THE FAMILY TABLE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 January 1925, Page 4

THE FAMILY TABLE

HAWERA FOOD PRICES REDUCTION IN IMPORTANT LINES. SUGAR AND BUTTER DOWN. ROUND THE MARKETS. Since the Armistice there has been a gradual stabilising tendency in toou prices, and the efforts made to ge back to normal conditions have been reflected in the Hawera district m common with other parts of the Dominion. The food of the people is, of course, the most important factoi, and in this respect a general decline in food prices has been taking place, certainly so gradually as to be almost imperceptible, but nevertheless encouraging so' far as the average housewife is concerned. The index figures in the' Government Abstract of Statistics, so far as they relate ijo the price of food, show that at the end of last year food was costing almost half as much again as in 1914, and all items combined, such as rent, fuel and light, and food just a shade over half as much again as when war broke out. Sugar Prices Down. • A Star reporter ivho made enquiries yesterday ascertained that the reduction of sugar by £l a ton, or nearly ninepence a bag .of 701 b, has been received on all hands with satisfaction. A local retailer mentioned that the decreased price would become operative from Tuesday next, -when the usual weekly consignment arrives. It will then in the ordinary course be sold at £1 Os 3d per bag, with a probability of the nimble threepence being knocked off. It is interesting to note that the reduced rate brings sugar down to almost the. price it was before the duty was placed on it last year; in fact, so fer as the average household is concerned, the difference. _is infinitesimal. Actually the position is better in a way than before the duty was put on, because, in addition to there being a tendency for the price of sugar to rise at the jam-making season, there was also the problem of short supplies to contend with. The reduction will undoubtedly give added encouragement to frugal housewives to make jam.

Jam-making Season The fruit season in many respects has been remarkably good, and,' the quality generally has been much better than in many previous years, so that there has been every inducement to make jam. By the way, the heavy demand that lias been made for apricots would seem to indicate that apricot jam will take up most of the room on shelves on which preserves are stored. Butter Down Twopence, The price of butter in New Zealand is, of course, controlled by the price received hi London, and, though it certainly will not afford much satisfaction to the producer, consumers of butter are. agreeably surprised at the reduction of twopence per pound which came into operation in Hawera on Wednesday morning. The retail price is now. Is Bd, and it is some considerable time since the price was so low. Cheese prices appear to he a little firmer, and it is not likely that there will be any change in the retail price. To-day’s prices for butter in. Hawera are: Separator, first grade, buying Is 2d. selling Is 4d; factory, selling Is Bd. Despite the fluctuating character of the market, retail prices for bacon have not altered for a long time, prices still ranging from Is 2d to Is 6d, according to the cut. Generally speaking, added the Star’s informant, there is a general tendency for food prices to fall, but this is a gradual process, and it is only by comparison with, say. 1919, that one sees the appreciable difference. Glut of Fruit t Recently, said a well-informed whole, saler in the friut and vegetable trade, there lias been a glut of fruit and vegetables in Hawera. Though it is the jam-making season / fruit prices have remained almost stationary. In fact the consumer is really getting cheaper fruit, because the quality is vastly superior. The demand for apricots, whicn have -come forward in large quantities, has been ' exceptionally heavy in Hawera, and prices have ranged from 2s 6d to 14s 6d, with an average, however, of 10s a case. This district is evidently absolutely unsuited for the growing of fruit generally, apricots and peaches in particular, A gentleman with a wide experience in the fruit trade tried growing apricots, with . disastrous results; as lie bluntly put it. “No more for me.” But to get back to-the state of the market. Peaches from Hawke’s Bay have arrived in very fine condition and supplies are fairly good. Prices range from 4s 6d to 8s 6di a box, Thi s is slightly higher than is usually the ease, but the quality is so good that the consumer is'really getting better value for his money. ' Tomatoes a Month Ahe-ad Tomatoes are about a month ahead this season and are coming forward from Thames and Hawke’s Bay. There is a lot of caterpillar about nearly all the fruit, and the- condition, generally speaking, is not too good. Price's average about 8s 6d a case for indoorgrown fruit, and 5s 6d for outdoor. The sale for black currants has been very good, but owing to the? rain in Hawke’s Bav wholesalers have had to depend on: Nelson for supplies. It has been noticed that there have not been many Australian apples about this year. They, have a rather bitter taste, but have usually a ready sale. The prices are fairly' firm, but the quality is better than usual. The Vegetable Market

Referring to the vegetable market, the Star’s informant said he had never seen such a glut of vegetable marrows as at present. In fact, he added, people can iiardly give them away' Peas and beans have been plentiful and good, with prices unchanged.