GROCERIES CUT DOWN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 15, 18 January 1940, Page 4

GROCERIES CUT DOWN

IMPORT RESTRICTIONS PRICES ON THE RISE SOME LINES ELIMINATED Wanganui housewives will not haw . the same freedom when laying in the I weekly food supplies this year, as many popular lines of groceries are becoming dearer or being eliminated through import and financial restrictions. This situation ha.' been fell to some extent already, but in the third term licensing period, which has now started, there have been such reductions ! and prohibitions that many more lines will either disappear from the groc-| ery store-, or make occasional appear- ■ anccs only. The late announcement of the terms under which groceries can be imported in the third term ' delayed ordering to such an extent i that there will be certain scarcities I until the time lag can be corrected. Table salt is instanced as an example There is no rationing of table salt in | the shops but it is scarce and some i concerns cannot offer the full range of supplies. Percentage reductions on permitted imports ol some grocery lines were not stated in the third term plan. These are being determined by the Marketing Department and licences so far issued with its authority suggest very close pruning generally. : Many stocks of dried fruits are ex- - tained, Australia is now the only approved source of supply, and there is a close restriction on quantity. So there will be a dried fruit scarcity throughout the period. Canadian and American fruit salad in tins and also tinned oranges, mandarins, raspberries and loganberries I will disappear from the market. [ Licences to import raspberry, straw-1 berry, gooseberry and loganberry ■ pulps have been refused merchants | although it is believed that quantities ! will be permitted jam manufacturers ! for flavouring. A popular selling line is pineapple ! juice, of which Fiji packers hold large ■ quantities for export, but import i licences have been refused for this I commodity. There are no supplies of cornflour in many shops. Small consignments | rre due from Australia, but at a land- ' cd cost that will mean higher prices, i \\ holesaie stocks of vermicelli and ■ macaroni are practically exhausted. ! and further licences to import have I been refused. Twenty-five per cent. I only of the value of previous importa- | tions of desiccated coconut is being | permitted importers. Scarcities of tinned fish are in< reas- I ing and many popular brands • f sal- , mon are now unprocurable. Stocks I of tinned herrings are very low and i importation is now prohibited.