Evening star., 1958-05-09
Housewives Revolt

wonderful. If we have some
one to bring the high food
prices to the attention of
someone in authority, it may
do some good.
/ want to tell you of my
experience with buying food.
I have a cat which likes only
halibut, frozen, and must
have about one package per
week. l have been paying
43 cents, then 49 cents per
pound. Last week it was SO
cents per pound.
Please keep the good work
up. and write more about the
high food prices. I will be
willing to live on beans for
one week, If it will help to
bring the prices down.
Lillian BOtkin.
In behalf of the vegetable
growers of the country I am
obligated to take issue with
a statement in Miriam Of
tenberg's article in the May
4 Star, High Food Prices
Stir Housewives Revolt"
THE Florida freeze and Sc
we're weather elsewhere pro-
duced some but by no means
all the price rises" said the
article. Farmers and ship
pers took advantage of tenn
porary shortages of fresh
fruits and vegetables to
charge all that the traffic
would bear-the law of sup
ply and demand in its most
virulent form"
This is the most unfortu-
nate and untruthful state
ment l have heard in a long
time.
The vegetable growers have
traditionally opposed Gov
ernment price supports. rely
ing entirely upon the law of
supply and demand for their
commodity. This has often
meant that prices were so
low they would not cover the
costs of harvesting and mar
keting.
Most of these vegetables
are highly periShable and
must be harvested and mar
keted when ready. They can
not be held for higher prices.
The froStS and rains dur
ing the past winter were not
by the growers choice. These
growers lost thousands of
dollars in seed, fertilizer and
labor in cultivating these
crops only to be wiped out
by froSts.
The writer seemed to for
get one of the most funda-
mental effects of the law OF
supply and demand. When
supply is low prices naturally
rise. when supply is abundant
prices decline.
The prices of these COM
modities are determined by
the law of supply and de-
mand at the market place
and not by the farmers
charging "all that the traffic
would bear"
What your writer failed to
mention was the many built
in maid services, and proc
eSsing costs performed out
side the kitchen by someone
other than the housewife.
Since the housewife prefers
not to do this labor, someone
else does 1t, which must be
paid for.
I do congratulate your
writer upon the suggestion
that housewives can do
something about the price Of
food by being selective in
their buying. But let's not
just blame the farmer or the
retailer for the sake of hav-
ing a reason.
Joseph S. Shelly,
Executive Secretary,
Vegetable Growers AS
sociation of America.
4 \
Following up Miss Often
berg's feature article on high
food prices on May 4, I hap
pened to buy a New York
paper of May S, advertising
sale at a chain store in the
New York area. / also bought
The Star of May 5, at which
time a similar ad was being
run by the same chain in the
Washington area.
l would like to quote the
difference in a few of the
items between the two areas,
For example, sirloin steak in
New York was selling for 79
cents a pound, while in the
Washington area it was SELL
ing for SO cents: porterhouse
steak selling for IS cents q