MEAT PRICES

Grey River Argus, 20 March 1942, Page 1

MEAT PRICES

TRIBUNAL REPLIES TO

MAGISTRATE.

[Per Press Association.] WElliinG’iojn, iviarcn 19. Disagreement, with the remarks made recently in Christchurch, by the Magistrate (Mr. Levvey), when some 28 butchers were prosecuted, in connection with charging higher prices for meat than those authorised m the meat price order, was contained in a statement issued by me Pr.ce Tribunal to-day. The Tribunal states it finds it difficult to understand how any magistrate could make the statements attributed to Mr. Levvey, if he had carefully read the price- order m question. The Magistrate was reported to have said “the order did not apparently take -into account, the fluctuations or differences in conditions. It was a dogmatic, fixed and indexible rule.” This was entirely incorrect, said the Price Tribunal 1 statement. The price .order which was framed after discussion with the butchery trade interests, including the president and secretary of the New Zealand Master Butchers' Association, definitely provided for usual seasonal increases, which it had always been the practice of butchers to make, to enable them to recoup themselves lor higher prices of livestock at a certain period of the year. The Magistrate apparently did not understand it was not the practice for butchers to alter pr.ces from day to day, but onry to increase them at certain times or the year, in accordance with the general trend of livestock prices. > in accordance with this practice, it might well be that taking the jjr.ee of a specific carcass, a butcher might temporarily 'show a loss, and this had always been the practice, but over the whole butchers’ purchases, and .over the whole season, any such losses were offset, when livestock prices were more favourable. The Magistrate’s comment appeared to he based on figures showmg the prices paid for specific carcases, or prices paid over a very limited period, and any argument so based was entirely fallacious.

The statement added that, recognition of the general principle of allowing seasonal reductions and increases in retail prices in accordance with seasonal variations of livestock, prices, had been accorded by the Price Tribunal, ever since the war. It then traced the position in Christchurch, and stated that in view of the disregard by Christchurch butchers of previsions of the current price order, there was no other course open to the Tibunal than to authorise the prosecutions The Tribunal expressed regret that this attitude should have been taken up by the Magistrate, espec ally in view .of the fact that other Magistrates in various parts of New Zealand intimated they regarded breaches of provisions of price orders in respect of food, such as meat, as serious, and inflicted. penalties in precisely similar cases of up to £2O. The Tribunal' consider the price order as framed, fair and equitable-