LOCAL FOOD PRICES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 215, 11 September 1925, Page 4

LOCAL FOOD PRICES.

AN ABUNDANCE OF FRUIT. VALUES UNALTERED. There are ample supplies of fruit in the cool stores and these are taken out week by week iv sueli quantities as the local market is able to absorb. The moderate keepers are now going off and the average case contains a percentage of wasted fruit. Values realised at the local auctions during the week have been as follow:—Delicious 9/G to 11/6 per case, Jlunro's 6/ to 7/, Dohertys 5/G to 8/, Stunners 5/ to 10/, Cleopatras 5/6 to 6/6, Statesman 8/ to 9/, cooking pears 6/ per case, dessert 4/ to 10/. Hothouse tomatoes have brought l/o per lb, Island tomatoes 3/6 to 6/ per case, repacked oranges 21/, Sydneyoranges 12/ to 24/, lemons 5/ to 12/, poorman's oranges 3/ to 4/. pines 17/ to 22/, bananas repacked 22/ to 24/, tree tomatoes .5/ to 10/, eocoanuts 17/ per sack. Passions have sold well, bringing from 22/ to 36/ per case. Vegetables. During the past Meek there have been full supplies of all classes of vegetables and values have been much the same as at last report. Potatoes continue firm and bring from 11/ to 11/6 per cwt. Japanese onions 22/6 per case, swedes 3/ , to 3/6 per cwt, pumpkins 8/ to 14/6 and for iiotutapu pumpkins up to 17/6, kumeras (Tauranga) 10/ to 12/ per cwt, Island kumeras 14/ to 15/, new potatoes 2d to Gd per lb, lettuce 1/ to 8/ per case, cucumbers 4/ to 10/ per doz, celery 2/ to 7/6 per bundle, rhubarb 4/ to 6/6 per doz, cabbages 4/ to 9/ per 1 sack, cauliflowers 2/ to "6/6; Off the bench: Cabbages 1/ to 3/ per doz, cauli- > flowers 1/ to 6/ per doz, carrots, beets, '■ turnips and parsnips 7d to 1/ per doz I lots. Eggs, Ham and Bacon. The demand for eggs is now very good as bakers are laying in stocks freely. Fresh hen eggs are selling retail at 1/8 per dozen and duck eggs 1/7. Bacon and hams are selling well Bacon in cuts is quoted retail, from 9d to 1/5 per lb, in rashers 1/4 to 1/G. II Whole hams 1/2 to 1/3, rashers ,1/8. per " Butter and Cheesy.', .' Prices for butter and cheese : show no change this week. Superfine factory butter sells for cash across the counter at 1/11 per lb, first grade 1/10 and • second grade 1/9; farmers' made from 1/6 to 1/7 per lb. Cheese is quoted at 1/2 to 1/4 per lib and extra matured Fish. Supplies of fresh fish were satisfactory until Wednesday, but since then the boats could not get out and there „' . has been a scarcity, which is likely to be ;■ pronounced before the. week - ' ends. Retail prices are:— Fresh fillets, schn^p- . per 3d to 4d, mullet 4d to 6d; ' 4d to sd, trevalli 3d to 4d,. gurnet, cream .. ' fish and mussels 2/ per doz; flounders 1/ per lb, white bait 9d per glass, oysters 1/ to 2/6 per bottle, crayfish 1/ to 4/ each. Smoked fiah: Schnapper 10d per lb, mullet 9d, terakihi Bd, trevalli Sd kippered fillets 1/ per lb. POULTRY. SUPPLIES SHORT, PRICES HIGH. During the week supplies of poultry have been short, .particularly in regard to cockerels and prices have adyajlteSE .accordingly. Practically no pullets are ■ «?n offer, but day-old chicks are avail- " able, and these sell at Gd to 9d each for ■ , White Leghorns, and 9d to 1/ for Black Orpingtons. Other,prices at to-day's auction were: Heavy cockerels, 6/9 to - 9/6 each; lighter, 4/3 to G/9; roosters. 3/6 to 5/9; heavy hens, 4/6 to 6/9; ~,' lighter, 3/ to 4/9; ducks, young , anS fit for table, 5/9 to 8/6; others, 2/6 to 4/. APPLES IN WELLINGTON. The Wellington markets are evidently over-supplied with apples, a good deal being of inferior quality, and the local inspector has reported to the Director of Horticulture as follows: ' The position at Wellington auction •, . . rooms with regard to the marketing of apples has been similar to that experienced for many months past. The mark%t continues to be over-supplied with black spot and inferior quality , fruit, much to the disgust of thoee whose business it is to pass the fruit on to the public; it can only be concluded that the growers have nothing better to offer. Many lines of apples that have4>een forwarded to Wellington have' been very • • badly blemished and rotting. There is absolutely no room on the market for such fruit; it is not wanted, and as far as the grower is concerned it would have proved more profitable to him had he ■ dumped it or fed it to the pigs. Such growers who are indiscreet enough to pack such fruit for human consumption are few; certainly no intelligent fruitgrower would be guilty of it. ;: DISHONEST TOPPING. *; t A paragraph was published ii. these cojumns recently drawing- , attention to care which is taken by ilocal ? - T auctioneers to protect buyers -from the ._?? ,' unfair tactics.of vendors who * would stack their goods in such a way as to T r .deceive the public. Apparently the -./dealers in. Wellington are not so success- .". ful for the local inspector .has reported v> to the Director of the • Horticultural ;Zi ' Division as follows: "With regard to y the-' marketing of vegetables, there appears to be a good deal of dissatisfaction amongst buyers with regard to dishonest'topping and inconsistent packing, particularly with regard to cabbages and cauliflowers packed in'sacks :(ahd cases), the inner contents of these packages being very inferior "with regard , to quality and size as compared with those g . exposed to view.which the sacks .or cases are topped with. This Turiscrupulous packing and topping is usually most prevalent when the market is in short supply and when high prices- are ruling." THE EXEMPTION LIMIT. Our taxing system continues to exempt from taxation all persons receiving salaries, wages or income amounting to lc« than £300 a year; and there if no ■ expectation in official quarters that any roduct.onw.ll be made, in the exemption mil. Ihe statement, it, Wednesday's •Star .uuler the heading, "TaW nrtiv.dimUs 'that the exemption St in Ne,v /enhtnd was £250, should haVe read that £250 was the which returns of income must be sun plied to the Income Tax Department- , Certain deductions from the income assessable, for taxation purposes W allowed over and above the £300 limit, on account of life insurance or children iv the family; I>ut, at f<soo the amount' of tl« exemption commences to diminish, by. i for- £, bo that, at £000, it disappears altogether. F