No sooner had the Government issued the new decontrols on materials and prices (see NATIONAL AFFAIRS) than the law of supply & demand reasserted itself. In areas where shortages still existed, prices moved up. On the West Coast, crude oil went up 10¢ a barrel, and Socony-Vacuum predicted a nationwide boost of 1¢ a gallon in the price of gasoline. Scrap copper, supplies of which had dwindled to almost nothing in expectation of a free market, scooted up 4¢ a lb. to 25¢. Since that was more than the ceiling price on refined copper (24½¢...
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