THE BREAKFAST TABLE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16469, 4 July 1921, Page 7

THE BREAKFAST TABLE.

PROVISION TRADE NEWS. “ CUTTING ” AMONGST GROCERS. BUTTER PRICES UNCERTAIN “There is a great deal of price cutting going on amongst the retail grocers at the present time, and many lines are beiim- sold actually below cost,” said a retailer this morning. The public, however, did not seem to appreciate this fact, and were looking for still lower prices. The present: financial depression, he added, applied equally to the grocers as to other business firms, and though the public did pot always realise it. thev were receiving the advantage of some, very big “ cuts.’* which brought prices down to a fictitious level. The event of greatest interest this week is the “cut” in butter prices. One firm advertises first grade factory butter at 2s Id per lb. 2d cheaper than the controlled prices, and this had "ot the other linns thinking. Tho butter is wrapped in the firm’s own printed wrappers, so there is no clue to its origin, although it is described as first grade and equal to that sold at 2s 3d. \Vhev butter, which is used principally for cooking, is being sold at 2s per lb. ' Most grocers express the opinion that butter prices arc going to fall to about Is 7d to Is 8d per lb as soon as Government control ceases. These were the prices charged before the last Imperial Government purchase. The majority of grocery lines, said a. retailer, have shown substantial reductions of late, but butter, sugar and

Hour have been prevented from coming down owing to the Government control. If thev could get those three lines down in price the difference in the cost of living would be astoundSugar and butter should bo redwood in the near future/’ he added. *■ but apparently the Government has committed itself by entering into contracts. The feeling of the trade, both wholesale and retail, is that the Government control of lines should be abolished, so that we can get hack to a free market and open competition. That is the feeling pretty strong amongst all firms.’’ Asked if there was any chance of the

Flu gar Company cutting off local sup- ! plies in the event of the Government not inakinc- a fresh contract, the same retailor said this was not bv anv means likely. The Sugar Company could not find a better market anywhere in the world and the position m other countries did not justify a fresh contract txfing entered into. , Java sugar is not to hand yet, nut : grocers have ordered supplies arid hope I to be oblo to sell it at 44d per lb. If ! there was no Government interference. 1 remarked a merchant, it would he j found that the Sugar Cotnpanv would 1 soon reduce its price accordingly. Java sugar is described as not bein'” of tho same quality as tho sugar from .Auckland. but the difference is verv slight. The control of butter prices is understood to finish about the end of August and while it is universally expected | that there will be a bi~ drop in prices, I one grocer was inclined to be pessimis- | tic about the matter. “ There are so : many milling tho wires for all thev are worth/* he remarked. “ ana you can i be I your life Air Alassev will do the ! be«fc ho can for the farmers.” . The control of flour does not finish ! mi til early next year and prices until j then will remain stable, j JOggs are now retailing at 2s ~u a : dozen for first grade bv some firms and 2s 3d bv others, who state they cannot get supplies at the lower priceIn the middle of the week there was a slight glut, and eggs were being sold at 2s a dozen, but since then, mainly on account of the cold weather, it is explained, they have firmed. Grocers are inclined to believe that the prices mav rise still higher, or at least that they cannot become lower for some time yet. A few lines of fowl wheat are slightly cheaper owing to some of I the mills holding off from buying. There is little sale for imported fowl foods. Tea prices remain the same, with little prospect ol : alteration either way. The best broken orange pekoe can be bought for 3s and cheaper grades at from Is Gd to Is 9d. Bacon prices have been further re- ! duc-ed during the past, fortnight, best rashers being obtainable at Is 4d and sides at Is 2d per lb. This represents a drop of about 2d ner lb. Cheese prices range front Is 2d to Is 4d per lb- and there probablv be a good reduction after August. Lard, which was formerly Is Sd. is now obtainable !at Is Gd per lb, and in one store it was marked at Is Id. Margarine i:> not sold as such on ilie local market, but I a similar preparation is on sale, with, grocers state, little demand for it. For ! baking purposes, housewives seem to i stick to batter and dripping. if, as is reported, there is a likelihood of tho rate of exchange in America falling stilt further, making the pound sterling worth only 13s 7d in tho United States, this will make a difference in the retail prices of imported American foodstuffs, pant icu lardy salmon, which it was expected would soon be on the market at very low prices. At present there are a few bargain lines being sold at. about Is 2d per lb tin. This price doe.s not represent tho full value, but is due to importers having to quit stocks at a loss. A fall in the exchange will have a tendency to make prices for all American lines much firmer. A suggestion that the present financial position was resulting in lessened sales of tinned goods and imported foodstuffs. was not borne out by retailors, who state that alt seasonable lines are sebing well. M eat is expected to rise in price before long, owing to the higher prices which tho butchers are now paying for their stock at the Addington I Yards. At present the retail meat prices are fixed by the Board of Trade, !. and in some instances butchers sell j even cheaper, but last Monday a ! meeting of butchers was held to con- • sidor what action should be taken in j regard to applying for a new scale of ! prices. The Board of Trade’s scale j was fixed when beef was selling at the yards at from 35s to £2 a hundred ! pounds, but since then quotations i have risen to £2 10s a , hundred, with, j retail prices unaltered. The keen competition amongst the butchers has j so far prevented the increases being : passed on to the public, urn 5 , one j butcher stated : “ There is nothing in j butchering at present, unless we can get better prices very soon.” This may be taken as an indication that the consumers will be asked to pay more for the primesfc quality very shortly. The competition of meat auction sales and of butchern selling lower grade meat is the public’s safe* 1 guard at present. i As far as meat prices arc concerned, ! Christchurch is one of the cheapest 1 places in New Zealand at present. | The Addington market is free to all : who care to buy, but what tends to ; harder prices at Addington is the keen j competition amongst butchers for the primest stock. By buying their pork from the ordm--1 ary butchers, housewives art? able to 1 make :l K oocl saving. Best quality pork. I sausages are retailed at 9d per lb and pork from lid to Is 2d. A fair variety of fish is coming forward. Groper is being j?old at lOd I ling at sd, and flounders and solo |at about’ lOd ner lb- There lias been falling off of supplies from Kaikoura I last week on account of the bad 1 weather. Crawfish, cod. t-rovalli and

