EMBARGO RAISES PRICES

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1932, Page 7

EMBARGO RAISES PRICES

DEARER CHRISTMAS ORANGES

LIMIT UPON BANANA SUPPLY. OTHER FRUITS SELLING CHEAPLY. VEGETABLES VERY PLENTIFUL. That as the result of the action of -the Government, oranges and bananas, two of the most important fruits of the Ghristmas season, will become appreciably dearer was the opinion expressed by a prominent New Plymouth retail fruiterer yesterday. He pointed out that almost immediately after the imposition of the embargo on Australian fruit by the Government he had received notification from the merchants with whom he does business at Auckland that the. price of oranges had advanced 5s a case. That meant an additional £2O or £3O to him, which, of course, would have to be passed on to the public, though, while his stocks lasted he was still retailing oranges at the old prices. As the result of the restriction on the quantity of bananas imported the wholesale price had jumped during the past two or three months from 12s to 25s 6d a case, making the price landed at New Plymouth 29s a case. That .meant, of course, that the price of bananas had risen to 6d a lb retail, which showed hardly any profit to the retailer. Bananas and oranges were two of the chief Christmas fruits, and he considered it was unfair that these restrictions should have been imposed at the present time and so caused those fruits to become dearer. There were times, he considered, when the public should receive every consideration to enable its limited purchasing power to go as far as possible. Another retailer said that as a result of the embargo Auckland and Wellington merchants had placed an extra 5s a case On their stocks of oranges. That would mean the addition of about 4d a dozen to the retail price when fruiterers had to replenish their stocks. At 6d a lb retails were getting practically no profit from bananas, especially after allowing for the heavy wastage to which the fruit was subject Those who had not bought oranges before the increase in the wholesale price would be heavily penalised. This retailer pdinted out that fruits generally were being sold retail far more cheaply than 12 months ago, and there was far more variety. Tomatoes were priced at Is a lb, or 4d less than last Christmas Eve. The same remark applied to cherries, plums, peaches and apricots. He expected another reduction ir the price Of tomatoes next week, when out-door grown fruit would be ready. So far as vegetables were concerned, locally grown peas were. 50 per cent cheaper than last year; they had not been so cheap for years. Other vegetables were in a similar category. “I have never known new potatoes to be retailed at so low a price,” he Said when quoting new potatoes at 121 b for Is and other kinds at 141 b for Is; that was 100 per cent, cheaper than formerly.