"THE PRESS" WEATHER REPORT.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16881, 8 July 1920, Page 9

"THE PRESS" WEATHER REPORT.

Readings by Self-recording Instruments at » The Press " Office, Christchurch, up to 2 a.m. on July Bth.

in Manchester, and a scheme in this direction would bo strongly supported by tn« W It is mentioned that at a meeting of Manchester bankers, held this -week, thosa financiers made it quite clear that they are prepared to extend every usual facility m regard to wool oonsijrr.od to that centie. * view of the iarly termination of the Govcrnjnenl control of wool in New Zealand, Manchester authorities consider that tho wool tvads of the Dominion will be interested to know something of this city as an importing) centre.

HOME FOOD SUPPLIES. REVISED MUTTON PRICES. (FROil OUR OWN" CORRESI'ON'DENT.; LO2CDON, May 20. The new wholesale prices of New Zealand and Australian mutton per lb are:— Cut ewes, 7d, Gld; uncut ewes, Bd, 7id; cut wethers and tega, 8:1, 7*d; uncut wethors and tegs, 9d, 3d. Jlr McCurdy, tlia Food Controller, says that the meat was purchased to leed tuc British Army, and afterwards the Allied armies. When tlio armistice came' the demand fell off. Tho population of Great Britain had acquired tile liabit of eating less meat. Hence with the return to normal shipping conditions meat supplies accumulated at tho docks. The Government did not reduce the price sis months ago, becausc they anticipated a return to the normal rate of consumption. At present, however, wo are still only eating 3lb for every 4lb before the war. In those circumstances, tho Cabinet had given hint the fullest power to reduce the price of mutton. Tho wholesale prices would not be a flat rate irrespectivo of the quality of the meat. Some of it, though in every respect good meat, was. rather depreciated in value owing to the requirement, for the purposes of packing, that the carcases ehould be cut ucrcs3 the middlo and telescoped, and did not present quite the same appcarauco that tho British butcher was accustomed to. Retail prices' arc to bo carefully watched, and if competition did not keep them down he would have to reimposo control. He hoped tha.t this reduction in the wholesale price, which was really below tho economic value of tho meat, extondius: over .a period of months, would 1m the turning point in the rise of world pricEo. It could not fail to have a steadying effect. and to some extent a lowering cffcct on the prices of other commodities. • Sir Thomas Robinson, formerly AgentGeneral for Queensland, who has throughout acted us adviser to the Board of Trade on the purchase and distribution of imported meat, will continue to render similar service to tha Ministry of Food, in association with >Ir I>. B. Proctor. Director of Meat Supplies. Tho Food Ministry reports, that, if consumption of meat had returned to tha customary level thero would not bo a surplus chop. END OF THE BUTTER RATION. Tho Ministry of Food announces that in view of tho large increase in the supplies of British and Irish butter, and tho fall iu their price, tho rationing of Government butter will cease on May 30th. All supplies of imported butter will continue to bo bought and distributed by tho Ministry. If free private import wero allowed competition in tho foreign markets would undoubtedly result in increased priccs to the consumer here. At tho end of tho month the public will no longer bo required to register for butter with a retailer, and tho use of tho ration card will bo discontinued. Tho maximum retail price of Government butter will remain at 3s a pound until further notice. DEAR BACOR British bacon is etill being Bold at 3s 6d to 4s a lb, when the wholesale price has xcoently fallen from 6d to 7d. It is even stated in some quarters that tho retail prico ought to bo not 4s, but 3s. An explanation is given that tho wholesalers bought at a high prico when bacon was controlled, and hav© no wish to sell at a loss now. The retail price, if tho public hold fast in their refusal to buy, will, in ail probability, coma down, just as tho prico of butter camo down in similar circumstances to 3s Gd, and shows signs of going to 3s.

BACK TO WAR BREAD. We arc etill eating- only 3lb of meat per head for every lib consumed be Ore the war. The less meat we cat the more wheat we consume, and tho world wheat prospects aro causing the gravest anxiety to every Government in. tho world. Tho serious position confronting this country ill. this respect was referred to by Mr McCurdy last night, wlien lie said that there would be substantial wheat dec/eases from Australia and the Argentine, though India had a slight surplus. ''In these circumstances," said tho Food Controller, "I would mako an appeal to the public to economise in every possiblo way in the consumption of iioiu- and bread. While to-day we are still eating 1 our full pre-war ration of flour in tho form of flour and bread, wo are not consuming our prewar quantity of meat. It will bo to tho greatest possible advantage of the consumers in this country if they would economise at tho present time in the consumption of wheat and productions, and compensate for that economy by consuming a little more of the excellent meat which the Ministry can place upon the market —(laughter and choors) —at prices which are, economically, quit© unjustifiable-, because they are below cost price. (Cheers.) In this world of rampant and rising prices" there is to-day one notable and important exception—mutton. (Laughter.) Priino Xctr Zealand m u;Mr.. It is the cheapest food in this country or_ any European country. The price is onlv 75 per cent-, over tlia pro-war price-, and cheap at the price—(laughter)—and the public not know what a bargain is awaiting- them. The reduction in tho wholesale pnee of New Zealand and Australian mutton 12 already having an effect in the shops. inquiries show that a jrocd quality shoulder is -priced at 3 s Id per lb, compared with la Sd for the same joint of home-killed. Our trouble is," a butcher explained, that wo don't handle enough of tho stuff for us to ho nble to hand on to our customers the benefit of the reduced prices. _ People don t seem to want it at any price. - '