FAMINE POTATO PRICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20402, 2 November 1929, Page 11

FAMINE POTATO PRICES.

SCARCITY IN SYDHEY, £3O A TON LAST WEEK. The potato is now a lui.ury in Sydney, said the Sydney Morning; Herald on October 22. The newspaper stated: — There are still some Tasmania.n potatoes about, and this week the Brown ell variety is selling in Sussex Street at d 130 a. ion. This price is believed ta, be an absolute record for Brownell?., Odd merchants_ in the "Street" cannot, remember anything like it. A couple of years, ago Browneils realised as much as £26 a torn,, but ithe price did not last. A higher average price has been obtained eo fat this year ' than ever before. The rise in Brpwniill potatoes. is £2 per ton shove last week's level of £2B, which was then a record. Tasmanian Wiiiteskins advanced £1 to £26, and Victorian Carmens to £27, lifew Northern River potatoes, the first few bags of which last week realised the remarkable, prico of £35, are now selling at £3O per ton. These famine rates have been occasioned by the dwindling in Tasmanian supplies. Only ' 7627 bags were shipped to Sydney, -from'-the island tjais \\oek, : besides 3300 bags |rom Victoria. The . consignments have * been, falling .away week by week, and ara expected to continue doing so, until the new Bismarck crop matures in December'. In the meantime," supplies of new potatoes I'rom other sources are small.. Only 462 hags were received from the Northern Rivers and a few bags from Brisbane, arrivals from other parts of New 'South Wales have been spasmodic. Importations rrom Western Australia aire expected to begin in the second wee];; in November, but they will probably bo of moderate extent, owing to lack of rain at the source of supply. . Shopkeepers are 'buying cautiously at the present record figured-just enough to satisfy the present requirements of their customers. They are not risking being caught by a sudden market drop, though that is not likely for a couple of weeks at least. Tasmanian shipments next .week may fall to 4000 or 5000-bagis, and ex-por'table-stocks-in 'Victoria are meagre. llt is doubtful, therefore, whether new potatoes will be plentiful enough to make up for the deficiency m old lines at present rates.

A Sydney cablegram published last Monday stated that there had been a fall of £6 to; £24 a ton in the price of new potatoes and that a farther fall ".was anticipated. =.,