Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 17, Number 7, DeMotte, Jasper County, 3 January 1947 — COSTS OF CHEESE, PORK AND MILK OFF [ARTICLE]

COSTS OF CHEESE, PORK AND MILK OFF

Citrus Fruit Market Is Drag-gy, But Marks On Clothing* And * Shoes Are Up A break in food prices indicative of Lower living costs in 1947 was under way across the nation yesterday. There wws no well defined trend toward a reduction in clothing costs, however, except in furs. In fact, men’s clothing is still going up, but women bargain hunters for the £irst time since before the war were getting a chance at yearend clearance sales. A cut in December milk costs to dealers was assured by the reduction in condensery prices, the office of Andrew W. Colebank, federal milk market administrator, reported. Edwin W. Gaumnitz, executive secretary of the National Cheese i Institute, said wholesale cheese | prices had fallen 14 cents a pound since October. “Wholesale cheddar cheese that brought 51 cents a pound plus a 2-cent premium in October is quot- : ed today at 39 cents,” said Gaumnitz. “This looks like the first ma~ i jor break in prices of dairy pro- ! ducts.” I The sharp drop in butter prices [ Thursday ranging from 2 to 10 cents a pound at Chicago and New York is another forerunner of lower milk prices to come. In Washington, Secretary of Agriculture Anderson ordered “an immediate and thorough investigation” of the price break on' the New York butter market to determine if government regulations had bedn violated. Anderson's action followed reports that there had been a conspiracy to keep butter prices artificially high in the New York area At the Union Stock Yards, Department of Agriculture spokesmen said pork prices had fallen 15 to 20 cents a pound wholesale in the last 60 days. The break was emphasized by Opening bids of $1 to $1.50 per hundredweight liss for hogs yesterday than Thursday’s averages. The top at $22.25 paid sparingly for choice lightweights was fully $2.50 under quotations of four weeks ago. A drop of 20'cents a pound in [ wholesale lard in the last 60 days followed the tobaggan in pork prices. Lower bids for heavy hogs indicated a gradually widening 1 spread between the bacon and lard type animal. , \ Arthur H. Lauterbach, general manager of Pure Milk Association, said milk production was up 5 to 7 per cent. For the first time since before the war, he added, surpluses were being diverted to manufacturing plants during a normal scarcity period. Earlier price breaks in fruits and vegetables have been accentuated recently by the draggy market in citrus fruits. Grapefruit yesterday were wholesaling on the South Water Market at 3 to 5 cents each for size which a few months ago were retailing two for 25 cents. Only government price supports have prevented a collapse in potato prices.