Evening star., 1946-08-06
1917 Food Price
Rise in Month
Recorded Here
Increase Is Shorpest
Since 1o4l, but Is
Under U. S. AVERAGE
By MoIcolm Lomborne, Jr.

By MoIcolm Lomborne, Jr.
The sharpest monthly in
crease In food prices since 1914
was recorded here between mid
June and mid-July. The Bureau
OF Labor Statistics estimated the
advance during that period,
which included two weeks with
out any OPA controls, at 1873 per
cent.
Cost of living generally rose 40
per cent between June Is and July
Is, an advance which the official
said was the most marked since
the agency began figuring overall
cost of living on a monthly basis
In 1910.
Both these figures were topped.
however, by the national average
for large cities. The food cost in
crease was placed at Is per cent,
and general cost of living items
moved up SIS per cent.
AS of mid-July consumer prices
In Washington were only per cent
below the high mark reached in
early 1920. Prices were also 423
per cent above the August, 1899,
level the Labor Department agency
estimated.
The agency listed these percent
ages of average food price increases
on July Is as compared with
month earlier:
Round steak, 427; rib roast, SAT;
chuck roast, 500: stew meat, 500,
hamburger, ST: veal outlets, 27.3;
pork chops, 3l5; sliced bacon, 90
sausage, 21.8; bologna, 298; leg of
lamb, 1911: lamb rib chops, 20.9;
roasting chickens, 96; butter, 284;
fresh milk delivered, 1873; fresh
milk in stores, 25.4; evaporated milk,
9.5; flour, 60; eggs, 65; oranges,
227: lard, 23.3; sugar, 90; bananas,
124 and green beans, 10.
Of the foods checked, only let
tuce and potatoes showed a de-
cline, while carrots and coffee were
unchanged in price, the bureau said.
May Figure in Hearings.
The agency pointed out that
subsequent, preliminary survey of
prices here in the last week of July
showed a slight decline in food
prices. This was attributed to lower
prices for butter, sugar, oranges and
some meats.
Normally, the agency operates
about six weeks behind any date in
arriving at cost of living figures, but
an official said that because of the
great public interest in prices dur
ing the current period" strenuous
efforts were made to get out the
latest report weeks ahead of the
usual schedule.
Some observers believed the sta
tistics would figure in hearings of
the Price Decontrol Board next week
when it takes up the problem of
whether TO return meat, dairy prod
ucts and other items to price ceilings
after August 20.
The bureau reported the following
increases in consumer price indexes
for other large cities:
LII y pCl CCllbs oOSGOil
7.6; Chicago, TT; Cincinnati, So; De-
troit, Sc; Houston, AZ; Los Angeles,
4.3 Philadelphia, Sc: Pittsburgh, SO,
and San Francisco, "A
Cotton Clothing to Go Up.
Meanwhile, cotton clothing and
piece good prices will soon be going
up as result of OPA granting the
textile milling industry an average
16 per cent increase in basic cotton
textiles. In announcing the boost
yesterday, OPA said cotton clothing
would jump 6 to 8 per cent and
household linens. about II per cent.
A spokesman for the retail cloth
ing industry, however, expressed the
opinion that OPA's 6 to per cent
estimate was ION the conservative
side"
AS OPA was taking yesterdays
action, the agency's Consumer Ad-
visory Committee called for caution
in lifting ceilings from basic COM
modities, especially food.
The committee urged Government
agencies, including the Decontrol
Board, to take "strong stand"
against premature" elimination of
controls.
Anti-Infiation Program.
This advice topped q FIVE point
anti-inf1ation program the commit
tee offered yesterday. Other recon-
mendations:
J. Creation of a strong consum-
ers' organization ION local State
and national basis" as an "indis-
pensable part of the foundation for
effective Government action in con-
trolling imitation"
2. Co ordination of the anti -inf1a-
ton fight by President Truman, who
should take immediate steps to
set UP advisory committees to rep
resent the consumer view in all
agencies charged with administer
ing the present (price controD act.
3. Strengthened OPA enforcement
Of all price ceilings.
4. Speedy adoption of administra-
tive policies which will guarantee
that commodities will be recontrol-
led when prices give evidence of
becoming infiationary."
The committee described this as
the"minimum program" required to
make the new price law work de-
spite its several major inadequ-
acies."
HI.lI.