Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-13
President Is Expected Some Items Top Food
To Sign Credit Control In Rate Of Increase,
Today; Blast ConqressLab Bureau Reports
By Chalmers N. Roberts

While public concern is con-
centrated on the continually
rising cost of food, prices of
other cost-of- living items have
been soaring as much and in
some cases even more than food,
a new set of Bureau of Labor
Statistics figures showed today.
The BIS wholesale price index,
which includes prices of some 900
commodities, both food and non
food. hit another all-time peak for
the week ended August 7. The index
reached 1892 per cent of the 1926
average. In other words, it now
costs $l.69 to buy what 81 used to
buy at wholesale in normal" 1926.
The index figure for farm pro-
ducts reached 1885, up ITO of / per
cent in a week, due chiefly to higher
livestock prices. These wholesale
prices already are reflected in the
current high retail price tags at the
butcher counter.
But the index for building mate
rails is now at 20l.6 of the 1926 nor
NAL an even greater long term
increase than for food. BIS says
chat higher prices have just been
reported for such housing compon-
ents as copper, lead, zinc, bolts,
rivets, plumbing fixtures, millwork
and plate glass.
Wholesale Costs Soar.
BIS figures show that from Aug
ust 8, l947, to August 7, 1913, all
wholesale commodities were up liz
per cent. Broken into the major
groups, the total rise represents a
jump of II per cent in food items
sold at wholesale, rise of 6.8 per
cent in other farm products and a
raise of 1877 in all other commodi-
ties.
This "all other" category includes
rises in raw materials of 1913 per
cent in the year, per cent for semi
manufactured articles and 116 In
manufactured products.
The wholesale increases, some of
which do not normally show up at
the retail level for some weeks, can
only mean more bad price news for
retail shoppers in coming weeks.
Following yesterdays new rise in
meat prices, with steaks in the
Washington area up as much as Is
cents a pound, Representative Gel
Ter, Democrat. of New York, de-
clared that if housewives would
stop buying meat for two weeks
prices would tumble and packers
would be brought to book"
Mr.. Celler blamed high meat
prices on the cattle growers and
the big packers" He said the one
remaining weapon to drive down
meat prices is the boycott.
Buyers Strikes Spread.
More stories Of sporadic meat buy
ers' strikes continued to appear, the
Associated Press reported. Such a
move in Norfalk, Va. drew indorse-
ment from the Norfolk Food Deal
ers' Association.
The head of that organization Of
retail grocers and other food han
oilers said the strike would focus at
tention on the vanishing budget
dollar of the housewife"
But in Salem, Ohio. a check
showed that the housewives meat
strike there had had no effect. The
reverse, in fact, appeared to be the
result.
Meanwhile. Allan Kline, head OF
the American Farm Bureau Fedora
ton, issued statement, denying the
high cost OF living can be blamed on
farm price supports. He said the
Government support program, which
guarantees high prices to farmers
for major crops, is not the cause.
THE only real and lasting cure
for Imitation lies in expanded pro-
duction," he told an audience at
Jacksons Mill. w. Va.
Mr.. Kline predicted that prices
of many foods will fall as "A result
of the bumper grain crops. He
pointed to the decline in recent
months of both corn apd wheat
prices as well as other grains.
The astonishing crop forecast
for this year." he said. will exert a
similar influence on prices of meat
and livestock. This will just take
a little more time"
An indication that this "little
more time" may be considerable
came from an Agriculture Depart
ment report. This report showed
that there are now IL per cent fewer
beef cattle on feed for the slaughter
market in the corn belt as OF August
than year ago.
Most of the cattle now on feed
will reach the market in the late
winter and next spring and summer
While the number cannot be in
creased, lower corn prices will en-
courage farmers to fatten the live
stock to greater weights, thus in
creasing the pounds of beef which
will eventually reach the butcher