N.Z. MEAT AT HOME

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18235, 20 November 1924, Page 8

N.Z. MEAT AT HOME

NEWSPAPER CRITICISM.

NO DISCREPANCY IN PRien^,

Enquiries made yesterday by a rejjg. sentative of "The Press" amongstbaaj. ncss men interested in the meat eg. port trade, regarding the cable message from London referring to Press cq*s> ment on meat profits aria tie £ee£stß& 01* the British Prime Minister t« vestigato the high eost of Ihia* elicited the information that tfcere «t| no cause for an outcry agaisjx {W Home retailers. The figures qttci«& fo. Mr Forsyth, manager ot" the New &*,"" land Meat Producers' Board, firmed, and it was stated that t&ef&«% no such margin between the prodaogg* price and the retailers* price as warrant an assertion that, the Ea>&| public was being victimised W profiteers. ™ '•Meat is not plentiful, and is high accordingly." said one of jljb gentlemeu interviewed. "The igSquoted in the cable show that no gS" stocks of meat are being he! 4, (3 there is no foundation for any altot| tion that prices are unnecessarily iraft The demand has caused meat to be raft in price." The speaker said t&aYfSf producers were making a higher gsj& this year on their lamb than last year, but last year they on large quantities while this ywjt&tif profits wero being made on xofa smaller quantities, therefore any they were receiving would not them for last vear's losses. >r

"This talk of profiteering at Heg» is not new." said another of tlnotefeig were interviewed. "It has be«&xis|g air for the last twelve montks.** & went on to say that the real ss&ket of tho agitation against high prices fliting tho last year had been Argeatfes beef, not New Zealand mutton, bet «m in that case charges of pfoSteotiur against the Home retailers eoaSd sot be sustained, becauso the butcher coald ssfc follow the fluctuations of Sz&it&fttll He had to strike a middle course, wfciefc ' sometimes resulted in his making laigt profits and sometimes hesrcy feasts Meat prices were certainly far ss#t« V those ruling before the war, bat », were all the producing and frmtng $fr i: ,; penses. The cost of labour ia ; branches of the industry had V there had been an increase la frajj&iiOand other charges, and the esetaai|jft"]s rates had soared, causing an which neither the producers, export «B§felf panics, nor retailers benefited. *fi§