PRICE OF SUGAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 114, 13 May 1920, Page 8

PRICE OF SUGAR.

AJTT* FUTURE SUPPLIES. FIJI PURCHASE ARRANGED. INCREASED RETAIL PRICE. (By Telejrapn.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON", Wednesday. It has been known for some time that the Government had made some agreement with a representative of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company who came to this country on purpose .to confer with the Government on the matter of supply of sugar to this country after the expiry of the current agreement on June 30 next. Mr. Maeeey stated to-day that the New Zealand Government had purchased from the company the Fiji crop of sugar, but the agreement had not been signed. All he could gay in the meantime was that a supply of sugar in >~ew Zealand was assured for twelve months from Jane 30. Mr. Maseey added' that he had already stated that the people of New Zealand, who have had the cheapest sugar in the world for the. whole period of the war, must not expect to get their sugar at the same price for very jnucji longer. He ■aid, on the same occasion, however, that he hoped and believed that even at the new price New Zealand would etill have the cheapest sugar in the world. The probabilities seemed to be that the new price will be about sixpence a pound. The. price in Australia is sixpence, but to keep the price at this level the Australian Government is paying some sort of subsidy. Sugar cannot be imported into this country from Java or elsewhere to-day at less than £80 per ton, which is a little more than B*d per pound. The other day some sugar was stolen from a. ihip in Wellington, and when the thieves were caught the sugar was valued in the charge sheet at lod a pound. That was the value put on it by the ship, an American vessel.