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Let them eat hamburger

As the food industry gets fat

In an address given to the 10th National Convention of the Congress of Canadian Women, Norman Ferguson, UE research director, spoke on the topic In- flation in Canada — Where Does the Blame Lie? Last week, we printed a section dealing with the argument that labor costs

are responsible for high prices, .

showing that in fact, such is not the case. Ferguson showed that direct labor costs make up about 6% of retail sales prices, and are but an insignificant factor in pricing. :

Unfortunately, a number of lines were transposed into his article from another story, for which we apologize to our read- ers.

This week we present a sec- tion of Ferguson’s address deal- ing with the high cost of food, especially meats.

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Since 1961, the base year for the (consumer price) index, some of the more startling rises in the food index to January 1973 have been: Fish up 98%. Fresh vegetables up 16%. Beef up 68%. Dairy products up 53%. Fresh pork up 60%.

The beef price index advanced by 9.5% in the period covered and it is here that ‘the example of callous profiteering referred to earlier becomes apparent.

A look at the selected food items index as it pertains to beef shows the following for the period under examination.

Note well the increase in the index for hamburg meat, better

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than 16% in twelve months and nearly 90% since 1961. No other fresh beef product has increased so dramatically in price. Why has the price of hamburg esca- lated so much? It is generally accepted that hamburg is con- cocted from the ground up un- salable cuts of beef and trim- mings and scrap from other cuts. How on earth can the chain stores justify an increase of this magnitude when the price of the prime cut has only risen by 6% in the year? To be sure, the in- dex level for round steak has

January January Percent

1973 1972 change

Sirloin steak 158.2 149.4 + 59 Round steak 174.4 159.0 + 9.7 Prime rib roast 161.4 150.6 + 7.2 Blade roast 159.6 143.8 +110 Stewing beef 165.3 152.4 + 8.5 Hamburg 186.2 160.2 +16.2 Liver 139.9 118.0 +18.5

They rake in the bread

Wonder why you're paying more this year for food, gas, or anything else that you set your mind on buying?

Some figures that we publish here from a Report on Business sampling of ‘296 corporations will tell you the story.

After tax profits of the 296 companies for the first quarter of 1973 were up almost 30% from a year earlier, the sample finds.

And just wait until the gov- ernment’s new income tax law reducing taxes on big business from 49 to 40% comes into ef- fect. Profit figures will run even higher.

Here are some:

Base metals up 138.1%.

Construction and materials up 167.2%.

Food processing up 54.6%.

General manufacturing up 72.7%.

Paper and forest up 260.9%.

Real estate up 125.8%.

Western oils up 28.9%.

All in all, a pretty big wind- fall for the corporations. And government wage guidelines are somewhere in the neighborhood of a 5.5% rise. Not quite enough to make up for high prices.

The population of Bulgaria was 8,594,493 on December 31, 1972. Of the total population, 4,785,203 (55.7%) live in towns and 3,890,290 (44.3%) in vil- lages.

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William Kashtan, general secretary of the Communist Party of Canada, has written David Lewis, NDP leader, asking him to get Parliament to condemn the Bordaberry regime.

“In ‘reply to the abrogation of the constitution and of democracy,” the letter states, “the central body of the Uruguayan trade union movement—the National Workers Confederation (CNT)—called a general strike. The government outlawed the trade union federation, confiscated its property and arrested many of its leaders...

“In this tense and difficult situation the forces in Uruguay uphold- ing democracy and constitutional rights ought to receive the support of all democratic Canadians and of the entire trade union movement.

“We ask that you consider some expression of condemnation of the dictatorial actions of the Bordaberry regime by Parliament”.

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risen by 9% in the period and it might be argued that round steak is the principal ingredient of hamburg, but even if we did stretch a point considerably and agree that hamburg was ground round (which it isn’t), why should the price increase of the ground product be double that of the basic cut?

The callous attitude of the food monopolists becomes ap- parent when we examine these increases.

In the first place, home econo- mists have been exhorting the general public to buy substitutes for prime cuts ‘of beef over the last year or two. Admittedly, the price of sirloin has only ris- en by 6% in the year and just over 58% since 1961, but how many people could afford it in the first place? The chain groc- ery retailers have cynically not- ed the recommendations to the public to find other sources of protein for their dinner tables, thus accounting for the increase in pork, fish, poultry and ham- burg prices. The chains have obviously decided that if the public won’t buy the top price product, they will at least pay more for the substitute.

It is widely agreed that ham- burg is the main fresh meat item in the diets of those on low and/or fixed incomes. So it is the poor, those who can least afford it, who are being gouged the deepest by the inflation brought on by greed for profit. They al- ready pay outrageous prices for inadequate. (in. most _ cases) shelter, and now the prices of dietary staples are being driven out of reach.

To’add insult to injury, the government undertook to at- tempt to “educate” housewives’ and homemakers’ shopping and meal planning habits. I won’t say any more on this because I know that no civil servant can tell anyone who has lived on a working class income or less how to stretch the food budget.

