Evening star., 1946-10-10
|0PA Beef Panel
Asks Anderson
For DecontroI
Secretary Promises
Top Consideration
Of Formal Petition
BULLETIN

bULLEIIN
OPA today ordered retail
prices on veal cuts raised z
and 8 cents pound, effective
Monday, and at the same
time revised retail ceilings on
many bes4 and pork items 1
or 2 cents a pound. An off,
ciar of the price agency said
the new meat prices had no
connection with the current
meat shortage and do not af-
feet livestock ceilings.
The OPA Beef Industry Adj
visory Committee today formally
filed a petition with Secretary Of
Agriculture Anderson for imme-
diate end Of price controls
on cattle and calves and their
products and an industry spokes-
man predicted a vastly i'm
proved meat supply within three
weeks after controls are
scrapped.
r. G. Haynie, committee chair
man, said that if the Government
acted promptly and took less than
the maximum time allowed under
the law, decontrol on beef could
come between october Is and Mo-
vember S. This would mean an
ending of ceilings on or before elec-
ton day.
Mr.. Haynie said there are plenty
of cattle and calves ready for mar
ket as soon as price ceilings are
lifted.
Predicts Drop in Prices.
While conceding that prices Of
beef would rise with the end of
controls, Mr. Haynie said that just
as soon as there was an adequate
supply of beef in stores. prices would
come down ito a reasonable level"
1t would be only a matter of weeks"
before this condition existed, he
said.
The committees 50-page brief for
decontrol declared that Mr.. Ander-
son had no alternative to granting
the petition since there is no scar
city of cattle and calves within the
definition of the Price Control Act.
The petition took sharp issue
with President Truman's conten-
tion that there was heavy slaughter
of livestock during the July-August
price holiday.
Black Market Buying Cited.
Apparently the circumstances
that have induced this erroneous
belief is the fact that these cattle
moved to market, were slaughtered
and the meat sold during normal
and legitimate channels" the Pc
|tition said. Many months prior
to July l. 1916, great numbers Of
cattle and calves were purchased
by black market operators at the
farm and auction markets and else
where, which escaped notice of gov
ernmental agencies"
While Mr.. Anderson has Is days
in which to act, aides of the Secre-
tary said he had promised to give
top" consideration to the brief. If
thu petition is turned down, the
committee may appeal to the Sec
retary for formal hearing. In
the event this second petition is
turned down, the committee may
appeal to the Price Decontrol Board.
At the White House, where top
administration officials conferred
on the meat situation late yester-
day, it was said no formal recon-
mendations had been made to- Pres
ident Truman.
No Hint of Truman Stand.
Press Secretary Charles G. Ross
said he did not know whether the
President would have any an
nouncement on the subject at his
news conference at o'clock today.
Mr.. Ross said the meeting yester-
day did not make arrangements for
another get-together when it ended
last night. However, it was learned
from other sources that the Presi-
dents chief advisers on political and
food problems planned another Sc
ries of conferences later today. I'M
mediate decontrol, as sought by the
beef industry, was reported one OF
the steps under active consideration.
The industry committee contended
in it's decontrol petition the number
of head of cattle and calves on
ranches and farms was equal to the
requirements of the finished product.
Compared With Normal.
It argued also that there is no
short supply of cattle and calves
when measured in terms of a prewar
normal period. The brief stated
that the number of beef cattle on
farms is "a per cent above the Pc
|riod of 1858.
Meanwhile, signs multiplied that
the Government might welcome Ar
|gentine canned beef to this country
as lever to get more homebred
cattle to the markets.
Argentine Ambassador Oscar IVAN
issevich called on Secretary Ander-
son and offered immediate ship
ments of canned Argentine beef and
fresh lamb. Mr.. Anderson assured
the Ambassador he would give the
offer sympathetic consideration.
One of the worlds largest meat
exporters, Argentina for years has
been prohibited from shipping meat
to the United States on the ground
that .hoof and mouth disease is
prevalent among Argentine cattle.
However, an aide to the Ambas-
sador told a reporter this is no issue
now because the meat Argentina
will offer is boneless and canned
He said there is about 4,000, ,000
pounds available for immediate ship
ment to this country.
OF Argentina's total supply OF
(See MEAT, Page A-22.)
Nurse Dies, 7 Others Hurt
In RIa,n Il uneni{aI