RATIONALISING EGG SUPPLIES

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23801, 21 November 1942, Page 4

RATIONALISING EGG SUPPLIES

' —_♦ SCHEME TO OPERATE FROM MONDAY DEPOTS AND MARKETING AREA ANNOUNCED The rationalisation scheme for the marketing of eggs in the Christchurch area, entailing central floor and depot system, will come into full force on Monday. A report of the Government’s intentions about the scheme was published in “The Press” three months ago, and the definition of the marketing area (covering, broadly, city and suburban districts) and the list of authorised depots appear in an advertisement in this issue. Announcing the application of the scheme from Monday, the .Minister of Marketing (the Hon. J, G. Barclay) said yesterday that the Christchurch egg marketing area had been slightly altered and redefined, and had now been declared a special egg marketing area under the Egg-Marketing Emergency Regulations, 1942. Within this area, all retailers, including pastrycooks, hotels, restaurants, and any other person selling eggs even as part of a commodity would, as from Monday, obtain their supplies of eggs through the Centra] Egg Floor, Ltd., 206 Tuam street, which would operate as the sole wholesale distributing depot under the authority and direction of the Minister. Producers desiring to sell their eggs in the Christchurch area and who had available eggs in quantities of 30 dozen or more would be required to deliver them to the "'egg floor operated by the Central Egg Floor, Ltd. Small Producers “Steps have been taken,” said the Minister, “to give every encouragement to small producers who would not in the usual course have 30 dozen eggs or more available in any one delivery.” Arrangements have been made for receiving depots in the principal suburbs of Christchurch, and eggs in quantities of less than 30 dozen may be delivered to the Central Egg Floor or any of the depots where they will bo paid for immediately. In this way, domestic producers who have surplus eggs can sell them without any inconvenience. Surplus eggs for sale by any producer must, therefore, be disposed of either to the Central Egg Floor, Ltd., or to one of the appointed receiving depots .as sot out. This list of depots may be extended from time to time as found necessary for the efficient service to the producers. Reimbursing Depots “The payout to be made for ungraded eggs delivered in quantities of less than 30 dozen either to the main receiving floor or to any sub-depot will be at the rate of Is 6Jd a dozen. The servicing allowance for depots will be id a dozen and eggs will be accounted for to the sub-depots by the Central Egg Floor, Ltd., at Is 7d a dozen. The id difference will reimburse the subdepots for this service. This new arrangement in no way restricts the sale of eggs by producers direct to consumers for their own use and not in any case for resale, provided such sale is made and delivery taken on the premises where the eggs are produced. The Central Egg Floor, Ltd., which has been appointed the authorised receiving floor, will be required to collect eggs from all sub-receiving depots and to provide a complete sales service to all retailers within the emergency area.” The Minister stated that the purpose, of the order was to enable all the eggs available for distribution in the Christchurch marketing area to be pooled so that priority deliveries for hospitals, invalids, armed forces, and such, could be met, and the balance made available to all retail shops throughout the year on an equitable basis. "Because of the change-over in distribution,” he said, “some small degree of disorganisation in the initial stages is probable, but any retailer who may be overlooked is asked to communicate immediately with the Central Egg Floor or the egg marketing officer attached to the Internal Marketing Division at Christchurch.”