Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1946-12-27
Cost Of Living Prices
Slide Over The Nation
By The Associated Press

Prices for many cost OF living
items tumbled suddenly Friday in
major cities throughout the Nation,
led by a sharp break in the New
York and Chicago wholesale but
ter markets.
The decline in the butter whole
sale price brought an immediate
drop of nine to 10 cents a pound
in some of the principal chair
stores in the East.
Egg prices likewise dropped
sharply in a number of places. led
by Wholesale decline of more
than five cents a dozen in New
York, and reductions in some food
items were reported in New York,
Chicago, Boston. iladelphia. At
,anta, Kansas City, Los Angeles
and San Francisco.
At the same time. u cross-coun-
try survey by The Associated Press
showed that many of the big de-
partment stores in major cities
had slashed some clothing prices
by from one-third to more than
SO per cent in an outbreak of post
Christmas ana year-cnd sales.
Still unsettled. however, was
whether the price drops we're tenn
porary or whether many of them
would continue to hold or even cX-
tend their decline.
Expect Food to Slide
1t was learned that in Chicago.
retailers associations there -tow
eral reductions in food prices in
February and have been urging
their members to get rid of their
present stocks.
On the butter market, prices
concededly had been maintained
at artificially high levels in New
York. When this support was with
drawn. prices fell by from one to
10 cents n pound and from two to
six cents in Chicago.
The Dairymen's League CO.
operative Association removed
some OF the mystery surrounding
the break in New York. where
charges Of rigging" had been
heard.
1t said in a statement that it had
been active in the butter market
in order to keep prices up and
thereby protect present milk
prices.
Milk Prices Set
Milk prices in New York are
set by the Department of Argicul-
lures milk marketing admi7istra-
ton on a formula that takes into
account the price OF top grade
butter and skinned milk powder
for 30-day period. This month
expired on Dec "a and the price
for January was set at S5.46 n
hundredweight. unchanged since
November.
Meanwhile, other prices were
dEopping "a round the-eeuntry
! Newspapers in most major cities
carried full page advertisement by
department stores announcing full.
scale bargain displays. Here are
some typical reports from metro,
politan centcrs:
WASHINGTON - Mems white
shirts dropped from S3.9s to S1.9s
nylons, at - cents a pair, mink
coats reduced from $1,000 to Si,-
600 and dyed skunk from S495 ia
$685..
. PHILADELPHIA - Toy stores
running sales at onc-half of pre-.
christmas prices. and some stores
conducting post-Christmas sales OF
clothing. Canned citrus juices are
off by onc-third in the last six
weeks. Other foods stable. Whole
sale egg market. reacting to New
York. off by from three to seven
cents n dozen.
Dress Prices Cut
ATLANTA Butter down by
two or three cents pound
and eggs off three cents a dozen
from last week. Women's dresses
down sharply and at clearance
prices for the last weeks, anti
cipating better quality and new
styles.
Z BOSTON BUTTER dow n
10 cents and eggs one cent on the
Boston produce markets. Clothing.
shoe. dry goods and department
stores advertising price reductions
Of from one-quartcr to onc-half.
CHICAGO go Grapefruit selling
for as little as three cents each.
Meat prices little lower than "A
month ago and other retail foods
off slightly. Clothing sales have
been advertised with claimed price
reductions on 500 to S139 women's
coats to S6S: womcn's suits prey
iously priced at S43 to 500 down 10
$50 and remnants of boys sports
coats down from SIS to SIS.
Clearing Stocks
LOS ANGELES Most large
downtown department store $
advertising clearance sales in
womcn's wear. with reductions off
from one-third to one-half Meat
packers say most prices holding
steady but ham and bacon prices
nave gone down approximately
10 percent In last two weeks. Re-
tail butter dropped two cents in
last 10 days and wholesale eggs
down two cents in the same period.
SAN FRANCTSCO-Lcading de-
partment stores advertising cuts
OF from one-quarter to one-half on
womcn's wear. No noticeable
change in food prices but wholesale
butter market has been nervous all
week after a seven cent drop la ST
week.