LOCAL FOOD PRICES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 257, 30 October 1925, Page 4

LOCAL FOOD PRICES.

HAM AND BACON UP. WOTHEE RISE OF A PENKT, -IRAW?.EI:RIr> '.■'M!N-» • N. -. vst £j - • iui!:-.>. and ::.c now Puke"- ---.■ '. c. ;> . - .■. ■• . .-. r part .31 =— .r?. ""*■ "it.iern r*eori DriTi^in^ "roa [i " i '<' ■••;•: c-w-.. new : >\-ai« lid i ■ ~ii :-: . :-r rlr>: jrr.-.ir. ■•::;t-r> I'd C-ber --::-?- ha.o '-.-v:.: K:;n:.;ra- l-"> ' j ■■" -'.. ab\uc* .<nj i aulidowers 2 1!" ]■•:■: -:-:< " :..-:• "»en.-di. cabbages V to •"■ iK-r q 'Zri.. «aulii!owfr« 2 to * -■?r dozen. i-::i::-c ]<■ :■< -i per rhuLarb - •• :•.. :• 0 ;-r J asparagu? Si to : pvr vunole. ieeks 2i':o tVd. t-iicTiir.ber- 7 : , ]:; .iozen. yr«?n ji-as 3d tii >."-d ]*r ':'■. broad beans Id to o :, tTvt-:u rieans I to 1 li. carrot*. and f.irnip, yd to 1 -3 down lots. Fruit. aro- coming on to the ni.irket in larsrr ■niantitie*. " : .;i; rain is needed to ensure a continuhv of supplies. At the marts :bey now realise Jrom 1/ to 3 per chip. Apples are in good supply, and the nne keeping qualities of the Stunner have sow placed it et the top of the market. Up to 12/« i per case has Wen realised for choice sorts, and from 5/ to 20, for others'. Delirious have brought from 7/ to 12 Other rates have been: Munros 4/0 "to MS, Dohertys 5. to 8/6, Pride of Australia 6/ to S/. Kome Beauty 4 to S' Pears: P. Barry, best S/ to' 10/. ?nja i: C/ to 7/; Winier Xeiis. choice 12/ to 14/, others 6/ to 7,. Tree tomatoes choice, 16/ per case; hoibous* toiEatoes 6d to 1/S per Jb, Island tomatoes 11/ tc 14/6 per case, poorman oranses 6/ to 10/ lemons 4/ to 10/, locaf passion 36/ to 17/, Srdaer passions 25/ oranges 14/ :o IS/, pines 22 to 25/, mandarins 14/ to 28/. IMand oranges 27/6, coconuts £1 per sack. Elp, bananas are very scarce, but f-esh •rrrrals are expected on Monday by th € Tofna, which will al so brin 2 a caiio oi Jineapples. - c Butter, Eggs and Cheese. Batter i s selling retail at If per lb far superfine, fartorr make: cash aero-, iie counter 1/11. for first-erade 1/10 end ior farmer's make 1/S "to l'O per Jb. - Cheese sells at 1/2 to 1/4 per lb. an totra twopence being charged for extra caoiee matured. Eggs are still irregular in price. At the suction mart- eggs continue to come in freely and the ruling prices have been 1/0 per dozen for hen eggs, -.vitb a few occasional sales at 1/6 J. Duck lave realised from 1/4 "to 1/4 J. One arm has advertised as beinc ready to *«t aD fresh ee ? s sent in at 1/5* per dozen, .and yet the retail prices in various establishments rule from 1/6 to 1/S per dozen. The "Lyttelton Times" Lad the following paragraph regarding the outlook for the batter market: "The fall of Id a lb in the price of butter last week ■was not unexpected. The hold-up oi supplies as a result of the shipping strike caused a rise on the London market, and this was reflected in the price of butter sold for local consumption, though many were of opinion that this should not have been so as the increase in London was purely artificial. Xow that accumulated supplies of butter axe going forward to London there as a prospect that still lower prices vTll rule there." Bacon and Hams. Curers have again advanced the wholesale price for bacon and hams one penny per pound. This is three increases within a very short period, and it look? as though Christmas hams must rule dear. The late season has preTented pigs coming in ready for curing, in as large quantities as usual, and ewers have been paying as high as •er pound. The retail price of whole Bams to-day is 1/4 to 1/6 per lb, and rashers 1/iO. Bacon in cuts 10d to %/G per lb, and rashers 1/7 per lb. i Fish. - T Eecent settled weather has given th( toeine fishers a bigger share of catches. Local dealers have been* well •applied. Flounders have been mor< plentiful. Whitebait is practically oui of season. Eetail prices are: Fresl fillets, schnapper, terekihi and trevalli 3d to 4d each; John Dory, 1/ per lb; kippered fillets, 1/ per lb; gurnet, crean ifish and mussels. 2/ per dozen: white bait, 9d per glass; mussels. 1/6 pc: bottle; fresh Echnapper, terekihi and tre valli, 6d to 8d each: mullet. !>d to 1/6 flounder, hapuka and kingflsh, 1/ pc lb; smoked schnapper. 10d per lb: mul let, 9d; trevalli, Sd; terakihi. 8d: kip pered fillets, 1/ per lb; silver strip. 9< per lb; crayfish, 10d lo 1/ per lb: rab bits, 1/ each. Poultry. At the auction marts to-day then was a short supply of poultry and ; keen demand at the following rates Cockerels, heavy fattened. 6/9 to 9/1! each, not fattened, 5/ to 6/6. light 3/6 to 5/3; hens, heavy, 3/9 to 5/3 light, 2/9 to 3/9; ducks, old. 2/9 to 3/6 young drakes. 3/3 to 5/6; chicks, 9( to 1/1; ducklings. 9d to 1/10; chicks cockerels, 4d to 10d.

