Evening star., 1946-09-27
0PA Official Explains
How Hospitals Will Gel
Priority on Meats

The Districts hospitals and other
public institutions here will have a
priority from the producers of meat,
based on their use in 1914, Forest
Randolph, OPA slaughtering divi-
sion official, said today. The new
OPA priority order for institutions,
issued yesterday, is directed to the
packers and other meat producers
and is not aimed. at the current
meat supply in Washington or else
where, he explained. A District
plan to slaughter it's own meat
was turned down by OPA.
Mr.. Randolph, assistant to Irving
Rice, head of the slaughtering pro-
gram of OPA, at national headquar-
ters here, said the year 1914 was
chosen because that represented the
highest production and slaughtering
of livestock in history He declared
the suppliers must produce meat
for the hospitals and other insti-
tutions, otherwise their permits to
slaughter can be revoked
Roland M. Brennan, District pur-
chasing officer, conferred yesterday
afternoon with Mr.. Randolph and
acquainted him with the desperate
need for meat in the hospitals and
other public institutions here. He
was informed of the new meat sup
ply order, designed to divert meat
to these and similar institutions,
under Nationwide program.
Swift Was 1914 Supplier.
Mr.. Randolph used this illustra-
ton: Swift & Co. was the 1914
supplier for some of the Districts
institutions. The District Govern
ment, the hospitals and other users
should petition that firm. While
Swift may not be producing at it's
Chicago plant, it has plants all over
the country and some of these are
slaughtering up to full quota. Under
the new OPA order, Swift must, on
petition from these 1914 users, send
meat to them here.
Mr.. Randolph explained: If the
1914 Supplier fails to do this, he can
be punished.
Under the new order, the supplier
must fulfill the requirements in the
first Is days of the following month
before he can supply any one else.
Top priority in meat is given these
institutions from Federally inspected
slaughtering plants, except for meat
set aside for the Federal Govern
ment. From all other suppliers.
including non-Federally inspected
plants, the institutions have top
priority, except where the OPA has
committed those suppliers to furnish
meat to similar institutions that
have gotten in their orders ahead
|. Furnishing of Data Required.
The OPA order directs that users
are required to furnish information
to the meat suppliers. This includes
the number of meals served by an
institution in 1914, the estimated
number of meals to be served, the
total amount of meat to be required
by an institution for the month
ahead and other data. On the basis
of this information the supplier will
give an institution meat after cal
culating what it should get.
In response to the District gov
eminent plan to purchase its own
cattle and slaughter them the OPA
refused to sanction such a program.
1t explained that Notre Dame and
Culver Military Academy has each
unsuccessfully attempted to get such
a permit.
If the District government were
permitted to buy and slaughter its
own cattle every other similar group
would want to do likewise, Mr.. Ran
dolph explained. He said that If
the OPA embarked on such pro-
gram every housewife would want
to do her own slaughtering in her
back yard"
Applies to All Hospitals.
The OPA said the new order ap-
plies to all hospitals, public and
private, in using the term "institu-
tional users"
The Agriculture Department, 1t
was learned, is expected to notify
the District Government that it will
be glad to place the District on its
list of persons to be notified when
surplus canned meat is offered for
sale.
Commissioner John Russell Young
recently sent letter to Secretary of
Agriculture Anderson, asking that
this be done, in view of the pressing
mn RRc