WELLINGTON NOTES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12857, 24 December 1912, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

. 1 , THE WEATHER. ,

THE RED F'Efe WANTS FUNDS.

THE PRICE OF,BUTTER

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "Chronicle.")

WELLINGTON, Dec. 23

The weather has! kept fine for the Christmas shopping,- and most of the retail stores have been crowded with purchasers. Apparently, however, the amount of money being spent is less than last year. The financial stringency and slackening of extravagant expenditure 'are no doubt factors in making for the changed condition. Just at present the, weather shows signs of a, change, and the prospects•for the Christmas holidays throughout the Dominion are not altogether favourable.

Evidently the Federation of Labour is making further" appeals to Australian unions for financial assistance. At the. last meeting -of .the Wellington Trades Council, a- cable message was read from a, large, association of workers in Australia stating that'''it had been contributing'to the Waihi, and' lieefton.' strike, funds^'but;as. the Waihi trouble was now over,-they (the'senders) .could not understand why -a- further appeal was being made. The " Post" says the report asked the Trades Council to give an expression of opinion as to whether further financial assistance was iiecassary. The Council, after some discussion, decided to remain neutral in. the matter,' as it had been doing right through the whole of the dispute. It was,decided to cable -tha-t the Council would not give any advice. . , The rise in the price of butter here does not seem to tie altogether justifiable. The rise, says the "Post," is not general, however, for other well-known, butters, of what are known'as standard brand, remain unchanged. From some quarters it has been learned that factories are not unanimously in favour of the rise of Id per lb., and, besides, some of the distributing houses, while admitting that there is ia good demand for the butter on the part of the London and Vancouver merchants, hold also that the prices are not sufficient to warrant the raising of any ibrands sold in Wellington as much as Id per lb.—that, in short, the rise is a. purely "Christmas" advance. The best known brands of fresh grade butter on the Wellington market to-day ranrce from 12d per lb to 13Jd per lb wholesale. The 13|d butter .is subject to a discount of Id per lb for cash, and the 12d butter is sold net price. Local exporting houses to-day report receiving inquiries from London at from 12£ d ,to 12£ d per lb o,n the ship here for immediate export, showing a tendency for the London butter market to rise in price.