The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-04-05
TRADE
WINDS
IMITATION HIS
Shirts and Pork
Hog Population
Going Up
Something New-Msil
Order Hone Market
Uncle Sam Taps Great
Coffee sforsheuse
BY LOU SCHNEIDER

Lets assume man ehATl CUT
tains no more than four ounces Of
cotton. In other words, 1t con-
tains about five cents worth. But
the prices of shirts are up. easily,
twenty-five cents. That's a boost
q about 500 per cent-about 81
per pound for cotton. The staple
sells m the open market at 70
cents a pound. It proves that shirt
prices are not up because Of cot
ton price increase.
Here's another case-six pounds
Of grain produce one pound OF
pork. Corn sells at about 81 for
a bushel of Sc pounds. Thus the
corn cost Of . pound Of pork IN
los cents. Last year corn sold
at 90 cents q bushel. and pork at
10 cents q pound. Now the price
of pork is about so cents. The
one-cent per pound lift in pork
production cost jumped TO 20 cents
70 consumers.
The argument 10 that .
boost In commodities prices
win not start initiation. The
OPA Ia shooting nj . flea on
the wolf and not the wolf.
But In allowing \ commodities
price boost, let congress re-
woke al farm subsidies and
planting restrictions. The law
Of supply and demand win pre-
vent skyrocketing Of prices.
The oPA should get after the
profiteering n shown In the ci-
tations of lifted consumer costs Of
pork and mems shirts.
The farm bloc threatens the
government that II the labor sit
ustion isn't corrected. farmers
viii not ill the wartime food re-
quirements even though the presi-
dents promise Of increased farm
implement production In carried
out. Don't you believe II.
True It's late 30 start pro-
duclng machines for this years
farming work but . bountifui
crop In al commodities N
hkely just the same. Farmers
are driving hard 10 bat LOCO
percent 30 meet the food goals.
They'll get them VIA coopera-
tion Of what labor and ma
chinery In available.
One drawback 10 that stocks OF
fertilizer are extremely low. Fer
tiliser makers like farmers are
hard hit by q labor shortage. II
production isn't lifted, II spells out
a bottleneck that may prevent
farmers from attaining the goals
Get for le<3.
More hogs were slaughtered last
year than In any year In history
81, 451. 900 head. The figure IL
greater than the 1888 slaughter
Of s7,706. 900 when the New Deals
price-raising measure called for q
blowing under of $685. 900 sows
and pigs. Yet despite the big XIII
the January /, 1s43. population
was 1850 900 head compared with
6o.377 900 Of a year before and
the se.066.ooo depression low at
the start Of 1885.
Did you know that because
Of the increase In open market
prices. the value Of cattle on
farus now stands nj about
s5,s00, 900, 900 compared with
$4.loo.ooo.ooo q year ago this
time:
A survey reveals that the num-
.er of horses on farms as of jan
airy ! totaied s.0o0-lowest
amber In twenty-eight consecu-
70 years II compares with o.
1000 a year before and z1,4S1,-
0 same date In 1918.
7ut restrictions on the use OF
omobiles in bringing in a new
nand and the trend viii change
. year.
A Chicago steckyard auc-
doneer h accepting mail or
ders- Horses are shipped pro-
spaid- II buyer doesn't like,
}eller hears the cost of return.
Mules on farms as Of January
otsled 3,712, 0oo-lowest In fif-
\ years. II compares with 81
900 q year ago and a peak
s.e1s.000 in 1925. The demand.
In the case of horses. is in
using while the supply is dwind-
u Add the following TO the coffes
situstion here: The United states
! government viii purchase 1900
600 bags Of Brazilian coffee at
price of $40 bag. and the stocks
win remain in warehouses for
Uncle Sans account until he ar
ranges additional ships for trans
portation.
Brokerage firms say that po-
ltical developments are commenc-
ing TO lose their effect as a price
making influence In commodities
circles- That's bad advice. Po-
litlcal moves always bring about
price fluctuations as do weather
reports.
Watch fer this development:
As soon as the Lewis demand
for . wage increase h settled,
expect the old Page biIi-or