Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-06-14
Beef Supply Scarce,
Retail Prices Jump a
D. {. Area Markets

of beef at the packers level began
TO affect many retail food stores
today in the Washington area as
well as across the Nation.
Beef was still available, however,
but at higher prices at many
stores. The whole beef situation
appeared to be spotty with good
supplies at some grocers. skimpy
at others.
: Prices on the available beef
-Atumped as much as z cents a
pound over last weeks prices at
some stores Others maintained
about last weeks prices.
Round steak could be had at one
large chain for $1.10 a pound,
s1sirloin at SLIT a pound and T.
bone at 1924.
As the Senate House Committee
son Defense Production continued
its investigation on the beef
shortage. blamed by cattlemen on
the recent livestock price rollback,
most retailers agreed the beef
supply was Tightening up fast.
The coming week end and early
next week might well find many
meat counters bare OF popular
beef cuts. they said.
2 Supply 'Plenty Low"
The manager of District Gro
Gerry Store at Columbia road and
Mintwood place NV. grumbled
J that his meat supply is plenty
I low" The Argonne Market, 1911
I Columbia road NV, had a re-
: frigerator full of choice beef cuts
and apparently had no immediate
I prospect of shortage.
I A low supply of meat was re-
! ported by the manager of the
] A. g. P. store at 3400 Georgia ave-
I hue NV. He said no meat came
! in yesterday and fowl and fish
are being pushed.
Shirley Food Stores in Shir-
lington reported a normal supply
/ of meat coming in. The Acme
( Market in Shirlington also had no
I beef shortage as yet. The mana
i ger of the Coop Food Store in
darlington said he had plenty of
beef this week ''but didn't know
about next week" The same went
for the Safeway Store in Fair
lington.
The manager of the Giant Store
at Columbia pike and Baron street.
Arlington, also had no trouble yet
but didn't know about the fu-
ture."
> High Prices Hit Housewives.
Housewives, on the other hand,
had plenty of complaints. They
can find beef but don't like the
high prices.
3 Mrs. Isadore Perlman, 4s79I
South Twenty-eighth street. Ar
5lington, said. Meat is too high.
I actually splurged today and gotl
kstewing beef at well over a dollar.
we used to use it for economy
meals"
Mrs. Dudley P. Lee of Spring.
field. Va. said, Beef is so nigh
that we usually get either pork
/. or fresh ham. About once every
: two weeks we have a rib roast
and about once every six months
Z a steak"
Pork and poultry sales were
] high with the prices remaining
steady Good supplies of fresh
vegetables coming in dropped
prices somewhat. The Agriculture
Department listed lettuce and
oranges on its weekly roundup of
most plentiful foods for thrifty
buying.
Wholesale food prices, as meas
aured by the Dun g. Bradstreet
index. declined a little more this
week and now are at the lowest
sewerage level since mid-January
$ The index represents the total
cost at wholesale of a pound each
sof 81 foods in general use. 1t |
was at $7.07 as compared with |
1894 a year ago.
: Retail Prices Stay Up.
Retail food prices. however,
dropped only tiny notch during
the last two weeks of May after
hitting an all-time peak in the first
two weeks, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics estimated today.
In an eight-city survey, the bu-
reau found the retail food price in
dex on May % to be 226.5 per cent
of the 1935-1939 average. This
was down slightly from the all
time high of 227.1 reached the
first two weeks of May. The May
% figure was still approximately
y l per cent higher than in June,