tarekihi and smoked fish of all varieties are fairly plentiful. An ample supply of rabbits is on the market, but as regards poultry, while prices are uneiianged, the sale is limited on account. of lL being a luxury. Tho vegetable market is well supplied. Cauliflowers have hardened in price and the quality is not so good as formerly, prices ranging up to 9d each. Good cabbages can be bought for 6d and marrow is being sold at one penny a lb, which is cheap for this time of the year. Potatoes are selling retail at "10s per 1601 b, swedes Sib a 3s. pickling onions 81b to 101 b a Is. and red cabbage for pickling at from 3d to 4d each. Poorman oranges for marmalade are coming forward in good quantity now, but will bo short later on. Present prices are I’d to lOd a lb. Mandarins are (tolling at five, six and eight a shilling and bananas are plentiful at Hightfv easier prices. American lemons, which are expected to be scarce later on. are now in ample supply and aro selling at fire a shilling. Tho first ah’.nment of Australian grapes to arrive for several years is just to hand, the retail price being Is 6d a It*, compared with about 4 b Gd for locallygrown grapes. Island oranges, which are sold according to size at three, four and five-a shilling, are. still in supply, the present being the best time for buying them as they are now much sweeter. Fruiterers are now working on the tail end of the outside stock of apples, and prices have not yet increased very materially. Next month, the coo] store supplies will be placed on the market and prices are sure to advance in order to make up for store charges and loss in store. Lord Wolsey, a good cooking variety, is obtainable at Is for three ll>, or 11s 6d a bushel case (40 lb). There are plenty of eating apples still on the market. Mixed nuts which were selling at 2s per lb last year are now obtainable at Is Bd. There is & plentiful! supply of all varieties of nuts, but prices ‘will harden. More people are planting their owu vegetables now than in previous years, said it fruiterer and greengrocer. He stated that the number of cabbage and cauliflower plants fie was now selling was amazing and the demand was increasing all the time. This was no doubt due to the high prices charged for vegetables last yeai .