Laurel outlook., 1947-10-15

N E w S

~ = w y
We are not going into the matter
Of who is to blame for high prices
which seems to be the chief news
topic at this time. The farmer is
getting good prices for his grain
and for everything else he puts or
the market. What interests us all
is what the indications are for
prices in the immediate future and,
so far as can be determined, for
the long pull as well. For that
information we must go to Washing
ton where food reports from all
over the country are assembled and
averaged.
The following is what the insiders
in Washington are thinking and
talking.
Food prices for the last three
months of 1947 will rise even higher.
They may be as much as $50 high
er than they are right now. The
voluntary food saving plan of the
president will cut off some consum- !
er buying but not enough to lower
prices much to the housewives in
upper midwest towns. 1t probably
will make no difference at all in
the prices to farmers. In fact,
the prices may not see their peak
until next spring at which time
some economists see the beginning
of a moderate depression and a
gradual-not violent-break in pric-
eS.
Practically all farm organizations
are backing the Truman plan for
conservation of feed grains, especi-
ally that portion which has to do
with livestock feeding and with
marketing their livestock without
long term feeding.
Most believe that wheat prices
may work ever higher until the
government has purchased it's
quotas for export through the first
quarter of 1913. This should be
completed by December. Then a
slight slump for go or 80 days, but
hitting a top early in the spring.
This should last through to the next
harvest.
Feed grain prices are expected to
&C lower as soon as the heavy
marketing comes on, but protein :
feeds will be high.
Lower meat prices, possibly as
much as a 10 per cent cut, would
not be surprising as heavy market
ings are made the rest of the year
to conserve high priced feed.
Ali dairy products, including whole
milk r headed for 10 per cent
levels and probably will see
no reduction until the flush season
starts in the spring. :
Despite the conservation ban on :
poultry and egg use there seems to
be little doubt that prices will rise
on these two items until we'll past =
the holiday season. v
Consideration of farm prices is as \
important to the housewife as it is 7
to the farmer because practically {
every item in the food budget either j
comes direct from the farm or is @
processed from farm produce. 1t i
IS u intention to take up food 6
prices in this column at least once
each month. We believe that such !,
will be interesting to A
every reader of the hometown news E
paper. This will be especially true n
now that prices are to have the z
spotlight. -
Up for action in the next con- +,
gress will be a possible revision of ~
he parity and price support pro- 81
gram. This will be an important r
part of the general agricultural pro- +
gram which will have early atten- x
ion, the reason being that our "
present supports at 80 per cent of a
rarity will expire in a little over M
"A months-Jan. 1, 1949, leaving
is the only price support the old 81
aw of 1888 which covered only So .,
rs per cent of parity. 10
There is agitation to include the "
'alue of family labor in the parity n
'ormula and to base the compari- D
IONS on the ten year period immedi- q
lely preceding instead of the pres n
mt stationary base of 1909 to 1914. NJ
There will be a wealth of interesting -
Jews in the agriculture and food n
Jews in the months to come. u
And that's the news as we see
t!