VEGETABLES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 50, 27 August 1924, Page 6

VEGETABLES

SOME CURRENT PRICES

AROUND THE MARKETS.

Vegetarians are riot likely 'to be charmed from their set course by any cry of "Eat More Beef!" But there are others who feel that vegetables are dearer .in. Wellington than* .they;.'ought; to. be. A correspondent (C. W. Howard) complains of "Is 6d for a' handful -of rhubarb." He is 'i'plcased tojsee that Mr. Wilford has called the attentiorrof ,the House to the prices paid for vegetables." , ...

"I have succeeded/in getting the account sales mid cost accounts ol a market garden showing results for twenty years," he writes, "and allowing for the increase of costs, there is no doiibfc it is a proven fact they are a scandal and should bo stoppetl and put on a fairer basis to the workers. . Mushrooms 2s 6d,' tomatoes 2s, french beans ' 2s, and ..so on. It is something scandalous.' Can the -market gardeners • deny that when prices have not suited .them they destroyed good tomatoes, vegetables, etc.? Is there a ring to control prices?": - . - .

The correspondent suggests that "the Government should run a market garden, pay union wages, and have -a committee of bona fide working men °Pty> »'itli a judge' as chairman to decide on actual facts of what it costs to produce; then,, under heavy penalties, oompej/the growers to'sell tjheir vegetables at that price only—no more,' no less. ... ... The Government should help to got cheap vegetables, and tiave the credit it deserves for sending Mr. Reed,, tomato expert,* to Cook Islands, thus enabling New Zealand to get something she has never had before."

Inquiries made by a "Post" reporter , to-day show that ; the cdVrespondent Ehould: not have' quoted fancy" prices for out-of-season goods. Tomatoes grown in 'hothouses will,'of course, fetch 2s or even more per lb: butin the flush they sell wholesale at Id to 2d per lb, alid retail.'ra proportion.. It was. denied that- ' there was any "ring" to keep up prices. Early.-"stuff'- always commanded high prices and always would; but such prices were no. guide to. the market. What applied to vegetables applied to fruit as: to prices: for out-of-season goods. ■ ■' V 'The 'following wholesale i and .retail .prices may.be found interesting.' Tile former were taken from;account sales of' an Allen street firm, and- ivereYrealised yesterday^; the latter were average 'current prices in retail shops in the city to-day:— .. '. ' _ .; ,' ':

Wholesale.—Beet" root/per sack, 5s to .6s-, carrots .per. sack,. 4s; swedes per sack,(.6s 6d; cauliflowers per sack, 8s to 13s Gd, according to quality; cabbages, ,7s to 20s. per. sack,: according to quality; pumpkins, 6s: per sack ; leeks. 9d to lOd-per" bunch; onions, 20sMo '21s per. cwt- (imported);: potatoes,' £7 to £8 per ton. ■ ■," , v - ~'"';' . ■ :.. Retail.—Cabbages, Id to lOd each; green peas,-9d perlb; lettuce, 2d to 3d; celery, 2d to 4d per head-;' onions* 3d to id'perlb or Sib a shilling; cauliflowers; 3d, id, to 8d and:;10d; silver beet, id per head;' kumaras t .3d'to Id 'per lb; artichokes, 3d per lb; old potatoes; 101b to 121b ■ a shilling, and. new potatoes -id to 7d per lb; rhubarb, 3d per IV of 10 thin: sticks; leeks, 2d per bundleVof three. ■ ' " .. ■