Another recent happening has been the introduction of so- called ‘‘superburger.”’ This is a concoction of hamburg meat and soya bean meal that sells at something like 20 cents per pound under current hamburg prices.

If my information is correct, reconstituted. soya meal holds three times its weight in water and if so, and my mathematics are correct, a pound of “super- burger’ would consist of 12 ounces of hamburg, one ounce of soya flour or meal and three ounces of water!

Plan new canal

It is announced in Moscow that a new canal will be built in the USSR between the Cas- pian Sea and the Siberian rivers Irtysh, Ob and Yenisei.

The main purpose of the canal is to irrigate some 10 million hectares of arid lands in Soviet Central Asia and in Kazakhstan. It will also be used for naviga- tion.

Stretching for several thous- and kilometres, the canal will be 300 to 350 metres wide and up to 15 metres deep. In the first stage it will be fed from the Irtysh only and provide the steppes of Central Asia and Ka- zakhstan with 25,000 million cubic metres of water a year. Later on the Ob and the Yenisei must be linked up with the Siberia-Caspian Sea system.

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Response to the call for the World Congress of Peace Forces in Moscow this fall has been overwhelmingly encouraging, ac- cording to Jim Forrest, North America’s representative and a member of the secretariat of the World Peace Council. Mr. For- rest made the statement at a press conference held in Toronto at the Voice of Women National headquarters.

Mr. Forrest’s visit to Toronto was the last stage of a North American tour designed to_ gauge the progress being made in assembling the various national and regional delegations as well as to report on the develop- ments being made in the rest of the world in realizing this im- portant Congress.

He praised the work of the Ontario and other provincial committees in responding so enthusiastically to the call for the Congress. The Ontario dele- gation is almost filled, and he stressed the importance of pre- paring the delegation for its par- ticipation in the Congress through the presentation of re-

os a ee f search and discussion papel relevant to the major commis: sions which will be part of th? Congress.

Mr. Forrest stressed that thé main thrust of this Congres was to bring together as broa ‘ delegation as possible, and noes that the Ontario delegation Pp! vided a very good example °

what sections of society fat

Congress will represent. S0 # |

the. Ontario delegation has * good mixture ranging from Pp! minent individuals in the field of science, education and CU ture, representatives from ethnl? groups, church representation poor people, trade unionists 2 the organized peace moveme? itself.

In closing, Mr. Forrest outlif® ed the deep significance of ™ Congress to Canadians. He S# it would give us a chance 0 relate to other peace forces i the world, to contribute tO 0 growing peace movement v learn from it, as well a — would be invaluable in deeper. ing the understanding of what going on in the world.

Soviet railwaymen havé

good labor

By BERT WHYTE

The first electric railway was a 300-yard-long Berlin tramway opened for the Berlin Trades Exhibition in 1879. Today the world’s longest stretch of elect- trified-line is the 3,240 miles be- tween Moscow and Irkutsk. In all, some 24,000 miles of the Soviet Union’s 86,000 miles of railroads are electrified.

In haulage of goods the rail- ways of the USSR hold first place in the world. Although comprising only 12% of the world rail network, they handle half of the world freight turn- over.

Five hundred new members have joined the Communist Par- ty in Scotland this year, bring- ing membership in the Party to 7,338.

In Glasgow the party now has 2,570 members. Gorbals branch, which has signed 85 new mem- bers since March, mainly from promised voters, now has a membership of 266.

Govan Hill branch, with 247, has just won 22 new members, mainly among Morning Star readers. Shipbuilding branch, which passed the “ton” some time ago, has won another 15 new. members.

In Lochore and Lochgelly, and in Cowdenbeath, famous for Communist councillors, 45 new members have been won since the elections, and the Fifers are out for another 50 by the holi- days. And Edinburgh has made 40 new members this year.

—Morning Star

conditions

Passenger traffic is increasitt Soviet railway workers fa lay-offs; indeed, there is # sot stant demand for more P® nel. in

Passenger trains are speed up service. A new exPI in. planned for the Moscow- ‘i 50 grad run which will travel a miles an hour. In the 3 similar trains may be Mose the lines connecting and with Brest, Kiev, G0 Yaa! Kharkov. Under considerat igh a plan to build a direct 9 ite speed line from Moscow ‘Black Sea coast. the

As can be seen from in 8 above, Soviet railways 4° pat healthy condition. A? ailw®) about the conditions of * workers?

* = z 2 this From May 26 to June «ov of year an international seraymels representatives of panties place in Moscow. proble wer? labor and health prote the main topics. | u

Leaders of 15 railway 4 ostss vikted, Latvia where st care railwaymen of the Baa the showed them aroune. pi 105" Riga depot,” said Sole, ug head of a Japanese unio echt” attention was drawn t? ilw isms which make the |) yal | men’s work easier, 9 lle ous safety devices, 4 W°" conti ped safety engineering ,, y everyday service roorgsco™ le

At the seminar 1 y! main reports, prepare pelginm way unions in Ita ia My France, FRG, GDR and ae USSR were delivered cussed.

During the discu became evident that ter MC ir way workers have me ea ing conditions than ist Coe colleagues in capita

ste ssion it

tries.