Evening star., 1947-10-18
Hearing Called
On Plea 10 End
'Pou|try|e$sD Day
| Luckmon, Producers
Will Hold Showdown
Meeting Monday
BY the Associated Press

The issue of poultryless
Thursday-the most frequently
criticized phase of President
Truman's drive to save grain for
Europe-will get a showdown
hearing Monday.
Some officials of Mr.. Truman's
Citizens Food Committee said pri-
vately today they believe chances
are about even that Chairman
Charles Luckman will call off the
eggless and chickenless day and en-
phasize Tuesday meat denial as a
more certain saver of grain.
The National Poultry Producers
Federation is expected to ask Aban-
donment of the Thursday plan in a
meeting with Mr.. Luckman Monday.
Mr.. Luckman, after first rejecting
poultrymen's pleas that the idea
would not save grain, said this week
he is open to conviction.
Mr.. Luckman, directing the drive
to save 100,000,000 bushels of grain
by mid-1e48, invitedq representatives
of the American Feed Manufac-
turers' Association and the Grain
and Feed Dealers National Associa-
ton into the Monday session.
Strong Point in Argument.
The argument raised by poultry
men and several members of Con-
gress from poultry-raising States
boiled down to this: If fowls aren't
sent to market they will keep on
eating grain, while growers uffer un-
necessarily.
Mr.. Luckman has taken the stand
that a drop in market demand would
result in the raising of fewer chick
ems, and thus save feed. But he
acknowledged to a news conference
this week that there "are two
schools of thought" and that if he
and his staff are convinced of an
error they will correct it.
The local poultry raisers groups
have fired complaints to Mr.. Luck
man and the White House. Their
stand was strengthened by an
Agriculture Department report We'd
nesday which showed poultry stocks
in cold storage plants at a record
high for October /.
Rules for ''meatless Tuesday"
were relaxed this week to encour-
age eating of various "by-products"
including liver, kidneys, brains and
other specified items described as
plentiful.
Slice Day Saving Asked.
Meanwhile, bread price increases
in several cities confronted eastern
housewives. President Truman has
asked that every one save a slice
a day.
On the heels of the baking in
dustrys promise to promote sales Of
small loaves of bread, open-faced
pies and two-layer-only cakes, bak-
ers in New York, Baltimore, Phila-
delphia and Pittsburgh announced
weekend increases of cent in the
price of the present loaf of bread.
One official of the American
Bakers Association told a reporter
that he would not be surprised" If
bakers in other cities have to boost
prices lin view of wheat at $305 a
bushel."
Program Adopted.
President c. P. Binner of the Bak-
ers' Association told the Citizens
Food Committee earlier that bakers
have been employing strict grain
saving measures for many months
to offset rising costs of raw mate
rails. Bread prices have gone up
less than "any other major food" he
said.
But at the urging of Mr.. Luck
man, the bakers yesterday adopted
a program which they said would
save 100000 bushels of wheat
monthly if adopted by housewives
and restaurant eaters as well.
1t includes an agreement to Q)
feature smaller loaves, wherever
bakers are equipped to make them;
(2) eliminate consignment selling"
under which some baking companies
supply more bread than grocers can
sell on the understanding that stale
loaves will be taken back; 90 stop
making bread and cake items for
which there is small sale, and (4)
to use substitutes for the flour which
is busted" on breadstuffs and
pastries.
The industry agreed also to study
Mr.. Luckman's proposal for half
sized loaf of bread. Adoption Of
this proposal is not feasible at the
moment, Mr.. Luckman said, because
it will require a "time-consuming
retooling" of the industry with new
pans and wrapping equipment.
Mr.. Luckman's committee has
asked housewives to save a slice of
bread a day as part of the food con-
servation program.
Truman TaIke With Smi.h