THE BREAKFAST TABLE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16847, 25 September 1922, Page 7

THE BREAKFAST TABLE.

RETAIL PRISE REVIEW. ' j EGOS IN OVER-SUPPLY, j WHITEBAIT MUCH CHEAPER. IKtew laid ©fill? are nmv retailing in i some- cHy shops at l-s Id per da»eno j whioh is the cheapest price at which ; i'ctbv have l>een Hold for many years, j The exr>lnnatimi is that the market is ; prertically over-supplied. In recent j years tho poultry industry has been j gfeatly developed, with tbe result that; the produetrioxi of eggs is now larger than it has ever been before. The retail price of the standard brsJidH of Canterbury butter varies from Is TOd to la lid jJter lb, butter in gr«o<?rs J own wrappers bemg sold at a j fMKcny cheaper-. The wholesale price j of batter remains at Is 9d per lb net. J It is (srpected that some lines of ; Christmas floods will be sold cheaper : this year then lust year. Muscat els j will retail At about Is 6d. as compared 1 with 2s last year, and tigs will be J clieaper. Stocks are said to be satis- ( factory', but the Near East crisis ia iraringr a bearing on the fdauatlon. A wholesale report statee that tbe Turkish trouble has caused a sharp advance to take place in San Francisco dried fruits generally- Thompson's oiled bleached raisins are now onobtoinabte at any cost, as all stocks that will be available have been booked up. A sharp advance has taken place in Thompson's blue raisins. Orders cabled last Wednesday were not confirmed. An advanced price was received by cable from San Francisco on Thursday, and local buyers are reported to be ■ operating at tbe mcroaeed prices. With no Greek currants coming, and very probably no Smyrna sultanas, it looks very much as if fruit will be in, very short supply at Christmas time. With the advance of the warmer weather the demand for tinned fruits ; in improving. In some cases there j have been slight increases in prices, but. | a few reductions are also expected to take place. Business in nuts is remarkably good for this time of the year, low prices helping trade,. Walnuts have been hard tb obtain, and with tbe uncertainty of shipment of Rumanian, it is difficult to say if forward contracts will ba met. A shipment of Chinese have landed this week, and prices remain at favourable level, and with the uncertainty attaching to Rumania, the Chinos© shipment is being eagerly bought. Soft shell almonds are also scarce, but Barcelonas and Brasil* are sufficient at present to meet business. The retail prices of ten- continue unchanged and though wholesale reports are not encouraging there is no indication that the public will lie asked to pay more for tea in the near future. An overdue reduction in the price of wax matches is announced to come into effect next month, but the extent of the reduction is not. vet known. WHITE-BAIT IN GOOD SUPPLY. At the beginning of la6t week whitebait was being sold locally at 3s 6d per half pound, which is approximately half a pintbut the price was gradually ! reduced during the week and on Friday ! whitebait was being sold a& Is 9d per l half pound, the price at which it. is | being sold to-day. About half of the whitebait sold in Christchurch. comes | from the West Coa6t, the remainder ! being obtained mostlv from North GanI terbury rivers. It is becoming moro I difficult to obtain in Canterbury river* I each year, and the price would be much higher if supplies were not aavilable | from the West Coast. OTHER VARIETIES OF FISH. Supplier of practically all varieties !of fish have been satisfactory during

the past week and prices are reasonable. r Po-day’e prices are ;—Groper 9d lb (trimmed), line 6d, cod 4d. gurnet 4d. moki 6d, terakihi 6d, butterfish 9d, soles 9d, flounders 9d. Smoked varieties are plentiful at vsual prices, also imported English kippers and bloaters and Scotch herrings. Rabbits and hares are in good supply. Poultry has hardened in price slightly. 'fable chickens are now selling at 15s per pair and boiling fowls at 7s per pair. This has been a particularly good season for turkeys and supplies are expected to be sound at Christmas time. As New' Zealand wild ducks cannot be sold retail, local poulterers have imported supplies of Australian wild duck, which are retailing at approximately 7k 6d per pair, or 8s 6d dressed. They are meeting with a good demand. The oyster season will nob close until the end of October. The demand has slackened off slightly with the advent of the warmer weather. MEAT PRICES UNCHANGED Wholesale prices of beef and mutton have shown a tendency to increase at recent sales, but the retail prices arc unchanged. The demand continues to be brisk, particularly for small goods, which arc more popular in the warmer weather. NEW POTATOES ON SALE. The newest item of news from the fr uiterers and greengrocers is. that- new potatoes from the Hutt Valley, Wellington, are now on sale at) 10d per lb which is considerably lower than the prices charged for ‘ first supplies in recent years. The crop is reported to Ire good and while there is a possibility that the price may firm, the rise would not be for long. Locally-grown new potatoes will not be ready for another mouth. One lot of green peas has been received in Christchurch and they were retailed at Is 6d per lb, compared with 2s fid last year. Asparagus is becoming more plentiful

each day, but is still very expensive. The price varies from Is fid to 3te fid a bundle according to siae and quality. .Rhubarb is also ir. better supply, prices ranging from TOd to Is 3d per bundles. It will be cheaper very lyLettuce, onions an<4 radishes for spring salads are plentiful and cheap. I.ocai hothouse cucumbers arc coming to hand freely and at present are retailing at Ik 4d p*? 1 " lb. Carrots and parsnips are cheap. Leeks, in large bundles, are in better supply and the Sid per bundle. A small quantity of iron-bark pumpkins from Gisborne which arrived last week sure selling at 2d per lb. Spring cabbages are still expensive, prices ranging from 6d each. Cauliflowers, on the other hand, are particularly cheap, and the befet quality costs only 3d or 4d each. Large bunches of spinach can be bought fo 4<5. Bananas are practically unobtainable locally, very few shops having any on hand. This is due to the last shipments Cook Island being insufficient tor requirements and noTjfe/ )oming to Ohristchixcchh from lasWl.lpment. from FijiThe next shipment Up not due until end of this mpiith, so RSij*. relief is expected this week. bating apples can be bought at 6d lb and cooking

varieties at 81b for Is- “Winter Gate pears for eating arc retailing at 8d per B>. Lemons are hi short simply and will'continue so until the next American beat, arrives at the end of the month. Some Auckland lemons have been received but they weere in bad condition. Passion fruit are scarce and dear, the price being 5 a la. Oranges also are very expensive. Mandarins are more plentiful. They can be bought st 5 ; 6. 8 arid 10 a shilling.