POTATO MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1612, 2 December 1912, Page 8

POTATO MARKET.

. RECORD PRICES LOCALLY.. Potato-growers, who have had tubers for sale'during the past.few weeks, have reaped a veritable harvest, but taking-a : line through the abnormally (ligh prices which, liave been ruling, the riiunßer'ofsuppliers can not have beeji ,very htavy. A!;couple of weeks ago New/Zealand growers; and merchants were, somewhat staggered by a cable, message from Australia, which stated that potatoes there hid realised- .£22 per ton, and few -expected, that this 1 enormous price -would bs beaten in. New and that after, the now. .season's supplies had been';-oming. in, for some weeks. Each' succeeding day ut the. markets shows some change in the. potato market, the prices being ruled *by the quantity coining forward. List week saw the tubers in short supply,. and, as indicated in our marlcet .report of Saturday, tho'.top price received on Friday for new potatoes (Hutt grown) was ,£22 ]os. {.er ton, whilst on Saturday they went up to £25 per ton. This is a record such as has not been equalled forvjfiiy ~n:un'y -years. Old potatoePW alsa'sM bfiiig-: ing excellent prices, the week-nnd seeing £12 to' £\3 a ton offering. i There are several causes which have led to the present abnormal prices, oi.bido ;f the heavy drain: oh New Zealand tvz-. plies/owing to the-shortage in .Australia.' On.! is the backward season/another the prolonged wet weather, which lias pi evented digging, and, thirdly, the blight has ruined many of the 'irons. It is difficult to say how long'the present high prices will rule, but,it Jimks as though they will keep up •Iβ a t igh standard for some time, particularly if ILe weather does not improve. ■