EGG SHORTAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 134, 9 June 1942, Page 4

EGG SHORTAGE

"BIG BLACK MARKET"

DISTRIBUTION PROBLEM

(0.C.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. "A big black market in eggs is developing in Auckland and Wellington, and it Is draining eggs away from the distributing channels," said the Minister of Marketing (Mr. Barclay) to a deputation of Christchurch commercial egg producers, who complained yesterday thai they were being penalised by their loyalty to organised marketing in having to send eggs to Wellington. Their complaint was that they were charged double commission and grading fees, and their receipts were below those obtained by producers who marketed eggs in Christchurch. While a sympathetic hearing was given by the Minister, who promised to have an investigation made, no indication was given by him that the difficulties could be straightened. He said that he would ask the Price Tribunal to announce the price for "the flush of the season" eggs before the end of this month. POSITION DESPERATE. Because of shipping and overseas requirements, he said, Auckland ' and Wellington had an extra demand for eggs. If a man in Christchurch or elsewhere had to go without an egg for breakfast, it was no sacrifice compared with the hardships the seamen who brought goods to the Dominion and took away our produce had to suffer The position had ecome desperate in Auckland and Wellington, and there were no eggs at times. "The opinion of the War Cabinet is that the regulations will have to be more drastic to force all eggs through the distributing channels," said Mr. Barclay. "There will be a shortage of eggs for pulp and everything this year. We have to claim some of the eggs from Christchurch and Dunedin for shipping and overseas export to the soldiers."

Mr. Barclay said the South Island was not contributing its fair share of the egg supply, and consumers in the South Island were using more than their fair share. He said that supplies had to be considered on a national basis, and that Auckland poultry producers paid more for their feed. A grievance in Auckland was that they had to pay more for wheat for bread and feed produced in Canterbury, where the wheat industry had been established, than they would pay if the wheat was brought from Australia.