Evening star., 1946-07-08
Meat Supplies
Increase Here;
PricesHigher
Deliveries Expected
To Become Normal
By End of Week

10 DeCOme NOImQi
BY End of Week
A greatly improved but higher
priced supply of meat was reaching
Washington wholesale houses today
to be snapped up Immediately by
retail stores which indicated they
will try to continue holding the gen.
eral ceiling price lines despite heavy
public demand.
Although all the larger packing
establishments here did not receive
increased shipments this morning
they agreed that by the end OF
this week the deliveries will be ul
to normal wartime quantity levels
They advised consumers not tc
expect complete aSSortments OF
meats for another week or two and
not to be discouraged if immediate
wholesale price quotations run above
former OPA ceilings. They reported
that fresh pork is likely to be the
most plentiful for few days, with
beef in better supply later this week
and bacon and hams later.
Several retail meat dealers and an
official of the Restaurant Associa-
ton Of Washington added their
voices today to a general appeal to
the public not to expect too much
meat too SOON" There also were re-
ports that some stores and restau-
rants hope to head off any large
retail price increases by refusing
to buy meat, poultry or butter at
prices they consider too far above
previous ceilings.
Restaurants Get More.
Restaurants are obtaining more
meat as a result of improved ship
ments to their suppliers here, Rob-
ert J. Wilson, executive secretary
of the restaurant association said.
He added that he knew of several in
stances in which restaurants had re-
fused to pay unusually high whole
sale prices on beef in recent days.
He likewise cautioned patrons not to
look for normal meat menus for
some time to come"
Our members are glad to get the
meat that is coming in,' he said,
but they are not putting it back on
menus just for the sake of having it.
They want to hold the price line and
I believe that they have done so.
They are in comparatively fortu-
nate position because during the
summer they do not have to buy
much meat in any event.
The proprietor of an Alexandria
meat store declared he and many
other independent retail dealers in
this area were unable to get meat
in any quantity today. He said he
did not blame this on wholesalers
because "it takes time to get the
supplies rolling from the big pro-
ducers." He found that some of the
supply houses here have received no
real increase as yet and that none,
so far as he knows, was anywhere
enough to 60 around.
Finds Substantial Increases.
Naturally, the public hears about
the increasing supplies from Chica-
go and goes to its corner store only
to be disappointed at finding no
more meat" he said.
He said wholesale prices on some
cuts as we'll as on butter have ad-
vanced substantially largely to COM
pensate for removal of subsidies. In
some instances this has put a heavy
burden on smaller independent
stores which do not feel they can
pass on such large increases to their
neighborhood customers, he said.
The competitive situation in the
meat industry and a rapidly in
creasing supply will cause prices to
taper off within few days, in the
opinion of Raymond c. Briggs,
president of L. c. Briggs, Inc. He
said his company is putting men
back to work after two weeks of
idleness and that his plant opera
tions should be in full swing by mid
week.
Disagrees With Estimate.
So far as current Washington
wholesale meat prices are con-
cerned, he did not agree with an
estimate by George Dressler, execu-
tive secretary of the National Asso-
citation of Meat Dealers, in Chicago,
that price raises would generally
average from 7 to IA cents pound.
That does not seem to be the
trend here today" Mr.. Briggs said,
but the important thing is to get
the meat in. Then let competition
get to work. The meat industry is
one OF the largest in the country and
one OF the most competitive. This
morning the meat Is beginning to
roll in very nicely. 1t will really get
going in another two or three DAYS.
All can say is happy days are
here"
He and other Spokesmen for the
wholesale market declared they saw
no evidence of hesitation on the part
of retailers to buy the incoming sup
plies OF meat because they believed
the prices too high. They testified
that the meat was being distributed
by supply houses almost as rapidly
as it was received and that it is still
insufficient to care for the demand.
Doubts Price Increases.
A spokesman for group of in
dependent retail food stores said
the increasing supplies will be seen
almost Immediately in local meat
stores. He doubted, however, that
there would be many immediate re-
tail price increases. The vast ma
jority Of retailers held the price line
"very well" during the first OPA-
less week, Notwithstanding isolated
instances of price boosts far above
previous ceilings, he said.
He likewise held to the "tapering
off" theory that competition in the
meat-packing industry as we'll as
at the retail level would come into
play to keep meat as well as most
other food prices "at least not much
above ceilings and certainly below
what the black market charged"
Cudahy Shipments Low.
The Cudahy Co. here was one of
the larger establishments which re-
ported this morning that its meat
shipments had not increased ap-