EGGS AS LUXURIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 102, 3 May 1938, Page 10

EGGS AS LUXURIES

GENERAL SHORTAGE

PHENOMENAL SEASON

Eggs are realising the highest prices for 12 years at Dunedin,' according to a telegraphed message from "The Post's" correspondent. They are retailing at 3s a dozen and there is a very short supply, mainly owing to the fact that country suppliers are sending hundreds of crates to'the North Island. This creates an even shorter supply here than has been the case in other years. In Auckland, where eggs are regarded as a luxury, A grade eggs are only slightly higher than in Dunedin. Local consumers of eggs have had cause during the past week or so to sympathise with the Dunedin public and the wholesale price in Wellington at present is equal to the retail rate in Dunedin. Inquiries made by "The Post" today from the Internal Marketing Department revealed that the egg market this year has been one of the most difficult ever experienced. April and May are the months when eggs are in the shortest supply but this year arrangements to meet the position were somewhat thrown out of gear by the unusually fine weather towards the end of March and early last month which kept the supply considerably above the customary level for the period. After the requirements of the local market had been provided for the surplus was exported. Then, with the break in the weather before Easter the hens suddenly decided to close down, with the result that the market was more or less caught "on the hop." Prices went up so high that people started murmuring that eggs had never been so costly before. Reference to the records, however, shows that even though the ruling prices may cause eggs to be regarded as luxuries at other places besides Auckland, thy are below what have been obtained at this period in fairlyrecent years. Last year A grade eggs at 2s 9Jd were not.a great deal below the present price and the lowest April-May quotation during the depression period was 2s 2£d in 1934. Last year's maximum was also the maximum for 1931 but in the previous year the top price was 3s sd. Except for a rise to 3s lOd in 1927 the top price from 1924 to 1928 was constant at 3s 4d. In 1922 (a slump year) it was as low as 2s lOd but in the previous year it went up to 4s 3d and, in 1920, the record for post-war years was reached at 4s 6d.

In addition to the shortage of supply the price has been forced up this sea* son by the increased demand resulting from the greater public spending power.