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Show COST OF LUG BEING REDUCED, PHJDTS III Asks Public to Give Government Gov-ernment a "Chance to Show What It Can Do." Slump Has Not Yet Gathered Gath-ered Momentum, He Says; Meat Takes Tumble WASHINGTON, Aug. 27. Prices are beginning to turn downward in various parts of the country, but the slump has not yet gathered momentum sufficient to affect purchases for immediate use, according to reports to the department of justice. ': Attorney General Palmer, asked today how soon results could be expected from the campaign to reduce the cost of llv-I llv-I ing, said all the government wanted was : a fair chance to show what could be done : to take the artificial inflation out of the market. He said officials were well pleased with the success so far attained and that cumulative results were expect-1 expect-1 ed when congress enacts amendments to the food-control law by which criminal penalties can be imposed on profiteers and hoarders. "We hope the public will begin to reap . the benefit of our efforts before long," Mr. Palmer said. "For instance, we are making progress in obtaining promises from shoe manufacturers as to fixing a limit beyond which prices shall not go." Propaganda which is apparently na-i na-i tion-wide, on the part of shopkeepers 1 seeking to induce purchases now on the pretext that prices will be materially higher next season, was condemned by Mr. Palmer as one certain thing which would make prices continue rising if heeded. His attention was called to advertisements ad-vertisements in various papers stating straw hats, clothing and other non-perishable articles should be bought before next year's prices become effective. "It is very unfortunate that some merchants mer-chants take that attitude, and we have been studving the situation," the attorney attor-ney general said. "Extensive purchases now, reducing the supply and increasing the demand, would make their predictions come true, whereas we hope for a normal nor-mal price level if the people do not stampede stam-pede into a buying hysteria." PUBLIC CURTAILS MEAT PURCHASES; PRICES TAKE FALL CHICAGO, Aug. 27. A drop of $1 a hundred pounds on the average for hogs, 1 with lower prices for beef cattle, at the stockyards today, was ascribed to several reasons, and partly to the general protest pro-test against the high cost of living. Market Mar-ket men said the tendency was for still I lower hog prices, particularly after the I fall marketing, and they professed to see i a break in high living costs. The public has curtailed its buying of pork and beef recently, while livestock I receipts are large. The eastern market failed to act as an emergency outlet, and the packers virtually withdrew their buyers buy-ers from the pens today, leaving thousands thou-sands of hogs and cattle without buyers, buy-ers, and speculators were hard hit. Exnort business has been depressed by the foreign exchange situation, livestock men sav, and the receipts of accumulations accumula-tions of hncrs on the farms during the recent strike of railroad shopmen, and a strong run nf hogs in prospect, caused I the, weak market. - While the average drop for hogs was I at $1, the difference between today's I lowest point and yesterday's high point I was fully 1.50, livestock authorities said, i while the average drop for beef cattle tndav ranged from 50 to 75 rents a hundred" hun-dred" pounds Sheep also sold lower. "With lower retail prices on moats expected ex-pected to result in a day or two from : the lower livestock prices, other food-! food-! stuffs. Including fruits and vegetables, j declined. In the commission house district, dis-trict, apples slumped 25 cents a bushel, oranges 50 cents a box. sweet potatoes 25 cents a bushel, peaches 25 cents, bananas ba-nanas 25 cents a bunch and cantaloupes 25 cents a crate; torn? toes, green corn and watermelons also sold lower. Declines generally were attributed to ahundancv as crops matured. The United St;ttf? bureau of markets reported 204 . (CouUmiPd on Page 2. Column 4.) COSTol LII8 m mm (Continued Fro.n Page One.) carloads of potatoes on track; apples, -12; watermelons, Tb; cantaloupes, 40. NEW YORK MEAT MEN AGREED ON FAIR PRICE MARGIN X KV YORK. Auff. 27. In an effort to stabnize meat prices, the committee on fa.r prices lor meat or the New York S Late Assoc j at. on of L' nited Master i-iutehers of America today agreed upon ! a tentative fa ir margin scheuu.e a-ver-i::g eighteen basic meat items. The list will be give1! a trial during September. The margins agreed upon are - cents higher than those in ettect during trie war-time period, but it was understood ! reductions in wholesale prices would en-: en-: abie them tu sell at lower than wartime war-time figures. The maximum fair margin profit schedule agreed upon today follows: Beef of good and medium steers j Chuck steak, 13 cents a pound ; whole ! cross rib, 20 cents ; cut cross rib, 24 I cents: stew beef, 13 cents. ) Hinds and ribs of good and medium j steers Sirloin steaks, 17 cents; bottom j round, 19 cents; rib roast, prime, 18 1 cents; wdiole top sirloin, 15 cents; cut j top sirloin, 19 cents. i Lamb Let? of iamb. 14 cents; rib chops, 14 cents; chuck, 3 cents; stew lambs, under cost 4 cents. Pork products Smoked hams, unwrapped, un-wrapped, 8 to 10 pounds, 8 cents a pound; smoked shoulders, picnic, 2 Mi to 7 pounds, 7 cents; smoked bacon, unwrapped. 13 cents ; pork chops, ends, 8 cents ; pork chops, middle, 12 cents. l The margins are based on "cash and I carry" and do not include, the cost of delivery de-livery service. ' |