The Commerce Ministry said today that it was beefing up its force of inspectors to see to it that shop keepers do not increase prices above the new high ceilings set by the government last week. A Ministry spokesman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that so far only a handful of violators have been caught and that legal action has been taken against them.
Violation of the price ceilings could result in fines and prison terms, Ministry sources said. The government decreed sharp increases in the prices of frozen and freshmeat, sugar and flour. On Monday, Dr. Moshe Mandelbaum, the Price Commissioner and Deputy Director of the Commerce Ministry authorized price hikes for foods made with flour or sugar. Osem, the country’s largest flour manufacturer, was permitted to raise its prices by 10 percent. The price of chocolate bars has increased by 2.4 percent.
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