Evening star., 1951-02-04
Controls
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NOnCfOtS
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animal that he had in 1850. New
slaughterers thus could not legally
come into existence except under
a licensing system which officials
said would be tougher" than a
similar system in World War II.
Action Is Two-Way Deal.
The action is a two-way deal
involving the Agriculture Depart
ment and the OPS
The Agriculture Department
now has the authority to pre-
scribe quotas for slaughterers. It
is expected to delegate this power
to the OPS.
officials said limiting of the
number of slaughterers-there are
now about $500 slaughtering es-
Establishments - would make it
much easier to police the industry
and arrest fy-by- y-night operators
who might be willing to pay farm
ers higher r-than-market prices
and then sell the meat at prices
which violate OPS ceilings-that
is, into the black market.
OPS officials are studying an
other meat problem, that of So
called token" sales. Some whole
salers are accusing some packers
of having made one or two isolated
sales at high prices during the
December 19-January Is base
period" on which present ceilings
are based and doing this with the
sole object of gaining higher cell
ings after the freezing of prices at
the highest levels of the base
period.
Cotton Development.
It seems doubtful that the OPS
will take any action on these
charges, because the agency has
not yet been able to tell whether it
is really a serious problem.
There was a cotton development
at the OPS yesterday, too. Off
cials of the cotton exchanges, and
brokers who sell on the exchanges,
were reported to have formally
recommended that raw cotton be
exempt from price control - not
only at the farm level as at pres
ent, but also at all stages until it
is processed.
This would free ginners from
price control and also would lift
the freeze from operations on the
cotton exchanges. The exchanges
have been closed ever since the
price order was issued January 26
because of great confusion about
its application.
The cotton mems proposal also
was reported to include an "esca-
lator clause" under which the
price of textiles could go up or
down with changes in the price of
raw cotton. The OPS is consider
ing the recommendations.
Ban Ordered by NPA.
The aluminium ban was ordered
by the National Production Au-
thority. It said that after April l
aluminium can't be used in max
ing Venetian blinds, storm WIN
dows, residential roofing. house
hold laundry equipment, ladders,
automobile hardware and many
other articles.
The scrap price rollback is effec-
tive next Wednesday. The action
is expected to make it easier to
prevent increases in steel prices.
Scrap constitutes about half the
weight of materials used in max
ing steel.
The scrap price order was esti-
mated by the OPS to push the
quotation back $40 a gross ton
on standard grades of scrap with
rollbacks up to $50 on special
grades.
Under the new order, scrap will
be based on a key price of $44
a gross ton, delivered at Pitts
burgh, for No. l heavy melting
steel. Calculations on prices of
other grades stem from that, basis
OPS said $44 was the price
=. which generally prevailed in De-
cember, but that the month was
not being used as a base period
and the prices would be re-exam-
ined later.
Scrap Prices Up in 80.
OPS said the general level OF
; iron and steel scrap prices climbed
about 20 per cent in the last hall
of 1850.
NPAs rubber order also calls
for a cut in the amount of syn
, thetic rubber earmarked for new
automobile tires. But it increases
the amount of so-called camel
back" rubber for recapping old
tires.
NPA's aluminium order called on
producers and fabricators to ac-
cept more defense contracts.
J Besides the April l ban on many
non-defense items, the regulation
limits the use of aluminium by pro-
ducers during March to IS pei
cent of the average monthly use
during the first six months o1
1850.