Evening star., 1951-05-13
Ceilings on Beef
To Have Varied
Effect on Prices
Up-or-Down Costs
To Change According
To LocuI Markets
By james 6. Deone

Beef may turn into q major
headache for Washington consum-
ers this week.
Tomorrow morning new beef
prices will confront housewives
in most stores. Some will be higher.
some lower. Just what shoppers
find will depend on where they
trade.
The changes result from new
dollars-and-cents beef ceilings TAX
ing effect tomorrow.
For later in the week, some
butchers are posing $64-queStion
will there be enough beef to sell.
at any price?
Talk of an impending shortage
mounted in meat circles here yes
terday. Some dealers reported
their suppliers would make no
promises on what they could give
them tomorrow morning. Some
foresaw having no beef at all by
the weeks end.
OPS Officials Hopeful.
Office of Price Sterilization Of
ficials said they are hopeful no
major shortage will develop, al
though they conceed one was pos
sible on a localized basis.
Cattle shipments to Midwest
meat markets skidded steeply last
week. Many meat men here theor-
ized that this trend-apparently
a protest against price controls
won't soon be reversed.
And dealers pointed out that
beef shipments already have
shown a ser sos1s decline here-up
to IS per Cox for some suppliers
Only the large chains still claim
ample supplies, and even their
officials last week began to be non
committal.
On the price side. shoppers to-
morrow morning will find the
changes on some cuts, and in
some stores, spectacular.
One store, specializing in ex-
pensive meats. will slash its porter
house, club and teabone steaks Is
cents a pound. But they have been
selling at high level-$1.49.
Chain to Raise Price
BY contrast, chain-and the
chains supply the majority of
consumers here-will raise the
same steak by 8 cents-from $1.15
to $1.24 a pound. The same chain
will raise sirloin steaks from Sill
to SLIT, rib roasts a penny to 80
cents a pound, and chuck roasts
to 73 cents-up 2. A few prices
will go down.
The new ceilings differ, depend
ing on whether stores are big or
little, chains or independents. In
dependents often charge more,
partly to compensate for extra
services such as free delivery and
charge accounts. Their steak and
roast prices in many instances are
being lowered.
Butchers must post complete
lists of the new ceiling prices by
June 4.
Must Separate Grades.
In addition to setting prices, the
Government has standardized re-
tail beef cuts, specified how they
should be trimmed and ordered
separate display of the different
grades. There are four grades
listed-choice, good, commercial.
and utility. Prime beef, the tor
grade, will sell at the choice level
"a fact the Government con-
siders Insignificant because it says
little prime is available now.
While consumers can be ex-
pected to react unfavorably when
they encounter higher prices to-
morrow, OPS hopes to mollify
them later. 1t has promised a TO-
cent rollback later on-half or
August l, the rest October /.
The price agency also has pre-
dicted that tomorrow's changes
will balance out, by and large
leaving the cost of beef at about
the same overall level.
But whatever the attitude o.
the consumers, some dealers al.
ready were reacting violently yes.
terday.
Cut Held Too Drastic.
Some complained that the
price cutbacks are too drastic
One, in business here for 35 years
said he's going to "go out of busi.
mes within a month-I've got bet.
ter things to do with my time
than work for nothing"
Another said independent
butchers are bing squeezed" three
ways at once-between the packer
the customer and the Govern.
ment.
"The little man doesn't stanc
a chance" he declared.
Several dealers complained
about details, such as the lumpins
together of top and bottom rount
at the same ceiling in the nev
regulation.
1--WE been selling them at diff
ferent prices" said one. "Noy
all my customers will want tn
top round, and I'll be left will
the rest. What1l I do with it.?
Some warned that cuts won
be trimmed as carefully under tn
new ceilings. The butcher won
be able to afford it, they said.
Only one of those reached in
spot check spoke up positively i
favor of continued price contro
And he added:
I don't know whether I'll hav
any beef to SELL"
A nwe system of price ceiling
on groceries also will go into e1
feet tomorrow. Replacing til
fiat freeze on so percent of gre
Gerry merchandise. it provides fl
weekly repricing based on chang
ing costs.
Many stores-especially chair
already have raised prices on