OCR Text |
Show RATIONNEWS More ground black pepper should be available to American housewives within a short time. Upon the recommendation of the War Food Administration and the Director of Economic Stabilization, Sta-bilization, the OPA has increased increas-ed the price of whole black pepper pep-per for the importers from six and on-half cents a pound to ten cents a pound. A large part of the pepper supply has been held in this country for several years, and persons holding it have refused re-fused to sell at the six and one-half one-half cents a pound price, contending con-tending this does not cover the original cost, storage and other carrying charges. The processor's ceiling price for sales of bulk ground black pepper is fixed at 12 cents a pound, f.o.b. New York City. The packers present margin mar-gin on consumer-sized packages is sufficient to permit them to absorb the increase and thus prevent a rise in retail price to consumers. Chester Bowles, in a memorandum memor-andum on reconversion price policies, makes several observations observa-tions of interest to farmers! "The pricing policy must not contri-but contri-but to any repetition of the col-laDse col-laDse to farm prices following World War I. The ability of our farmers to purchase industrial products and generally increase their standard of living has been improved 'during the war period. With sustained high purchasing power, farmers and their families famil-ies can furnish one of the largest and most profitable markets for industrial products. The OPA pricing policy calls for the elimination elim-ination of price control as rapidly rapid-ly as possible. The wartime lack of balance between supply and demand made price control necessary, nec-essary, when supply and demand come back on balance, price control con-trol will not be needed." |