New Whangarei Milk Price Complications

Northern Advocate, 3 April 1947, Page 6

New Whangarei Milk Price Complications

WHANGAREI milk consumers who bought coupons at 3d each will receive milk at that price.

Those who bought coupons after midday yesterday had to pay 3.',d each, the new price a pint enforced by Government price order.

Commenting on the position today the chairman ol the Whangarei Milk Authority (Mr W. Jones) said that the sudden increase in price had put the authority in an awkward position.

If the authority had known that an jncrease in price was mooted it could have made arrangements to meet the increase. Without this knowledge it had placed coupons on sale at 3d each, and these would be accepted. Sales

| after mid-day yesterday, however, were at 3'.d each. Cash purchasers also had to pay 31d a pint. ! NOT RESPONSIBLE The increase in price had been purely coincidental with the authority taking over the treating house business and it was in no way responsible. It had no option but to obey the price order. It is understood that the milk authority is being paid the same margin as before. The increase in cost will either go to the producer or in reduction of the Government subsidy to producers. Also possible is that vendors will receive a greater return to meet the increased costs due to extra payment to roundsmen for Sunday work. In most other centres two prices for milk operate—the charge during summer months being 3d and during winter 3td. Whangarei has previously had the advantage of the one price 3d. WINTER PRICE? . The milk authority has received no j information from the Milk Marketing I Department but it can be inferred ’ from the price order that the new i price is intended for winter supplies. (The order states that the price shall apply from April to September, inclusive, and it is possible that there will be reversion, to 3d. a pint for the summer months. Recently there has been a move for a general milk price to apply throughout the Dominion and it is considered that the new price for Whangarei , might be in furtherance of that policy, j Some consumers are still labouring under a misapprehension concerning delivery points. The authority has j decided that bottles must be placed ! within Cft of a gateway, or front boundary. CONTAINERS, CHANGE This provision has led some consumers to seize on the distance of ; 6ft and overlook the meaning of the word within. Today it was reported that some consumers who had had their bottle containers located within easy reach of gateways had moved them back to the full distance of 6ft. Another development has attended the increase in price. People using cash instead of coupons have not tend- . cred correct amounts, leaving it to the roundsmen to find change, i Where possible change has been ; given but considerable delay is being . caused by roundsmen having to give • I change and it is likely that the auth- . | ority will have to consider accepting ! only coupons, or tokens when they ; j become available. . 1 The authority is hopeful that coni sumers will cooperate to meet developments which have been beyond its , control by assisting as much as possible .i in either using coupons, and later . tokens, or the correct amount of cash.