Evening star., 1951-05-20
Cattle Price Ceilings
Taking Effect Today;
Retail Change Slight
By the Associated Press

CHICAGO. May 19.-The Gov
ernment will loop a price lariat
around the Nations beef cattle to-
morrow in its program to pull
back the butcher shop price Of
beef nearly 10 cents pound by
October i.
The new price ceiling will re-
quire packers to buy cattle at
prices averaging 10 per cent be-
low January levels. Housewives
are expected to find little. if any.
immediate change in their meat
costs.
Retail ceilings are scheduled to
be rolled back four to five cents
a pound August / with second
four to five cents slash due Octo-
ber /.
Drop in Production Forecast.
The Government says the live
cattle price rollback is designed
to relieve the squeeze on whole
sale and retail beef price ceilings
now in effect. Additional cattle
price rollbacks of Az per cent
each have been set for August /
and October /, under the Office
of Price Sterilization order.
Spokesman for cattle raisers,
however, contend the ceiling mere
ly transfers the squeeze from the
packers to the feeders and will
cause substantial drop in beef
production.
Cattle, prices have been Slantine
generally downwards at the IL
principal livestock markets since
the Government announced its
beef price control program April
% and are near ceiling levels. For
that reason the ceiling should
cause no sharp new price down.
swing.
Maximum Averages Given.
Under the cattle ceiling, pack
ers in Chicago will be permitted
to pay the following maximum
average prices for accounting
periods between May 20 and
July 2s:
Prime grade yielding 81 per
cent meat. $37 hundred pounds;
choice yielding SO per cent,
$34.20; good yielding Sc per
cent, $3.50; commercial yielding
So per cent, $27.30; utility yield
ing 81 per cent, $21.80 and cut
ter and Gamer yielding 43 per
cent. $3.50.
Comparable ceilings have been
set in other livestock centers.
Cattle furnishing more than the
standard percentage yields spec
lfled can bring a corresponding
higher price.
Cattle receipts at the nation'sI
II principal markets since the
beef price control announcement
three weeks ago have been about
equal to those for the same period
in l95o-slightly over 100000
head.
Receipts Fluctuate
Cattle receipts jumped Is per
cent over the preceding week the
week ended May and prices
broke 81 to So hundred pounds.
Receipts dropped somewhat the
following week and prices re-
covered so cents to ST.. This week
receipts increased again and
prices held about steady.
Some beef cuts in the New
York wholesale market dropped
below the ceiling Thursday, be-
cause of plentiful supplies.
Opponents of cattle price cell
ings have contended that some
cattle are being shipped to mar
ket at light weight because
feeders are afraid to buy cattle
for fattening.
Loren C. Bambert of lone,
Calf. president of the American
National Cattlemen's Association,
said that because of controls
meat rationing is almost certain
to come within the next few
months"
However, Secretary of Agri-
culture Brannan denied that con-
trolls have jeopardized beef pro-
duction.
The next step in the Govern
ment's beef price rollback pro-
gram requires butcher shops to
post retail ceiling price charts on
June 4.