Evening star., 1946-07-05
Food Prices Soarinq
AfterFirstWeek' Test
Without 0PA Controls
BY the As,oeiofed Press.

The American laborer, busi-
nesSman, farmer and housewife
paid more for many necessities
of life today as the first weeks
test of a peacetime free-price
economy drew to a close and
Congress got set for a show
down on whether to hand the
cost-control reinS back to OPA.
Stocks were mostly quiet in an
other slow session at the New York
Stock Exchange and cotton was off
30 cents to more than a dollar a
bale when trading was resumed to-
day.
In Chicago the heaviest hog re-
ceipts in six months eased prices
today as much as $125 lower than
the levels in Wednesdays trading,
but cattle and sheep remained gen.
orally steady at the recent peak
prices.
The practical pork top was SIS
with one load getting $1625 hun
dred pounds. This compared with
the Wednesday top of $3.50.
Fed steers and yearlings con-
tlnued inadequate to meet demand.
topping at S22.25, off but IS cents
from Wednesdays figures. Native
spring lambs stuck to their $1,000
heights of the previous session, 60
ing mostly to city butchers.
Neither the cattle nor sheep mar
kets was underline numbers pres
sure evidenced in the hog pens.
Biggest Rush Since January.
Dealers in the previous session
had expected but $1,000 hogs today,
but the rush that developed was the
biggest since the first week in jan
uary. At that time receipts were
pouring in to beat the deadline for
a Nationwide strike of packing
house workers.
Although some of the Nations
major cities and rural areas came
through the first OPA-less days
without a noticeable dent in the
pocketbook. there was ample indica-
tion that most of the country was
not so fortunate.
Meat prices all but staged Il iun-
away in Majority of cities, al
though some industry spokesmen
said they were still under black
market levels and would begin to
ease downward once the long oare
counters were filled again
Butter and milk costs also spurted
upward in quick getaway but the,
were far behind the meat pace
Rent increases caused turmoil III
many places.
Some Retail Prices Steady.
However, little or no change In
these items was reported from such
points as Chicago, Atlanta. Mem
phis, Columbus, Birmingham and
Shreveport, which also had steady
price levels in most other every
day commodities.
Meat up" was the reply from
almost everyWhere-it was up as
much as so per cent in such points
as Los Angeles, New York City and
San Bernardino, Calf. The rise at
other places: Philadelphia, % to 60
per cent; Omaha. beef, 40 per cent;
Paducah, KY, 35 per cent; Rich
mond, Va. ham and steak, IS per
cent; Washington. to cents a
pound; Portland, Oreg., so per cent
wholesale and 20 to 30 per cent re-
tail
Also In an upward spiral. were
{flle costs of restaurant meals. hotel
accommodations and bread, an As
sociated Press survey showed
: In New York City the wholesale
food price index of 81 commodities
was s4.54-highest since the s457
of July %, 1920.
; Many of the price increases were
attributed to the loss of Govern
ment subsidies, which ended June
80 when they were withdrawn pend
ing congressional action on re-es-
tablishment of price control.
< Food officials here estimated that
subsidies, which were costing the
Government at the rate of about
81 ,455 ,000, 900 year when price
control ended. reduced the average