LIFTING OF CONTROLS

Chronicle (Levin), 14 November 1946, Page 5

LIFTING OF CONTROLS

(Special Australian Correspondent. j

INSTANCE IN AUSTRAUA

.ueceived Wednesday, 9.45 p.m. SYDNEY, Nov. 13. A startling iiistance of wliat would Jiappen if all wartime controls were reluased prematurely, has be'en provided for Australian citizens by tlie beliaviour of tlie vegetable niarket since controls were lifted last January. Tlie position is so serious that tlie neW Minister of Customs, Senator Courtiee, has warned operators that the Gove.mment will restore ceiling prices for vegetables if growers continue to demaiid famiue prices under normal conditions. He qualilied this statement by admitting that present conditions Were not noriiutl and that thev were due niainly to seasonal failure. There was a deliiiite shortage instead of abundance. A survey of vegetable prices in Sydaev today reveals that swedo turnips are selling at Is (id a bunch weig'hing a pound or less thoug'h tlie lixed price before January Was 21. a pound. lJarsuip's are retailing at from ls 4d to ls 9d J'or a pound bunch which bcfore January was lixed at 41,(1. Carrots fetch 9d to lld pound and ls ld to ls 3tl a bunch of four. The price ceiling was 3id a pound. Pumpkin, which was lixed at a similar price, now fetclies lld to ls ld pound. Prices varv in parts of Sydnev and in the suburbs in such a way as to indicate that greengrocers are chargiug what the trattic will bear. Following the loss of about one-tliird of large shipments of potatoes lield up iu Sydnev by the recent waterside strike, potatoes are ahnost unprocurablve in Sydnev. Those available are fetchiiig over £2 per bag at the niarket. This has resulted in a heavy demaiul for root veegtables, the prices of wfiicli nave been forced to reeord levels. The prices of potatoes are lixed at (id. for •)l!)s. weiglit with tlie result that the lilack niarket is doing a flourisliing trade and some greengrocers are refu#ing to sell potatoes unless the customer also buys high-prieed fruit and vegetables. The Commissioner has aSked for all cases of this to be reported promptlvi Im t housewives sav "the wrongdoers j sliould be punished but that won't help to feed our families and' will close the j onlv souree open to us". Atnong other shortages is that of laundry soap due to insufficient suppliesj of tallow and traceable directly to the drought and to labour troubles. Tliisj wiil take ruonths to remedy as essential , cheniicals are also beconiing scarcer. | The rationing of elothing, tea, sugar, j butter and meat is being continued as! are price controls and there is no possi- ) bilitv of either quantities or prices be-! ing rclaxed for some timo to come. Despite rigid controls the Govern-! 111011 1 statistician reveals that the average cost of living in six Australian capitals has increased by more tlian 25 per cent. since tlie outbreak of war. The jirincipal faetor in tlie increases is elothing of which the general price level_ is S1.9 per cent. aliove the iig'ure for 1989. Food lias increased j.7.8 per cent. What tlie levels would have been! witliout tlie enforcement of price eeil-| ings is iinjiossible to guess.