THE PRICE OR MEAT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 7, 9 January 1925, Page 6

THE PRICE OR MEAT

Prices of bread and meat are the main lines of inquiiy upon which a Eoyal Commission sitting in London is proceeding., But it is complained that the Commission is going outside its i sphere and is eliciting , evidence described as " harmful, even unfair,": regarding' Australia. What that evidence may be is not stated, but it is made perfectly 'clear, so far as the inquiry has^ gone, "that supplies of . meat from Dominions , sources to the British^ market are insufficient to meet the'demand. .Sir .'Philip Proctor, in his evidence, said the problem of the future,,was not the regulation of supplies so much as the sufficiency of ■ supplies that mattered in the face of Continental competition land the present, standard of consumption/ He gave certain illuminating figures, but the shortage was referred, to a, year ago in Weddel's "Review," which stated:: '■From'an Empire' ponat of view it is disconcerting to find, our supplies of meat from the British Dominions are shrinking, while foreign supplies are increasing.'' Sir Philip Proctor offered a solution of the price problem, and it was that the poorer people should buy cheaper joints or a campaign should be started, with the object of reducing consumption of meat. This eminent authority on the meat trade may have forgotten what , every ; capable ' "housewife knows, .that cheap meat is not 'cheap. A national movement to reduce .consumption of meat might temporarily lower its price, but would also accentuate the shortage of supplies, and so defeat the object in view. The position is one calling for joint action by producer and all who handle the meat in any way. from the paddock td the butcher's shop.- . ,