HERD TESTING.

'"Herd testing is revolutionising tht dairy industry," said Mr. J. Barugii acting chairman of the Farmers' Auctioneering Co., in his annual report tc shareholders, "and new men can newv take up dairying with fully-tested cows instead of having to cull for years tc get a good herd together. The improvement in the price of store cows has materially assisted those disposing oi cull cows."'

REARING BEEF CATTLE.

Apropos or the recent high prices prevailing- for beef, the acting-chairman ol the Farmers' Auctioneering- Co., in his annual report to shareholders sass: Beef *™ 2f ached £3 J' er 100 lb > a Price not TtitVT? aurlne the war VOTioa. and very S ? ave been ral(1 ror s«oi es. The OUS^ lls^ at, ™ ti °n- ? the if a short age. ant those P «v! nt , h biell prlces F <" ««M»» ih elr a,tentiOn lf prospects. c ther e are v,. 1?h .

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The mc ot c«S° X ' Oc ™<* as. trance to-d. y ls »£*£« ?* *>= Fren, •na K.E. cable.) l 0 tUe Pound.— ( Ik «

CANNED FRUITS.

I ! THE ATJSTRAUAIf TARIFF, j is rr oxe-sxded: '—- in Msvr?: „ a letter from Me*sreJ U- -Jones asd Co.. Ltd.. of Hobari. or- j jUig the Dwesdty for a iow e - rate of duty on Aonniiu waned fruits, tine I "aponw-s and Cusioms , Conisihxee of .Ow Wellington Chamber of Coauaet» ! \ reported to tie council as follows:— ; "Australian canned fruits enjoy a -5 j per cent advantage beioxr that of the • general tariff, aad furthermore. Aus- j n-anan majjouoti.rers have been able to j swore rebates on sugar used in ex- i i ported poods, which has made :he cost! j:o them of this conunodity nearly £3 I per ton less tiian the Xeir Zealand« BMUKMaetdrer had hs.d to par. and the! Australian Government has "also been j • granting a substantial bonus on canned j fruit* exported, Tluca has resulted in \ ; the N*w Zealand ca oners being placed j ;a: a considerable disadvantage, and this ' j has seriously affected them. ~ ; "The placing of Australian goods in ■ the genera! tariff in December. 1921. ! immediately resulted in a decrease ir | j import* of canned fruit* from that > ! source, and. waen tie reciprocal trade S j agreement was negotiated with Austra- i ilia to operate from September 1. 1P22.; J Australian canned fruits were agreed to i j»e adai;-.t<Hl a: .Vi p?r cen:. a 5; against j ;4* per cent uuder general tariff. The '" t^ ect <%r this. along with Australia:: i <TCiverna:eiii subsidies and bonuses, has I ) been to jive the bulk of the trade to j I Australia, and the Xew Zealand canners j have found it difficult, if not impossible.! Ito compete ivith then:. "The Customs Swires show that "in j \ 1923. 5-3 per cent of the total canned | " irv.iLs. etc.. imported. came from I Australia, and in 1924. 