Wellington Butchers' Want Meat Controls Lifted

Chronicle (Levin), 15 February 1949, Page 7

Wellington Butchers' Want Meat Controls Lifted

Press Assoaation,,

(Per

WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. Declaring it impossible1 to earry, on their business because the Price 'l'ribunal's wholesale ineat price order was impractieable, 170 members of the Wellington Master Butcliers' Industrial Union of Employers, at a meeting today, called upon the Government to lift all -price controls on meat. The butchers decided to* ask the Government for a reply to this proposal within seven davs. If no reply is forth* coming, another meeting .will be heid to. consider further action. . Shops were' closed this afternoon vvhile their owners attended the meeting. The secretary, klr. A. J. Mountjoy, reported to the press that there was a long discussion at thp meeting of the difficulties confronting the tiade. The meeting adopted the following resolutions: — "This meeting is of the opinion that it is impo^ible for retailers to carry on their business beeause the wholesale prwqj order is not practicable; tlic wholesalers cannot l)uy at the price lixed and furthermore, the retailers are in exactlv the same position from the buying standpoint. "Further, the margin between the wholesale price order and retail price order is not deerned sufiicient and iu vievv of the fact that the wholesalers cannot supply and the retailers cannot purchase meat at the price lixed in the wholesale price order, the Government be asked to remove all controls on the wholesale purchase price of meat and retail sale of meat and suspoiid all restrietions to allow matters to level up and get down to a working basis. "This meeting agrees not to buy any meat at a higher price than that lixed in the wholesale price order and agrees that the Uoveriiiiient's decision on the proposition stated above, be requested and matlo available tp the association within seven days, othcrwisc a further meeting of this association vvlll be called urgently to consider the action members should theii take."