“Bare-faced Insult To Grocery Trade”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26916, 30 October 1948, Page 6

“Bare-faced Insult To Grocery Trade”

PA. AUCKLAND, Oct. 29. “This is a bare-faced insult to the retail grocery trade,” said Mr R. M. Barker, secretary of the New Zealand Master Grocers’ Federation, when the announcement of the reduction in tha price of tea was referred to him tonight. “ For the retail trade to absorb a loss of 6d per lb on existing stocks is completely to shatter the faith of the grocers of tne Dominion in the ability of the Government fairly and sensibly to deal with the situation. When the position was in reverse and the. prices of tea, sugar and cheese were increased the retailers were required to pay the amount of the increase into the public account on all stocks held. The trade now wants to know why on this occasion the Government could not have refunded the 6d per lb to the grocers on the stocks held at the close of to-day’s business,” continued Mr ■Barker. “This would have been the honourable thing to do, especially in view of the fact that the subsidy of Is per lb is still being paid on tea.

“The amount of the reduction, is more than the profit the retailer received on the sale of each packet of tea and therefore the trade has no intention of reducing the retail prices until stocks which have been purchased at «the higher cost have been disposed of.”