The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-22

If the question is not settled, the entire meat price structure is faced with complete breakdown.
 Bringing the question to a head, OPA Administrator Chester Bowles sent Economic Stabilizer Vinson and War Food Admins trator Jones emphatic demands for setting of ceiling prices on live cattle. He told them bluntly that if this is turned down the price control of meat will no longer be possible.
 Difficulty is that there is
 strict price control on slaugh-
 tered meat, from the SIaugh-
 terer thrOngn the retailer. But
 there is no ceiling on live cattle.
 Meat packers claim that they
 have to pay so much for live
 cattle that there is no margin
 of profit if they sell within the
 ceiling price.
 Farmers, however, claim that there is something wrong some place, because they are not get- ting enough for live cattle to pay for feed. The meat packer claims he has to pay 181a cents a pound for live cattle, but re- ceives only 21 to g cents 8 pound from the Army-which leaves no profit for him. However, farmers claim that instead of receiving 1872 cents a pound on the hoof, the net price paid them by the slaugh- tererS runs several cents less. Most meat packers claim they are selling at a loss. What they don't admit, however, is that some of them sell the meat which they don't sell to the Army to civuians in the Black Market. About 60 per cent of their choice cuts go to the Army and about 40 per cent of their choice cuts are left over for civilians.
 Meanwhile, the small butch
 CTS, forced to stick to sealing
 prices, cannot afford to buy
 Black Market meat and are up
 against it.
 This is the knotty problem which OPA Boss Chester BoWies has dropped in the lap of Food Administrator Jones and Price Stabilizer Vinson.
 HAM FISH'S SWAN SONG
 Ham Fish's swan song to his congressional colleagues was well advertised in advance. For sev- eral hours the Republican cloak room had buzzed with talk about how the famous New York lame duck from FDR's own district would explode a bombshell. Re- publican expectations scared. Their side of the aisle was packed, breathleSs to hear Fish charge the White House with high trea- son, vote stealing or something equally heinous.
 Then Fish dropped his bomb- sheil-an attack on the titular head of the Republican party, Thomas E. Dewey.
 CAPITOL CHAFF
 Despite the terrific manpower shortage, the U. s. Employment Service is certifying many jobs applicants to the census bureau work instead of to war plants. One reason why Nelson Rockefeller may be having 50 little trouble getting, appropria- tions is the fact that Budget Di- rector Harold Smiths wife Is on the payroll of Rockefeller'S cffice of coordinator of Inter-American affairs /. First things Ed Stet- tinius did after getting his new post was to call his wife, then tell his staff what happened and then order Secretary Hulps of flee completely repainted and re- decorated StettiniuS also or- dered the removal of Hull's as- pidistra plants which lent an early Victorian atmosphere to the ex-Secretary's inner sanctum .. The group which knows most about the inner workings of the State Department personnel are nurses who do first aid in the ,dingy State Department health room. They handle everything from the secretary's sore throats to messen- gers stubbed toes Principal keepsake Cordell Hull will take from the department is his swivel chair which traditionally is. given each outgoing secretary.