AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1930, Page 5

AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

[United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyrighi.J (Received this uay at 10.30 a.m.) washing!ON, August 13. The Secretary of Agriculture (Mr Lyde) to-day requested the first emergency railway lrieght reduction rates to apply to 103 counties in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana and after a consultation President Hoover stated the Agricultural Department would maintain a careful watch on retail prices which despite "the reports of increases from the larger centres, apparently havehiot reached the level the Department considers unwarranted. '‘There is no reason for the housewife to become alarmed or panicky. While some truck garden product? have been damaged there is lm real shortage.” A representative of Languardia today called up President Hoover to protest against the 25 to 35 per cent, increase in prices in New York City on meat, butter, eggs, vegetables and milk.

The report to the American Press Association from all sections of the country were that food prices are going up and there are no prospects of a reduction before next year.

Individual instances of the sharp increases were forty per cent, in potato prices in'Madison and Wisconsin, two dollars per bushel in beans in. Indiana, three cents per dozen in eggs in Kansas, 50 per cent, in rock melons in Indiana. The Weather bureau announced 14 of the 50 centres in the fourteen drought stricken states, have reported less than ten inches of rain in the last two weeks, at a time when only an abundance of rain could save the situa tion.,