Sugar stocks dwindling

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33455, 9 February 1974, Page 14

Sugar stocks dwindling

Some grocers’ shops and supermarkets in Christchurch had sold out of sugar last evening and many more found stocks dwindling rapidly as panic buying gripped housewives fearful of the rationing measures earlier this week.

Probably one of the first to sell out of sugar was a central city store which cleared two days’ supply on Thursday and had none available yesterday. The restricted supplies were announced by the New Zealand Sugar Company—the sole supplier to the" New Zealand market—on Tuesday on the grounds that production had been cut by an overtime ban imposed by sugar workers at the company’s plant at Chelsea, Auckland. On Thursday, the managing director of the company (Mr W. P. Ralph) said there could be a further reduction i in supplies if the dispute [dragged on. • The smaller groceries in [Christchurch have been the • first to be left with empty

tlshelves, but the extent of) lithe panic buying is worrying) 11 even the large supermarkets.; i) Managers of supermarkets elare stressing “moderation”! in buying and some have’ s placed a limit of 31b a cus-l v tomer on sales to ensure) - supplies last until the next) i delivery. One major chain, Food-) e stuffs, had no delivery at all; J last week, although New i Zealand Day might have) t affected this. t The worry for many, how-) ever, is not the present) shortage, but the extra dey mand on sugar supplies) e which will come with the, n bottling and preserving sea-) e • son. If the supplies are still; J being rationed then, there e will certainly not be enough y'to go round.