PRICE OF BEEF

Grey River Argus, 21 December 1943, Page 5

PRICE OF BEEF

BUTCHERS' COMPETITION.

QUESTION OF REGULATION

P.A. WELLINGTON, Dec. 20. The prices of beef are the subject of a reply bv Mr. T. W. Stephenson, President of the Master Butchers’ Association, to Hon. D. G. Sullivan s recent warning against any failure bv butchers to observe the price order. Mr. Stephenson gives a detailed analysis of buying and selling prices current in Christchurch during the last twelve months. He says: "There was a total loss to. the retail trade in Christchurch of £29,209 on steers. That was a contribution which Mr. Sullivan expected butchers to make to stabilisation. Why should butchers be expected to contribute that amount? Mr. Sullivan says that if the butchers are prepared to pay these excess prices, they must absorb the consequent losses. Apparently, he intends the public to go without beef. But when we slackened off on the purchase of beef in order to induce the public to change over to mutton, there was a sharp rise in mutton to as high as 9d per lb., in : stead of the Government price of 65a per lb. Does the Minister wish us to go on feeding the public, or does he not? Apparently not, because, on his argument, we must not buy livestock unless we can buy it at prices which will enable us to sell it at.his fixed price. The farmers will not sell unless they obtain a price equal to production costs. Production costs have already been submitted to the Government. They proved to be higher than the price set by the Price Tribunal’s price order. It is briefly a case seeing that the farmer gets what ne wants at the expense of the retailer. It looks as if the Minister is afraid of the farmers, and is using the butchers to do a job that he does not want to do himself.” Mr. Stephenson said: “Mr; Sullivan talked of prosecutions, just as he talked of prosecuting freezing workers and miners last year. But instead of talking of threatening. I suggest .that he puts the buying of live stock on a sound basis, & avails himself of advice and guidance from those who have a complete knowledge of the situation, and who have repeatedly, offered their sendees in this direction.”