THE POTATO MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1565, 8 October 1912, Page 8

THE POTATO MARKET.

■' PEICES AXD.PBQSEJGCTS.. The requirements of Australia have teen a heavy drain on the best of the Kew Zealand potato supplies of late, and this fact, added to the check the new season's crops: have received through the vret and unseasonable weather experienced recently, has forced up 'prices to such an cs.tent that many a householder has been compelled to scan .his potato bill with - unaccustomed interest. In conversation with tho manager ot a local produce firm a representative of • .The Dojnirfox was informed that the ''present'price"of potatoes was .tS per ion, as- against 10s.'to JU per ton at this time last year.• The-crop this year > a very heavy one, and had .it not beeu for the exceptional export .trade to Aus-. tralia, prices locally would have l>een : very low indeed. The export trade saved' the. situation, but -the backwash came on to the New Zealand consumer, as only the.very best quality tubers, could be exported, and consequently the second and lower-grade potatoes had lo be sold in : New Zealand. However, prices in Australia had now declined, so that the ex-" port outlook was not as favourable as it had been, and it mtehtbe reasonable to assume : that with the new crop coming in the Australian 'price would fall below an exportable limit. According to the .latest advices, Auck- : land crops arc looking well, and should " be on the market well up to time this . year. "Our information-, ' said the merchant in question, "tells us that there'is ' still a dangerously large .quantity of. , potatoes 'held by growers in the "South ". Island, and it wjll.be difficult for them to find a profitable market before the next ' ! crop comes ill and reaches a price .at ■ which- it will be preferred to the old potatoes."' The present price of new ' potatoes is 30s. per cwt., .but a week or so is expected, to see, something like 15s. ■per cwt. rulipg. [ Incidentally the merchant remarked that the demand for seed potatoes locally ■ had been very poor this season—probably ' j.on account of the wretched weather.