Acute Beef Shortage On Auckland Market

Northern Advocate, 24 August 1943, Page 3

Acute Beef Shortage On Auckland Market

• | (Special.) AUCKLAND, This Day. Auckland master butchers last night j !considered the desperate position in! 'j which their trade was placed through! "I inability t<? obtain normal supplies of j t beef and decided to communicate with! •=the Price Tribunal urgently request-; l|ing an increase in retail prices for beel j ~.’iO correspond with heavily increased! t; costs, and further decided to appeal to‘ 4 the general public to reduce con-i ‘ sumption in the next few weeks.! Butchers, with years of experience,! ■!; /dated there had not been such an! s ; acute shortage of fat cattle cf all; s | classes for over 20 years. ! •h The • president of the Auckland ’| Butchers’ Association (Mr. H. C. M Bridges) said today the position was 3 not peculiar to the Auckland Province 4 but general throughout the Dominion, resulting mainly from an exceptionally '| long period of dry weather, V Inquiries made of butchers, dealers '■and stock agents in the country districts revealed that the quantity of fat •I cattle likely to be available for butch--51 nrs in the near future would be a long " ! way short of normal requirements. 1 An extraordinary effect of the ab- ' normal conditions prevailing was that butchers in districts in the province y from which cattle usually were drawn 2 i were nc'w going to the Waikato and Westfield markets in an endeavour toj | purchase fat cattle because none were ;! offered in their own areas. j • j The committee had received com-i L plaints from many butchers regarding j 2 !the pool- condition of beef cattle reach-! Ling the market. '! The actual cost to butchers for; 31 second class beef was generally over; -jSO/- per 100 pounds, exceeding the 1! price at which beef was permitted to -i be sold. 1 • Strong complaints were made at the , : butchers’ meeting against the rigid -Istabilisation of maximum retail prices Mon the 1939 basis without any provision j ifor adjustment in event of such un-i 1 j avoidable conditions as arose from the I recent drought.