Evening star., 1946-07-14
70 Cars Of Meat
due Tomorrow;
Price Drop Seen
Shipments Include
; Carloads of Beef,
Distributors Say

Twenty carloads Of meat from
the Midwest will arrive here tomor-
row monring, 1t was learned last
night, to further improve the c1tys
supply.
None of the meat is consigned to
the big packers here, it was said,
all of the shipment being property
of District wholesalers.
A spokesman for the Independent
Food Distributors Association, dis
closed the central organization
would receive shipment of three
carloads of beef either tomorrow or
Tuesday.
The spokesman for the distribu-
tors said this weeks shipment of
beef would be the first of any meat
to be received by them in five weeks.
There are 269 stores in the associa-
ton.
Lower Prices Predicted.
At the same time it was declared
that the beef would 60 on sale in
the independent associations stores
at lower prices than those prevailing
during the past week, although the
spokesman said it would still be
selling at about 25 per cent higher
than the OPA ceiling.
Beef in this shipment will be
priced at about or 10 cents a pound
less than last weeks cost at the
wholesaler, it was said. This would
mean a retail price of about Is to
18 cents less than the average price
asked during the week.
The association spokesman at
tributed the lower cost to the entry
OF the big packing firms into live
stock bidding last Monday.
However, railroad freight official
said the 20 carloads arriving would
not be purchased by the Cudahy,
Armour and Swift companies -
giants of the meat-packing indus
try-because of the upswing in
prices that has prevailed since the
end of OPA.
20 Carloads More Expected.
Another shipment of about 20 car
loads OF meat is expected to arrive
here on Tuesday or Wednesday. this
source revealed. He said most meat
is bought and sold on week ends
and added that the next meatless
period here would probably arrive
by Thursday.
The big packers received two car
loads of meat yesterday morning
and only three cars came through
for wholesalers. Increasing amounts
of meat are being shipped in by
truck from nearby areas. This meat,
however, is likely to cost more than
rail-shipment beef. it was under
stood.
Informed of the scheduled new
shipments of meat, Robert Wilson,
executive secretary of the Washing
ton Restaurant Association. said he
was convinced the majority of res
taurateurs would refuse to buy in
view of the expected continuation
of fantastic" prices.
The public won't stand for ex-
orbitant menu prices" Mr.. Wilson
said, "and restaurants are going
to keep veering their menus to less
expensive items"
Poultry, Fish Cheaper.
He said that in personal market
tours yesterday he found poultry
and seafood prices extremely rea-
sonable' and that some vegetab ables
and fruits were actually less than
prices asked the same period last
year
Mr.. Wilson said he expected res
taurant customers would find prices
about the same as those prevail
ing since the demise of OPA.
Other spokesmen for packers and
distributors could not be reached
last night for their reaction to this
weeks expected influx of meat, but
earlier in the day spokesmen for
the local branch packing houses ex-
pected high prices to continue.