EDIBLE OFFALS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 122, 18 February 1944, Page 4

EDIBLE OFFALS

Price May Be Fixed

Edible offals and poultry are to be excluded from the rationing scheme. Under this heading come tripe and sausages, the pyces of which are at present, fixed. Certain other offals, however —kidneys, frys, brains and ox tails, for example—are not included in the current meat price order. Asked yesterday whether any action was contemplated in respect of them, the secretary of the Price Investigation Tribunal, Mr. H. L. Wise, said that the tribunal had had under consideration for some time the possibility of having to cover by price order items which were not at present covered and for which it could reasonably be expected there would be an increased demand as a result of‘rationing. These items included offals, rabbits and poulrry. Increased demand for them would undoubtedly tend to force un prices to the public and' it seemed logical, therefore, that they should be covered by a pri’.e order. A Wellington city butcher said yesterday that the denuinilTor edible offals excluded from rationing'already far exceeded the supply. For instance, he had not hail any kidneys, fry, brains, or tripe in h.iji shop since 10 o’clock that morning—and that was the usual position.

SCHEME HELD SIMPLE TO OPERATE

"My association is not in a position to make any comment, one way or the other, except, to say that the people of Britain must be provided with the necessary food, and it behoves everyone to make sacrifices in order that this may be achieved,” said the secretary of the New Zealand Master Butchers’ Association, Mr. W. J. Mountjoy, when commenting on the meatrationing proposals. Referring to the system adopted by the Government, Mr. Mountjoy said it was considered to be the simplest system in use in any part of . the world, because it interfered less with the present system of purchase and at the same time it was simple for the consumer and the butcher to operate The effect of rationing would mean a big reduction in the turnover of butchers. he added, but they realized the need in the general interests of the nation, 'lhe public, and subsidiary food industries, would no doubt ungrudgingly shoulder their small sacrifice.

RESTAURANT KEEPER’S VIEW

“It will just about put us out of business,” said a Wellington restaurant keeper, yesterday, commenting on meat rationing. He said that nt the moment his restaurants supplied fid. portions of meat with their order, which was in line with the requirements of the price order for meals. Below that portion they could not go. If it had been possible they would have done so. “But we will still have to supply the (>d. portion of meat, and receive only a 3d. coupon for it,” he said. “And many of our customers have two meals a day with us. If they have meat both times, as they usually do, it means we get only Gd, worth oi coupons for 1/- worth of meat. At the end of a month we are not going to have any meat to give the customers, because we will have to redeem nil our coupons to buy more meat as it is required.” He claimed that there would be more waste under this system, ami he pointed out that fish substitutes for meat, which were already difficult to get. would bo rushed by the public, as would also the butchers’ small goods, such as sausage meat*