SAID THE BUTCHER.

NZ Truth, Issue 60, 18 August 1906, Page 6

SAID THE BUTCHER.

"I see you have been writing about the cost of living, here m Wellington, and among the items I suppose you count meat," remarked the family butcher.

"Well, I admit that meat is neither as good or as cheap as it was, though we never sold meat at the starvation prices that have been the rule m. some Australian cities, where certain wholesale and retail butchers look for kag-mag, to be sold— mostly bone and sinew — to the wives of the very poor casual laborers and the out-o'-worft. But there is no - doubt but that the public of New Zealand do not now get anything like the quaMty of meat they did before the export trade became one of the features of New Zealand business.

As a matter of fact we butchers get- no chance to buy the best, for the simple reason that the exporters cater for the biggest trade and, to keep it sweet, send the best meat abroad, while turning into the local market only the "rejects" ; stuff that wont pass the experts. There's more money to the growers m shippiing the dead meat, and only what they can't ship is left for the New Zealand butchers to compete for."

"Well, and how can this ,be obviated so as to allow New Zealand consumers to get a good article at a fair price ?" '

"What is wanted," said the butcher, "is an export duty of say one farthing a pound. That would increase the local supply of" moderately good mutton, as well as beef. But that is not all that is required to even things up and enable us to give the public cheap but good meat. The wages we have to "pay are heavier than any profits m the . trade can stand ; and then the trouble is that other wages are not on an equitable scale, to allow workers to pay a fair price for their meat." "Why, what wages do you. pay?"

"According to the Arbitration Court," said the butcher, "we have to pay our single men £2 16s, and our married men £3 a week, and the trade just won't stand it, the way it's cut.. Why, look here, the Government itself is paying its general laborers £2 2s a week and we have to pay as I have said. How can men on 425, as rents, etc. are, buy meat of a good quality at a price which •will enable ' ills 'to • p.av our Arbitration rate of- wages ? They can't do it, Sir. Neither can we make a living at. the prices we are forced to make to sell meat to people who can scarcely afford it even then. Why, look here."

And the butcher proceeded to cut down and .cut up a loin of mutton. First he. weighed it and cut it up into chops and small stew pieces. Then he cut off the fat that housewives won't pay for, and weighed that. Then he calculated the whole at what it cost him and deducted the total cash paid for it by customers and the fat at per lh, and added expenses on a basis of proportion and —the quotient was one farthine;- profit on the whole side (bar joints) of dead sheep !

"And," said the butcher, "if you can see how we are to live and . pay our way *on the present scale of rents, wages, etc, and yet give the public cheap meat, well, you beat my powers of calculation. I'm thinkini» of shutting up shop and taking a job myself ; there's more m it." '