Shortages of meat, sugar, grain and clothing and the battle over price controls dominated the economic coverage on April 14 in the Sunday News. The News played up the shortages and sided with manufacturers in blaming government interference for the situation. With Easter only a week away, ham and meat had disappeared suddenly from butcher shelves and grocery stores after an earlier promise of a bountiful traditional holiday. Manufacturers. distributors and retailers were lobbying for the elimination of price controls. Workers wanted higher wages. Consumers wanted price controls but without the resulting shortages of goods. The black market flourished. Meanwhile in other pocketbook news, state taxes were due tomorrow. The good news was that because of a budget surplus, taxpayers needed only to pay half their computed state tax this year.