable or unwilling to protect
herself because of lack Of knowledge
of each butchers individual and
generally different March, 1912
ceilings, which, to add to the con-
fusion, in some cases were not
prominently displayed"
Black Market Continuance Seen.
While OPA holds that uniform
store prices for meats will strike a
blow at the black market, the racket
is not expected to be eliminated al
together until point ratlonin2 Of
meats begins early in April and the
Agriculture Department takes the
additional safeguard Of licensing
and setting definite quotas for sn
slaughterers,
The new order unlike other or
ders applying to farm products,
makes no exception 20 price control
for sales by farmers.
Farmers are now allowed TO sell
SIS worth of butter a month without
regard to price ceilings and similar
provisions arc contained IN some
other price regulations.
OPh officials said farmers making
pork sales TO retailers would be sub
lect to previously announced whole
sale pork ceilings, and to the new
retail ceilings on sales direct 10 con-
SumerS farmers would be allowed TO
charge the higher Of two price
schedules contained in the order
Their ceilings on sales to consumers
Will be the same as for Independent
stores with annual sales below
s250,O00
Proposal Reviewed.
The present plan Is to ration
meats, butter. margerlne, cheese
lard and other cooking fats and oils
IS a single group OF commodities
u-ing the red stamps IN the No.
ration book Each commodity Will
have set point values and ration
bookholder viii be permitted 10 use
his points as he pleaScs, buying
nothing but meat, for instance, if he
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