Evening star., 1943-05-13
Meat CEILINGS
Satisfactory 70
Most Dealers
S|iqht Reductions
Are Expected Under
New Price Revision

Small independent meat dealers in
the District, most of whom will have
to make some adjustments when s
the OPA's new dollars-and-
ceilings go into effect Monday, ex-
pressed themselves today as gen.
orally satisfied with the new prices.
The effects of the new maximum
prices will vary from store to store.
because the ceilings now in effect
are pegged OF the individual prices
charged by each place during a
base period in March, 1912. The
overall result, it was believed, would
be a slight lowering of prices.
We'll get along all right, though"
one meat dealer said. We'll Just
have to trim our cuts accordingly"
Resent Chain Store Rise.
The chief complaint of the small
dealers was not the changes which
the OPA was making in their prices
but the fact that chain store CELL
ings were being raised to within a
few cents of those allowed for the
little store.
L NS OCCll Ill UQolilCoS llcdlly ~
years" one merchant said. MY
trade has always been good because
I've given my customers fine meats
and good service. My prices had
to be higher than those in chain
stores, but people have been willing
to pay little more for better quail
ity. Now my prices are cut and
CT
can I be expected to keep my quail
ity up?"
Most merchants found that in one
or two items there was a wide diff
ferential between current prices and
the new ceilings. For instance, one
merchant said he was charging As
cents a pound for ground beef, but
under the new regulations he will
have to cut the price to 33 cents.
Another said he would have to sell
sirloin steak for cents less than
his present price. One pointed out
that his beef, lamb and mutton
prices were almost identical with
those listed by the OPA, but that
the veal ceilings were lower through
Oul lIldll Ills pIeSellG veal Prices.
Some Higher, Some Lower.
AS one butcher expressed it, Some
prices are higher, some are just
right and on some we've got to lose
money"
Chain store prices, it has been
shown, will be raised on an average
of about 20 per cent as a result of
the new ceilings The old chain
store ceilings, frozen" in March,
1912, when meat was still plentiful,
caught the big stores with bargain
prices which have made it difficult
for them to sell meat at profit, it
was pointed out.
OPA officials recognized this con-
dition when they drew up the new
ceilings and allowed price increases
practically all the way along the
line to bring chain prices closer to
those in smaller independent mar
kets. Because of the differential in
ceilings, chain stores have not been
able to get all the meat they once
handled, with the result that many
persons shifted their business to the
smaller, privately markets.
The leveling off of prices. it was
believed, would tend to equalize meat
supplies again and would send many
persons back to the chain stores
for their meat.
People Lack Points.
So far as the public is concerned.
one meat dealer said today, prices
don't make any difference. They've
got the money, and they're willing
to spend it, he explained. But
it's coupons. That's what's holding
them up. They haven't any points
to spend"
The ceilings announced in YES
terday's Star will go into effect
Monday in stores in the District and
Maryland. In Virginia, which is an
other pricing zone, ceilings will be
the same for veal, and, except in a
few instances, for beef. Most lamb
prices, however, will be l cent less
in Virginia than they are in this
area north of the Potomac River.