THE BACON FAMINE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 254, 25 October 1919, Page 12

THE BACON FAMINE.

POSITION VERY ACUTE. LIKELY TO GET AYORSE. "What will be the effect of the Prime -Mim-tor vetoing the recommendation of •id per pound increase being allowed in tne wholesale price of bacon?*' was the query which a "Star"* representative propounded to a member of a big grocery establishment in the city. Ihe reply was somewhat of a s-urprise, us he remarked, "We have none in stock. so matters cannot be any v.orse frum our point of view." In another business place the reply was simply io point to a row of empty hooks from which in normal times sides of taron were hung. A bacon curing firm was next approached for information upon the subject. The secretary said lMe eliec-t of the l'rinie Minister's veto must be to still further accentuate the shortage of bacon. "Pigs are selling at auction," be remarked, "at lO.d to lid per lb., and the wholesale price of bacon U fixed at? 1/11 per lb. Now, anyone who has bought pigs to i idke bacon knows that tb sell at 1/11 >• - lb will not pay if more than Sd per lb is paid for the animal. There you' have the whole position in a nutshell, and unless the wholesale selling price is advanced, you cannot expect much bacon to be made. It was on the evidence submitted to the Board of Trade that the chairman, Mr. W. G. McDonald, agreed to sanction an increase Mi the wholesale price of bacon to threepence per lb, and now that it has; been vetoed, still fewer firms will make i bacon.** ""It will be all right once the elections j are oveS« was the comment of one merchant. "Vetoing the increase looks well !as an attempt to keep down the cost of living for the 'poor working man.' Meanwhile, of course," people will not make | bacon tJ sell at 1/1 _ per lb wholesale."! Mr. A. ■). Entrican. when asked his I opinion upon the . matter, said: "The i Board of Trade having recommended the , increase, it is safe to assume that the , j evidence submitted fully justified the! | advance being made. The vetoing of | ! that recommendation by the Prime Mm- j j ister will. 1 fe:.r. have the effect of lessI ening the supply of pigs, as farmers will j find it more profitable to grow cattle and sheep on the price of which there | are no restrictions. Thft only remedy : the people have is not to eat bacon, and let the stocks accumulate, now the warmer weather is setting in. If there is no demand matters will regulate them?e 'ves again. Really, at the present retail price of 1/7 per lb, bacon, is a luxury, and if another threepence per p.und is added, retailers could not sell under 1/0. and I claim bacon as a food j ji- not worth that figure. i I "Every time the (lovernment tries to; interfere, with the law of supply and j demand tl.pre lias been trouble, and! that will always be the case. We have | nn instance of this in the fact that the I (lovernment has thought fit to vote £170.000 to compensate farmers who had to sell butter in New Zealand at less i money than would have been received I had it bepn exported." i