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further states: "Perk producticn in the hands of an e3cperienced person work:ing under 

 favorable conditions with respect to feed, lahor, pastures, and equipment is likely to 

 continue to be prof i table, and the country needs and will pay for pork production under 

 euch conditions. Efficiency of production must be the keynote." 



Feed import duty off . President Roosevelt has signed a bill that lifts for 

 three months the Import duties on feed for poultry and livestock. This should help 

 encourage importation in order to relieve the present shortage of domestic feeds. 

 Imports will continue to be restricted, however, by a lack of transportation facilities 



A prop for e^A prices . The War Food Administration announced that it would 

 start accepting Immediatn^v offers of dried whole eggs for February delivery. This 

 had a tendency to steady -Wie egg market^ which has taken an awful beating' during the 

 past two weeks. [ . ' 



Government to buy stored chickens . The War Food Administration has taken 

 over practically all stored chickens until the armed services obtain a sufficient 

 amount to meet their needs. The purchases will be from all storage stocks at ceiling 

 prices^ p,nd quantities not needed will revert to the owners for sale to the general 

 public. It will not affect marketing or storing other chickens. The armed forces 

 hav3 "*7ad difficulty in obtaining what they needed in spite of a permit to pay one cent 

 a pound more for dressed chickens. It may forecast some reduction in the quantities 

 avaii.tble to domestic conaumers. However, flock owners are urged to cull in January 

 in ordor that their flocks may bo no larger than a year earlier. If carefully culled, 

 the flow of chickens to market is likely to continue at a reasonable rate. 



More peaches. aTjplee. raisins, and prunes released to civilians . In order to 

 provide for the needs of the arr.iod forces and lend-leace, the government follows the 

 procedure of ordering processors to hold all, or a specified portion, of their output 

 for governLient purchase. If th^ government determines that the entire amount reser\'-ed 

 will not be needed, it will be released for sale to the public. Within the past week, 

 the War Food AdminiEtration has released 60 million pounds of dried raisins, 32 mil- 

 lion pounds of dried pr-jnes and expects to release soon 750 thousand cases of canned 

 peaches and 8^ million poimls of canned apples. Provision had been mc-de earlier for 

 the release of 2,60C,00b casee of string beans and tomatoes, 2,^4-00,000 case. 3 of canned 

 grapefruit Juice, 51+0,000 cases of pineapple, 77,000 cases of figs, and 2,970,000 cases 

 of canned peaches, peas, and catsup. 



More hou sehold ocuipmont. As construction of war plants has practically 

 ceased and supplies of ce:.'i.air kinds of war equipment are adequate for our present 

 needs, laore metais are becoming available for use in the production of certain kinds 

 of badly needed hout-ehoLd ecuipment. Among the items 3oheculed for increase in 19^14- 

 are electric irona, tclephoie-s, and washing machines. We ^^ay aljo be able to obtain 

 more vacuum cleaiiero, rclrigerators, waah tubs, buc>ot£:. and alarm clockr. The clock 

 manufacturers are en,2.:3.ged in the production of fuses for shells and boribe and will not 

 be permitted to convert to civilian production as long as their services are needed for 

 war production. 



Transportation •problem serious. The transportation system is not ex'C'ected 

 to improve during ±['''■^■4. Vv- re ilvo'LiG operated at capacity in 19^? and have not been 

 able to add much nev enuip-Vif^ni . 1:Ij'Y have done a fine ^^ob, but the load continues to 

 get heavier. Autamcoiljc ai^d tire.- e:a wearing out, and thsre is no prospect that they 

 will be replaced with new ones in I'^k^-. Probably the most serious situation confront- 

 ir^g us is in connection with transportation by trucks. The volume of freight carried 



