Ice-cream Cones May Be Doomed

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30559, 30 September 1964, Page 24

Ice-cream Cones May Be Doomed

The ice-cream cone may be doomed. A further increase in the price of bulk ice-cream Which comes into force on Thursday has caused shopkeepers to consider doing awav with cones altogether. “With cones, you're at . the mercy of the girl who is serving behind the counter,” said Mr H. G. Smith, of Masson’s milkbar in Colombo street. “If you can get the weight out of each gallon you’re all right, but there’s no way of measuring the cones out exactly. Girls serving the icecream like to appear generous, and most of the time the public gets more than it pays for. “We’re seriously thinking of cutting cones out, and just using the bulk icecream for the dishes. Now that the price has gone up again—on top of recent award increases and increases in the price of cones—we don’t quite know what to do.

| “It would be unfair to the public to put another penny on the price (increasing cones from 5d to 6d) and you can't I put halfpennies on. The icecreams would look miserable if you reduced them in size " Bulk ice-cream will cost retailers Ils a gallon from Thursday. A few months ago it cost them 8s 6d a gallon, but the price was put up when sugar prices rose. The latest increase is presumably a result of the 6 per cent wage order, but the General Foods Corporation (N.Z.), Ltd., which has a virtual monopoly of ice-cream production in the South Island, had no-one available for comment in Christchurch yesterday. From October 1, all pint blocks will cost 2s 3d. Onlyfruited pints are that price at present. Bricks which now sell at 7d will be increased to Bd. Tubs will still cost 6d, but “eskimo pies” and slices will go up from 4d to 6d each. Ice-cream prices may go up soon in the North Island, a spokesman for General Foods Corporation (N.Z.), Ltd., said yesterday. “We are looking at our prices and there may possibly be a slight rise in a few lines.” The New Zealand Press Association also reports that retail prices of ice-cream in Auckland will rise on Thursday. Cones will go up from 5d to 6d and from 8d to 9d and slices from 4d to 6d. Most novelty lines will remain at present prices.