THERE IS TO BE STRICTER RATIONING OF GROCERY STOCKS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22588, 17 March 1948, Page 4

THERE IS TO BE STRICTER RATIONING OF GROCERY STOCKS

Grocers in Gisborne, as elsewhere in New Zealand, are still coping- with shortages in many lines, some of which show little prospect of becoming more plentiful in the near future.

However, shortages of commodities are not their only problems, there being a regrettable tendency on the part of a section of housewives to © "Forget” their ration books. ® Ask their grocers to trust them for the coupons next time. ® And then never remember the additional coupons. On the whole, grocers have been prepared to accommodate such customers in these emergencies, although this is contrary to the regulations. Instructions have been issued now to staffs in all grocery stores that no . supplies whatever of tea, sugar or butter are to be given without the coupons being produced. People in outlying areas are advised by the Master Grocers’ Association to lodge their books with the store supplying them with these lines and thus avoid the possibility of disappointment when books are forgotten. All grocers realise that there are genuiue cases of mislaying and forgetting coupon books, but because the trusting of people in such cases has led to a bad practice on the part of a small section of unscrupulous people there will be no supplying of goods without coupons in the future. More Scarcities Despite the fact that there is no official rationing of the following commodities, there are real shortages of them at present and housewives may find ♦hem difficult to procure;—

VINEGAR. —This has been in extremely short supply this season and no substantial relief can be expected at present. BREAKFAST FOODS.—These have advanced considerably in price during the past week and are also m short supply. Stocks are inadequate to meet the demand and it is certain that stocks will be exhausted long before the next shipment arrives. CANDLES— Anticipating further power cuts this winter, candles have been stocked up and are selling freely. So far they are equal to the demand, but supplies are not unlimited. WASHING POWDERS. —The position today is much worse than a month ago- they are difficult to procure and the supply shows no sign of improving. WASHING SODA. —Tills is still unpro- ‘ curable local stocks having been exhausted for some time, with no information available as to when further supplies will he available. This also applies to caustic soda. Gisborne grocers also report that members of the public are not all aware of the sales tax adjustments made by traders some time ago. Many lines exempt from sales tax have increased considerably in price since the adjustment w’as made owing to higher manufacturing costs, and these additional costs are offsetting any appreciable decline in retail prices.