Evening star., 1948-07-23
Prices
Continued From First Page

tCOnLlnueO from F1rSC Page.)
the bureau-practically all of them
lower than the price tags to be found
in stores today:
Round steak. sS.S cents per pound;
rib roast, 75.2; chuck roast, SO;
hamburger, 624; veal outlets, 965;
pork chops, 81.7; sliced bacon, 7S.5;
whole ham, 671; salt pork, Ali;
leg Of lamb. 1913. The range in
prices in different stores for these
items was quite extensive in some
cases. Round steak, for example,
was offered at from 79 cents a pound
to $125.
Fruits and vegetables as a group
were up 36 per cent in the month
with the fresh items reaching a new
high in the index and offsetting
some decreases.
Apples Lead Advance.
Largest advance was for apples
"a per cent in a month. Other big
increases we're on sweet potatoes,
% per cent, and spinach, II per
cent. On the other hand, green
beans dropped 20 per cent, cabbage
IA per cent and carrots 6.5 per cent.
Eggs went up 4.9 per cent-more
than twice the usual amount at
this time Of year-to 500 cents a
dozen on the average. Milk prices,
both fresh and evaporated, were
practically unchanged, with fresh
milk sold in stores showing a slight
drop.
Dairy products declined a little,
with cheese down 3.5 per cent, and
butter, l per cent. This figure does
not cover the butter price drop
earlier this week, however. Oleo-
margarine prices advanced A. per.
cent to-san average price ofA45.4
cents a pound, compared to s3.4
cents for butter.
Flour Prices Advance.
Flour prices went up 7 per cent,
and rice, q per cent, to more, than
offset declines for corn meal and
cookies in the cereals and bakery
products group. The group increase
was less than l per cent.
Group by group, these are the
percentage increases in food clas-
sif1cationS from June Is, 1916, Just
as OPA was about to end the first
time, to June IS, 1o48:
Meats -fish-poultry 900
beverages 1U.l
Fats and oils
Dairy products -44.5
Cereals-bakery products 35.9
Eggs
Sugar and sweets
Fruits and vegetables 1872
Average for all -480
A bureau index made public yes
terday showed that wholesale prices
hit new high for the week end
ing July IT. The figure was 1889
per cent of the 1926 average, topping
the old high of 167 established back
in May, 1920, during the post World
War I imitation period.
The index showed "all meat prices
were sharply higher with increases
ranging from more than 5 per cent
for pork to so per cent for NUT
ton
Representative Brown, Republic
can, of Ohio said yesterday the Re-
publican Party will do what it can
"of its own volition" to stem the
price spiral. But, he added, Presi-
dent Truman now has powers over
credit and money which could have
been used to stall the price rises. He
also mentioned control over scarce
commodity exports, construction
that could wait and big Federal
payrolls.
One White House caller yesterday,
President Philip Murray of the CIO,
said he asked Mr.. Truman to re-
quest Congress to freeze prices at
some recent level and to boost taxes
on "exorbitant" corporation profits.
He said, however, the CIO opposes
wage freeze because wages are
fixed by collective bargaining.
Buying Lag Cuts Some Prices.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press
reported that housewives through
out the Nation are forcing down
some retail meat and butter prices
by limiting their purchases.
Chain stores in Chicago and New
York have cut their meat prices
4 to 6 cents a pound in the past
few days. Some cuts also have
been registered in Washington.
Butter prices have dropped here
and elsewhere, rejecting lower
wholesale prices.
At Chicago, spokesmen for the
Dig national chains selling meat
attributed the cuts to buyer re-
sistance.
But in New York, the city markets
commissioner, Eugene G. Schultz,
said today that with few exceptions
meat prices continue at the all-time
peaks.