Evening star., 1948-05-23
Lower Prices on Med
Forecast as Strike
Ends al Most Plants
By the Associated Press

meat handlers strike was over
at most plants throughout the
country today and industry
sources forecast this good news
for housewives:
/. Meat supplies probably will
start squirting next week as some
livestock believed held back on farms
is shipped to market.
2. The additional supplies may re-
suit in lower retail prices.
There are some "ifs" in the price
outlook-the principal one being
how strong a demand for meat de-
velops. Even If receipts at livestock
markets boom Monday, it will be a
week or 10 days before these addi-
tional meat supplies reach the Ma
tion's butcher shops in volume.
The prices of meat on the hoof
and on the butchers shelves have
been heading in opposite directions
since the strike started March 16.
Live cattle and hog prices have
been tending downward because the
strike reduced the capacity for
slaughtering and butchering the
animals. This decreased the de-
mand, men in the industry say. In
the retail markets, prices have edged
generally ahead because demand was
strong for the smaller than normal
meat supplies.
Meat Production Down.
Although the strike never caused
any important meat shortages
throughout the country, weekly meat
production was only from rs to IS
per cent of normal.
However, the longer term outlook
for meat supplies is not so bright.
Meat production normally slumps
during the summer. The meat
packers say the backlog of farm
supplies that was damned up by
the strike could keep them running
at high capacity for two or three
weeks.
The CIO United Packing House
Workers Union called off its strike
yesterday against Swift, Armour
and Cudahy, but continued it
against Wilson & Co. The strikers
accepted the cents an hour wage
increase they rejected before leav-
ing their jobs.
Another Plant Accepts Terms.
The strike settlement spread to-
day to the Kingan & Co. plant at
Indianapolis, where some 1900 pro-
duction workers accepted the
cents increase.
A union spokesman in New York
said so Wilson workers would return
to some of the company's branch
houses there Monday despite the
strike. These workers are covered
by contracts different than those
of the packing house workers.
However, the union continued its
strike against the Rath packing
plant in Waterloo, Iowa, and against
the Morrell packing plant at Ot-
tumwa, Iowa. The National Guard
still is on duty at the Rath plant,
where picket was slain Wednesday
National Guardsmen were with
drawn from South st. Paul, Mimi,
scene OF picket disorders.
Wilson Charges Fraud.
Wilson g. Co., one of the big
Four" packers which employs about
5000 this time of year, charged the
union today with fraud and misrep-
resentation in polling Wilson en-
ployes on the question of ending the
strike.
The company challenged the union
to sound out sentiment among Will
son workers in back-to-work poll
to be conducted by some Govern
ment agency. Richard c. Winkler
Wilson'S labor relations attorney
made the proposal in letter to
Ralph Helstein, union president Mr.
Winkler said the company had evil
dence Wilson employees were "over-
whelmingly in favor of returning to
work" and that the company pro-
posal never was submitted to the
workers.
Mr.. Helstein replied to Mr. Wink
Ter charging Wilson with "misrep-
resentation, half-truths and COM
pletely erroneous statements of fact.