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Show ARE PRICES DROPPING? Are prices dropping? It i6 pretty hard to say whether old hi-cost has been given a jolt. Nevertheless the outlook is more encouraging just now than it was a few weeks ago. Bradstreet's publishes a weekly food index. The publication takes CI articles used for food and ascertains the price per pound for each. These sums are added and are compared week by week. The Bradstreet food index for the jweek ending Saturday, February 21,1 was exactly ?5. That is the price per J 'of the 31 articles of food when added i together made ?5. This compares to ?5.03 for the preceding week. But for the corresponding week of one year ago tho index figures were $4.60. It happens, however, that when the price of a food commodity drops, consumption con-sumption pf that article increases and this increased demand causes another advance In the price. Announcement of packers that exportation ex-portation of meats has been greatly decreased was followed by lower prices paid for meat-producing ani-Imals, ani-Imals, yet there has been little reduction reduc-tion in the price of meats. The pro-jducer pro-jducer of meat animals Is hard hit by every such reduction yet the con-pumer con-pumer gaina little if any advnntage. i |