Evening star., 1946-10-19
Meat Remains
Scarce Here,
Prices High
Chickens Continue
Decline, Butter Up
Cent at Wholesale

The meat supply, although
greater here today than on re-
cent week ends, was still too
scarce and high-priced to pro-
vide many Sunday menus with
anything but poultry, industry
spokesmen said.
Prices of chickens continued their
drop of 10 to Is cents pound since
last Saturday but the wholesale
price of butter was up cent a pound
after a 9-cent decline since last
Tuesday Bigger shipments of oleo-
margarine began arriving in the
local market this morning. The 25-
pound wholesale price is
likely to be considerably higher by
Monday, dealers reported.
OPA officials estimated today that
the food market now is about 30
per cent free of controls. Nation
wide reports compiled by the Asso-
ciated Press indicated housewives
are making headWay in the. fight
against runaway prices. According
to OPA, approximately IS per cent
of items in the average family basket
have been removed from ceilings
since last Tuesday.
Meat Shipments Small.
Despite heavy cattle receipts and
a general drop in prices at major
livestock markets, Washington
wholesalers and packers said no size
able shipments will arrive here for
another three or four days. By next
Friday and Saturday, they predict
ed. the supply will be fair" but
will not be normal for another three
weeks or more.
About a dozen carloads came Ia
since late Thursday. railroads re-
ported. This is far below normal
average but the biggest in several
weeks, they stated.
The rush of cattle to markets was
reflected in Chicago today by the re-
hiring of work crews in packing
houses. Although receipts fell some
what below the previous days levels,
they were three times more than a
year ago Cattle and sheep prices
decreased. but hog prices. after an
earlier drop, were 81 to 81 higher.
Dealers here said the supply Of
available meat on butcher counters
was too scattered" to allow sur
vey of possible buyer resistance. A
spokesman for the wholesale meat
division of the Merchants and Man.
ufacturers' Association declared that
Sunday dinners in most cases tomor-
row will be comparatively meatless.
Lamb, veal and some beef can be
purchased at retail but usually "at
a premium" he said.
Wholesalers "Get in Market
Reports of buyers resistance to
high meat prices came from many
other parts of the country. Reaction
to SIPS a pound steaks. 99-cent
porkchops and 59-cents-a-pound
weiners was reported to be wide
spread and in some cases imprint
able"
Washington wholesalers who
earlier this week were reluctant to
buy at top prices quoted in Chicago
and elsewhere were getting in the
market" as the week ended and
look for fair" local supply by next
Thursday or Friday, the official of
the Merchants and Manufacturers
Association said.
Typical consumer reaction report
ed today by the Associated Press
included:
New York: Many butchers re-
ported one out of three customers
turning away from 81 roast beef and
75-cent hamburger. Customers
weren't complaining enough, one
market manager opined, saying IF
more of them refused to buy we
could get meat cheaper from the
wholesalers and charge less
Minneapolis: Only male buyers,
obviously irked." paid the higher
prices in silence, one retailer re-
ported.
Housewives Look Twice.
Seattle: Many housewives took a
second look" before buying, and the
State Retail Meat Dealers Associa-
ton advised them mot to be too
anxious and rush the markets"
Dallas: A newspaper survey re-
vealed a number of butchers refus-
ing to buy meat. One butcher COM
mented: "All that's needed to bring
prices down is just to let that meat
hang in the coolers for awhile"
Pittsburgh: An unrehearsed
strike was reported against prices
which the OPA said had risen SO
per cent since decontrol. One woman
stalked out with the rejoinder:
Think they can get away with it?
Well. they just don't know much
about American women, do they?"
Customers buying in silence were
reported in the minority.
Chicago: A buyers strike against
all commodities except those essen
tial to life was pledged by represent
atives of Is civic, labor and church
A committee has been
formed to arrange for flying
of housewives to picket
stores whose prices were deemed
Dreombout HOPS