RATIONING OF BUTTER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 117, 2 March 1950, Page 4

RATIONING OF BUTTER

ABOLITION URGED BY GROCERS DIRECT APPROACH TO HOLLAND (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, March 1. “That this conference, after taking into account all relative factors, is of the opinion that blitter rationing is now no longer necessary in New Zealand, and requests the Prime Minister (Mr S. G. Holland) and the Minister of Supply (Mr C. M. Bowden) to receive a deputation in order that they may be acquainted with the reason why butter rationing should be abolished forthwith.”

This motion was carried at the .annual conference of the New Zealand Master Grocers’ Federation this evening after a discussion/ part of which was in committee.

The subject was raised when Mr P. Henehan (Auckland) moved the adoption of an Auckland remit, which asked the Minister of Supply to discontinue butter rationing, at least fog a trial period of six months, as the consumption per capita of butter under rationing was now only less than 10 per cent.'below pre-war consumption.

“I think the time it quite ripe when we can was safety ask the Government to abolish butter rationing,” he said. “It is an unnecessary headache to the grocery trade, and it means a waste of manpower.” Mr Henehan said that, although the butter ration was increased to the public in October, the actual figures for the three-monthly period since then showed that the increased consumption in Auckland was 4.5 per cent, in Wanganui 5.3 per cent., and in Manawatu 9.5 per cent. That showed quite conclusively that tl\e" public was not using butter, but accumulating ,

coupons and handing them in later. The consumption of butter in New Zealand under rationing was only 10 per cent, below,the pre-war figure. “I am qujle convinced that under an unrationea system we would not use the amount of butter which was used pre-wai,” Mr Henehan said.

Experience of Grocers “We as retailers know what the position Is, and I think we are the people to tell the; Minister of Supply the position in our shops,” said Mr M. S. Hackie (Wellington). “We know what the public wants.” Mr Mackie said that at his shop he had found people coming in with coupons for 151 b of butter to redeem at the end of the month. The thing had < gone haywire. People would not use more butter than they needed. With the increase in the production' of butter, rationing should be__ abolished, Mr Mackie said. He was sure everyone at the conference was sat-: isfied about that. The meeting then went into committee on the motion of the president (Mr 1. R. Wilson), who said he wanted to ’ give a report of a meeting with Mr Bowden. After the conference bad come out of committee half an hour later, the , secretary (Mr R. M. Barker) said he thought "it was a waste of time to go back to Mr Bowden with the matter. He was in favour c f going to the Prime Minister. “The chairman suggested we might be nice and kind to Mr Bowden on this thing,” Mr Parker said. "We were nice and kind last Tuesday, and we did not get anywhere. The Prime Minister is the man to go to, rather than the Minister of Supply. “There is no use going back to the Minister unles3 we have new facts,” said Mr J. S. Wilson (Canterbury), The honourable member took cream rationing off, and got into trouble with his colleagues. There-is no use going to Mr Bowden now, and I support the idea that we go to the Prime Minister,” he said. Mr E. H. Down (Canterbury) said it would be disastrous to let the newspapers give the idea the federation was half-hearted about the matter.

The remit from Auckland was Avithdrawn.