Evening star., 1947-05-05
Raw Food Price Cuts
Indicate Reductions
In Retail Shops Soon
" ttx As,eeicssd pres,

CHICAGO, May 5.--Homemakers
with strained household budgets to-
day could see possibility Of lower
food prices within . few weeks or
months.
Some raw foods prices are lower
| this month, compared with recent
peaks. This might Have little Inn
mediate effect at the consumer level
but could be expected to show up
there within one to three months,
depending on length Of processing
and distribution.
Among 10 major raw food conf
Imodities at Chicago markets as Of
May /, all but corn were sharply
below their recent peaks. Corn was
definitely higher than at the start
| OF the new year.
Wheat, butter. lambs, veal calves
and choice beef cattle were below
their levels Of around January Q.
Other cattle, hogs, eggs, wholesale
meats and poultry were about the
same as January 2, after having been
higher in the previous four-n1onth
period.
Cotton Higher.
Cotton was higher. however, and
the Associated Press wholesale COM
modify price index-which includes
other items as well as farm prod
ucts-was higher than four, six and
IL months ago.
Corn, q basic food for livestock
and poultry, was $50 bushel for
No. 2 yellow on March 27, but was
$1.65h last Thursday. 1t was $1.37
around the start OF the year when
supplies were heavier, and around
81 .46 six months and year ago.
Wheat sold at recent record
price of $3.50 a bushel on March Is,
but was quoted nominally last
Thursday at around $267 bushel
for the No. 2 hard quality.
Live hogs ran top price OF $23.75
hundred pounds to start the new
month, compared with the record
$50 on March Is. The average price
generally follows the top price fluc-
tuation. On January the top was
$3.50 on November 1t was $23.25,
and year ago it was $i4.85.
Cattle Drops to S26.25.
The record cattle price was $50
q hundredweight on November 29.
Last Thursday the top was $26.25,
last January Q it was $1,000. No
vember it ran $4,000, and last May
/ it was $18.
On lambs the record peak hit $28
October 16, two days after removal
of price controls. Last Thursday
lambs topped at $3.50, compared
with $23.85 January 2, $22.75 No
vember and $16.25 a year ago.
Veal calves set a record last
February IL of $40 and matched
that price four times later. but last
Thursday they were down to $24.
They were $26 January 2. $21 No
vember /, and $3.50 year ago.
Good and choice wholesale meats,
followed the same pattern, includ-
ing beef, veal, lamb, and pork.
Thursday they ranged from 81 cents
a pound to 50 cents, the upper level
appearing on pork loin cuts and re-
sulting from higher priced hogs
month ago.
Live Poultry Drops.
On January 2 the comparable
range was 80 to 48 cents. Last No
vember l it was 26 to 52-again on
pork, and a year ago it was 1914
to about 259 cents a pound, the
upper price going to lamb.
In the live poultry trade, roasters,
fryers and broilers ranged between
43 and As cents at the recent peak
on october 7, but they were % to
Al Thursday. They were SO to 38I
at the start Of the year. 81 to 81 on
Nov. l, and 80 to about "a year
ago.
Quality eggs hit Sc to 59h cents
a dozen October 10 and were A to
As Thursday. They were 40 to 43I
January 2, 46 to 81 November l, and
351a to about So a year ago.
Butter, which was 81 cents aI
pound on the october 10 record date,
was down to go Thursday, compared
with 74A at the years start, rs six
months ago, and As (not counting a
l5-cent Government subsidy a year
aCN