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

in most stores. Some viii be higher
some lower. Just what shopper!
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 q $64-questior
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 nc
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
f1cials said they are hopeful nc
major shortage will develop, al
though they conceded 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 thai
beef shipments already have
shown a serious decline here-ur
to rs per cent for some suppliers
Only the large chains still claim
ample supplies, and even theil
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 rs
cents a pound. But they have been
selling at a high level-$1.49.
Chain to Raise Price
By contrast, a chain-and the
chains supply the majority OF
consumers here-will raise the
same steak by 9 cents-from $1.15
to S124 a pound. The same chain
will raise sirloin steaks from Sill
to SLIT. rib roasts a penny to 81
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 leve
"a fact the Government con-
siders insignificant because it say!
little prime is available now.
While consumers can be ex.
pected to react unfavorably wher
they encounter higher prices to.
morrow, OPS hopes to mollify
them later. 1t has promised a 10.
cent rollback later onLhalf or
August l, the rest October /.
The price agency also has pre-
dicted that tomorrow's change.
will balance out, by and large
leaving the cost of beef at about
the same overall level.
But whatever the attitude Of
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 bust.
mes within month-I've got bet.
ter things to do with my time
than work for nothing"
Another said independent
butchers are being squeezed
three ways at once-between thu
packer, the customer and tn,
Government.
The little man doesn't stanc
chance" he declared.
Several dealers complained
about details. such as the lumpins
together of top and bottom rounc
at the same ceiling in the new
regulation.
I've been selling them at diff
ferent prices" said one. NOV
all my customers will want tn,
top round, and I'll be left with
the rest. What'll 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 il
favor Of continued price control
And he added:
L don't know whether I'll hav,
any beef to SELL"
A new system of price ceiling
on groceries also will 90 into eff
feet tomorrow. Replacing tn
fiat freeze on 80 per cent of gro
Gerry merchandise, it provides fo
weekly repricing based on chang
ing costs.
Many stores-especially chain
already have raised prices on
large number of items under thj
new system, which originally wa
to take effect two weeks agt