New U.K. Butter Price Drop Predicted

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28559, 12 April 1958, Page 13

New U.K. Butter Price Drop Predicted

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, April 11. Butter will be selling at Is lid a pound in London and on the south coast next week, according to the “Daily Mail” today. The newspaper said today that the Garfield Weston chain of supermarkets had announced this yesterday. Other multiple stores already selling butter at 2s lb were expected to follow this example. The ‘‘Daily Mail” said that only Government intervention seemed capable of stopping the butter price slide which was .delighting housewives and ruining producers. The current prices of margarine varied from Is 7d to Is lOd lb. Talks on butter started in London yesterday between British Ministers and the New Zealand Minister of Agriculture (Mr Skinner). The President of the Board of Trade (Sir David Eccles) had promised Mr Skinner that New Zealand’s claims for protection against dumping would be brought to the attention of Mr Mscmillan. the “Daily Mail” said Over luncheon yesterday, Mr Skinner and Sir David Eccles informally discussed the trend their official talks might take. These talks begin at 3 p.m. on April 14. when Sir David Eccles will be accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr John Hare) and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth relations (Mr J. M. Alport). Mr Skinner will be accompanied by the New Zealand

Director-General of Agriculture (Mr R. B. Tennent) and his private secretary, Mr H. B. Hewett. It is anticipated that his first meeting will be devoted to mapping out a programme. It is understood Mr Skinner and Sir David Eccles had a cordial exchange today and that Mr Skinner is most gratified with the relationship established and impressed by Sir David Eccles’ desire to be co-operative in reaching a mutually satisfactory agreement. It was a busy day for Mr Skinner. Before meeting Sir David Eccles he had a long talk with Mr Alport and later he met Mr Hare. He will lunch with Mr Alport tomorrow and he will also meet Professor Robert Matthew the architect of the new New Zealand House.

Senior. members of the New Zealand Dairy and Meat Producers’ Boards arrived today for trade talks with producing organisations. They will also bcavailable if necessary for consultations with Mr Skinner.

A society called the Cheap Food League said today that it is “absolutely delighted” to hear of the large quantities of butter pouring into Britain. For far too long the British public had allowed themselves to be exploited and bullied by the “nar-row-minded protectionism of the primary producers.” The society said: “It is to be hoped that the Government will not be so utterly feeble as to try to exclude these welcome supplies of cheaper butter *