91 per cent. ■Regarding the request that represj entations be made to the New Zealand Government for a further concession in duty to increase the importation of ! canned fruits from Australia, your committee recommends that no action be j ] take:'. We wo::ld observe, however.] ; that the Australian Government could j I favour Xew Zealand in many items in } its tariff more than at present that i- would encourage a freer interchange of ( trade. At present the balance of trade ] jis greatly against Kesr Zealand."" The adverse balance in 1024 was j stated to be £3.141.705. and for the j expired eight months of this year, j £1.938.357. A? A-jstralia had 90 per cent of j j the trade already Mr. Longuet said that j j he thought their Jrieuds over the water I i ">e a little more generous. Mr. A. McKenzie said there was j nothinz to expect from the Australian i traders. He knew that from having spoken to them: they were quite selfish. The report was adopted. i

OVERDONE INDUSTRIES.

CAXDID CRITICISM. Referring to an article published in these columns with regard to the statement of Mr. -J. S. Jessop. vice-chairman of the Meat Board, that the freezing ■vrorks of the Dominion are in a precarious position, Mr. Leicester Matson. head of the well-known Canterbury stock firm bearing that name, forwards some breeezj- comments on the position. Mr. Matson says: "The writer of your article leads one to believe that through the greed of the primary producers the hack they have been riding has broken down. Why should this be* Simply because essential factors have failed to materialise. Was not Mr. Jessop one of those who were partially responsible for the present position? The primary producer had one idea instilled into him. namely, that he was to take his produce and put it in the mouth of the old-world consumer, eliminating every other section of the community, especially those who had been responsible for building up our trade and arranging for the disposal of our produce. And now these political magnates who were responsible for the Order-in-Council which ties up everyone, find themselves ditched for want of ammunition. They quite overlooked the possibility of the grazier's neglect to keep on producing. While these graziers have been driving round in cars attending Farmers* Union meetings, pool meetings, etc., leaving hired help to ' produce the goods, they have let the fire go out. And now Mr. Jessop tells us what many business men foretold years ago. "Success is killing the producing power lof the man on the land. Take over- ■ stocking. For big returns yearly compensation must • be* made up in some manner. You cannot continue to drain ] j the soil of its fertility -without putting something back. Good old-fashioned principles were: 'Three years cattle, two " years sheep, and stock light. 1 The one, ' two and even three sheep to the acre, also cattle and horses extra in constant ' grazing, as i? the general rule, must tell their tale, and they do in loss of nutrition for fat stock, delay in maturity, lack of juice in milk, smallness of carcases, deterioration of bone —all these 1 are in evidence throughout New Zealand, 1 especially in the North Island. Let : farmers farm their places and leave the ' mercantile section to protect their com- > mercial interests. In regard to freezing f companies.. I would suggest that all the ■ factories should amalgamate. The ' breweries did this. Surely the freezing • companies could do likerrise. But it is a case of 'hurry up , before some of the concerns drown. These friends of the farmer were full of optimism a few years back; let them, spark up again."