THE MARKET BASKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20199, 8 March 1929, Page 9

THE MARKET BASKET.

RETAIL FOOD PRICES. A GUIDE TO HOUSEWIVES" .—m The most important chango in food prices during the past week has been an increase of one penny a pound iu bacon. Prices for eggs remain at 2s 3d a dozen. Fish is in shorter supply, but prices have not changed. Meat prices also remain the same as last week. Fruit and vegetables remain cheap and- there are practically no changes in prices. Peaches arc now almost finished and are selling at 2s to 3s a dozen. Following are the prices for the week : MEAT. Boef.—Sirloin, lOd per lb; rump steak. Is '2d; beef steak, 8d; rolled chuck rib. 7d: prime rib, 7d; wing rib, 9d;. corned round, 8d; tripe and dripping. 7d; suet and sausages, Gd; sausage meat,'' sd; gravy beef and ship meat, Gd; topside and flank, 7d. Mutton.—Le,?. 9d: shank end, lOd; hindquarters, 9d; forequarters, 7d; forequarter. shank end, 7d: shoulder. 7jd; neck, 7£d: loin, lOd; neck and breast, Gd; leg and loin chops, lid; neck chops. 8d; flap. 4d; cutlets, trimmed, Is Id. . Lamb.—Spring lamb: Leg, Is 4d; loin and hindquarter, Is 3d; forequarter. Is. Old lamb: Leg, Is 'id; loin. Is: forequarter, 7d. FISH. Fresh fish fillets, terekihi. large, 3d each; schnapper, 3d and 4d; trevalli. 3d; John Dory, 4d; kinglish, 4d; kippered fillets, Is per lb; lemon fish, 8d; roe, Is Gd; gurnard and cream fish, 2d each; mussels. Is Gd a dozen; Bchnappcr. fresh, small, 4d each; terekihi, 4d; trevalli, 4d; mullet, Gd; flounder, 4d to 9d; hapuku steaks, 9d per lbfins, Gd; kingfish steaks. Gd; best terekihi, smoked. 7d; schnapper. smoked. lOd; roe._ smoked, 2s: mullet, smoked, 7d: trevalli, smoked, fid; silver strip, Sd: crayfish. Gd rabbits, Is each. FRUIT. Apples.—Cox's Orange, 4d to Gd: cooking. 3d; new season's Gravensteins, 4d to 6d: Astrakhans, 4d to Gd. Lemons.—6 to 8 for Is. Tomatoes.—Hothouse, Gd; outdoor. 3d to 4d per lb. Bananas.—4d to 5d per lb." Oranges.—Valencias, 2a Gd a dozen; Jaffa*. 2s to 3s. Pluma.—Sd to 8d per lb Peaches.—'2s to 3s a dozen. Hothouse Grsipes, Is _fc> 2s per lb. Pears.—Bon Chretien, 4d per lb; cooking. 3d. Rock Melons—Round. 5d to lOd each; long. Is to Is Bd. VEGETABLES. Potatoes.—lid per* lb. Onions.—lid to 2d per lb. Lettuce.—3d to 4d each. Cabbage.~4d tc lOd each. Rhubarb.—3l a bundle. Peas.—4d to 6d per lb. Cucumbers.—2d to 4d each. Beans.—3d to 5d per lb. Vegetable Marrows.—3d to 6d each. BACON AND HAM. Bacon.—Shoulder, rashers, Is per lb; best rib rashers. Is Gd: by pieces. Is sd; shoulder cuts, BJd to Js id. , Hams.—"Whole. Is 2d per lb; in rashers. Is 7d; cooked, 2s 2d; shoulders, cooked. Is 7d. BUTTER AND CHEESE. Butter.—Factory, first grade, Is 8d per lb; second grade. Is Gd: farmers'. Is 4d; bulk butter. Is 7d per lb. . Cheese.—Ordinary,, la 3d per lb; mi"'matured. Is id. EGGS. Hen.—2s 3d a dozen. Duck.—2s 3d a dozen. MARGARINE PROFITS.

AN EXPANDING TRADE. RETURN NEARLY 17 PER CENT. [from our own correspondent.] . LONDON, Jan. 31. At extraordinary meetings of the Margarine Union, held in London and Rotterdam, it was announced that there had been a return of nearly 17 per cent, on the total issued ordinary capital of £9,300,000. This is interesting in view of the recent market activity of the two leading margarine undertakings. The chairman at the London meeting, the Earl of Bessborough. said that the accounts to be submitted to the general meeting in May would show profits for the two companies at the end of 1928 amounting to approximately £1,680,000, which, after the deduction of the preference dividend of £146,000, would leave a profit to bo dealt with equivalent to nearly 17 per cent, on the total ordinary capital issued at the end of the year. As regards the disposal of this amount, the directors had decided that the preliminary expenses, £483,000, should be disposed of as speedily as possible. It was, therefore, their intention to recommend at the annual meeting that the whole of this sum should bo written off out of the profits of the first year, and that a, dividend of 10 per cent., of which 4 per cent, interim has already been paid, should be distributed to the ordinary shareholders, -insofar as they were entitled f o the full dividend in respect of 1928. The above allocations, said the chairman, would absorb approximately £1,530,000, and the balance of profits then remaining would be recommended to be applied partly to be carried forward to 1929 and partly to reserve. This reserve, which had been largely built up from premiums on shares issued during 1928. would then amount to approximately £2,425,000. THE WOOL INDUSTRY. FINANCING RESEARCH WORK. The necessity of pastoralists financing research into the development of the sheep-farming industry, in order to combat the production of artificial silk, synthetic wool and other commodities, was urged by the president of the Pastoralists' Association of Western Australia, Mr. Ernest Leo Steere, in a recent address. Mr. Steere said that whilo it was hard to estimate what effect the production of artificial silk and such like was having on (lie price of wool, one often read of efforts being made by scientific research to perfect substitutes for wool, and while this was going on under their noses, so to speak, the great majority of the pastoralists declined to contribute to a fund to help themselves and combat the effortshe had referred to. Not only had th» taken place, but large sums must be spent on advertising by manufacturers of substitutes to keep them before the public, while nothing was being done by the growers of wool as a body to. extol the virtues of wool, as against substitutes. That was another way to help themselves, and lie had previously advocated that a fund should be raised for the purpose.