Evening star., 1951-02-02
Meat Shortage
ThreatenedRere
Next Week
Bad Weather, Roll
WoIkout and Other
Strikes Are Blamed
BY Malcolm Lomborne, Jr.

A shortage of meat may develop
here next week as a result of a
combination of bad weather, the
rail walkout and scattered strikes
of independent packers in the
West, retailers warned today.
They said that if these three
factors do not change, critical"
shortages are sure to crop up.
Meat supplies for this week end,
however. are plentiful.
A meat shortage would further
complicate the price situation and
increase the temptation of some
wholesalers to raise their meat
prices, several retailers said.
Even without the strikes, my
supply is going to be curtailed
because of the price squeeze" an
official of one group of stores
commented
- To Add Six to Staff.
Meanwhile District Price Direc-
tor Vincent A. Holmes disclosed
he hopes to add as many as six
men to his enforcement staff. He
said in a statement that the six
men. expected to report before the
close of business Monday, would
be IAN initial contingent" of the
enforcement staff.
At the present time the Wash
ington Office has only one man
in this field-Lloyd Williamson.
who has been named acting en-
forcement officer. Mr.. Williamson
is a former OPA investigator here.
Check on Meat Prices Planned.
Meanwhile, the national Office
OF Prize Sterilization was studying
an amendment to the price regu-
lations designed to halt rising
wholesale meat prices which, in
turn. are bringing complaints from
retailers.
Retailers say wholesalers are
raising meats few cents pound
over last week and claiming that
this is their legitimate ceiling
price. Retailers say they have no
way of telling whether that is the
sellers ceiling. Retailers say their
consumer selling prices are frozen
and they can't pass along the
wholesale increases. This, then,
results in a price squeeze.
OPS may require that whole
salers prove that they have been
doing business on a substantial
scale at the price they now charge
retailers. Otherwise, they would
have to lower their selling price
Distribution System Drafted.
In any event. the amendment
under study would be only stop /.
gap until OPS has set up long
range program.
The National Association Of
Meat Professors and Wholesalers
prepared today to submit to OPS
fair distribution plan which, it
is hoped. will cut down the threat
of black market operations and
assure legitimate operators fair
share Of the Nations meat supply.
Joseph B. Danzansky, attorney
for the 500-member group, said
any such ALLEGATION program
should be combined with dollar
and-cents ceiling prices to be
posted in retail stores.
He insisted the Government
should direct all packers to con-
tinue to serve, during the control
period, the same customers they
sold to during 1850. In addition,
wholesalers and professors should
get the same proportionate
amount of meat, minus any sup
plies taken by the Government
for military use.
"Strong Program" Urged.
Mr.. Danzansky said this should
also be coupled with "strong"
program of licensing slaughtererS
and professors.
In another price development,
the Bureau of Labor Statistics an
nounced yesterday that retail food
prices set a new high record in
the first two weeks of January,
climbing another IL per cent.
This comes on top of last weeks
announcement that the cost of
living generally had reached
new high on December Is.
In the first two weeks of jan
uary, fats and oils rose 3.5 per
cent: fruits and vegetables, %
per cent; meats, poultry and fish,
1.8 per cent. and cereals and