Evening star., 1943-03-26
Supply Of Meat
MeIts Before
Buying Rush
Oldtime Butchers
May Be Forced Out
By Rotioning
BY NORMAN A. KAHL.

lelo UelOIe HledI IdIlOllllS DeSlnS,
District housewives today were
storming stores throughout the city
in a final attempt to get the few
cuts of meat which butchers still
had on hand.
Although the demand has in
creased considerably during the last
week, the supply situation, dealers
say is no better than it has been
for several months. There are vir-
.tually no hams left in the city; sup
plies of bacon. beef and lamb like
wise are exhausted. Practically the
only meat that could be found was
veal, and that was not too plenti-
full.
Meanwhile, the OPA regional
office in New York last night an
nounced a new schedule of stand
ardized ceiling prices on pork prod
ucts, to become effective April /.
The new prices will replace the
varying individual ceilings which
have been in effect for nearly a
year. The order affects the District,
Baltimore. Boston, Newark, Phila-
delphia and New York.
Scale for Independents.
Independent stores with less than
$250,000 annual business, will have
the following scale: Sliced bacon,
rind removed. smoked, grade A, Al
cents pound: skinned smoked
ham, center slices. 81 cents: skinned
smoked whole ham, Al cents: center
cut pork chops, fresh or frozen pork
loinS, AZ cents, and salt pork, dry
salt bellies, fresh, cured or frozen, 27
cents.
Chain stores and independents
with more than $250,0O0 annual
business: Sliced bacon, rind re-
moved. smoked, grade A, as cents a
pound; skinned smoked ham. center
slices, So cents: skinned smoked
whole ham. 80 cents: center cut pork
chops, fresh or frozen pork loins. AZ
cents, and salt pork. dry salt bellies.
fresh cured or frozen. Is cents.
One large wholesale house was
forced to close its doors for several
hours yesterday so it could fiji orders
with the small supply it still had on
hand. Retailers, whose stocks were
depleted almost as quickly as they
were put on display. kept up an in
cesSant run on wholesale houses
throughout the District.
Dealer Reactions Vary.
Reactions of dealers to meat ra-
tioning varied from feeling of re-
lief TO that of complete disgust.
Hardest hit by rationine will be old
time butchers who deal exclusively
in meat products and whose reputa-
tions in the nelghborhcod often were
built on the fine quality of the meat
they provided Under rationing
their business will be cut by at least
40 per cent.
Furthermore. even if better quail
titles of meat again become avail
able, few customers will be inter-
eSted in them because of the COM
para atively high point values as
signed to these better grades. ..
Some of these dealers already have
announced their intentions of going
out of business. At the New Center
Market at Fifth and l. streets NV,
it was reported that two or three of
the butchers who have stalls there
have decided to close. According to
w. E. Young, who manages the
market, these meat dealers didn't
want to be bothered" with the COM
plications of rationine. Another
y, ~ - ,,ron T., RI n
close shop when rationin9 was an
nounced has since changed his mind.
Some Win Try Program.
Some shops in the market, he said
had closed previously, but this wae
due to inability Of their owners tC
meet the manpoWer shortage rather
than a surrender to ratlOning.
Most of the dealers wanted tC
work under the rationing program
for awhile before they finally decide
whether to stay in business or close
then doors for the duration They
felt. in many instances, that the true
effects of rationin9 would not be-
come apparent to them until after
they had gone through several week.
of it.
The stand operated by Carl and
Louis RosenbuSch at the New Center
Market will close after tomorrow
The father of the present owners
l.. C. RosenbuSch, began the business
about so years ago.
I'm afraid we Just won't be able
20 make it Louis Rosenbusch said
Says Center Was Lucky.
J. F. Keller. superintendent of the
marnet said the Center h" been
lucky during the last six months
we had more meat here, he said
"than most OF the chain stores. But
after rationine begins, the supply
probably will be equalized better"
One dealer who specialiZes in hams
sold 5000 pounds yesterday, The dag
before, he had received a delivery
of 5000 pounds, and these were gone
three hours after they arrived.
Most of the meat dealers at the
Arcade Market, Fourteenth street
and Park road NV, appeared de-
termined to try out rationing before
they made up their minds concern
ing the future of their business.
Il have my own opinions" one of
them said. but want to wait awhile
before I commit myself
The Giant Food Market at 3509
Georgia avenue NV which still
nad large quantities of meat. in
Guiding beef, on hand, was doing a
land Office business.
The big push, most of the dealers
warned. would come tonight and all
day tomorrow.
The manager of cne wholesale
house made little effort to hide his
resentment over the whole problem
CT prices. supply and rationing.
"Everybody's panic&y." he said
The Government is making boot
leggers out of all of us. The situ-
? ton is terrible. I'm disgusted with
the whole thing
One Dealer Encouraged.
But another wholesale dealer
Who said his stocks were nearly eX-
EauSted, expressed encouragement
ever the prospects of rationing next
Monday.
This program ought to straighten
things out he said The demand
won't be so large and we'll be able