PRICE OF BUTTER

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 23, 22 October 1920, Page 8

PRICE OF BUTTER

ATTITUDE OF THE GROCERS

MR. MASSEY SAYS PROFIT IS SUFFICIENT

A statement that some grocers were charging 2a. 4d.- for butter over the counter was made in .the' House' of Representatives by Mr.. D. G. Sullivan'(Avon), who asked if thelGovernnient would, consider increasing the ' subsidy in order that the grocers might get a larger profit on the butter they handled. Tho grocers were being allowed 2d. per pound, the same profit as when butter cost only Is. 3d. per pound,'and some of them were threatening to defy tho proclamation. The Prime Minister replied that the Government would not consider any increase of tho subsidy. Tho Government had gone as far a 9 it was possible in iiindeTtaking to pay subsidy at the rate of ,£600,000 a Tear in order that tho retail price might be kept' down. If gro"cers charged more than the proclaimed price/ 2s. 3d; per pound for cash, they would! be doing something unlawful, which would not be permitted. The price of the butter waa increased by slightly more than 3d. per pound between the factory door and the grocer's 'counter. If this amount had been sufficient at the old price it ought to be sufficient now, since the amount of handling required had not increased. He ithought that the maTgin allowed the retailer was reasonable. Tho grocers, in any case, had better see how tho. arrangement worked. If they found that it was not fair to them they could approach the Minister of Agriculture later and suggest a change.

VACANCIES ON BOROUGH COUNCILS

PROPOSED AMENDMENT'TO MUNI- , CIPAL CORPORATIONS BILL.

"' The Hon. M. Cohen has given nobco in the Legislative Council that when the Municipal Corporations Amendment Bill is committed he will movo certain amendments. Mr. Cohen proposes, that "upon {he occurrence of an extraordinary vacancy in ft council the council shall ■appoint to the vacancy the unsuccessful candidate tjho at the last biennial election was next to the successful candi- ' date in order of votes. He also proposes that a Mayor on going out of office shall automatical'lr .become a member of tho - council for the next two years,. notwiths<s?.iding that this means an increase of one in* the number of the councillors. 'The-intention of the latter provision is • that the new Mayor shall have the advantage of the assistance of one who jhas had experience of the office.

CORRUGATED IRON

THE GOVERNMENT'S DEALS. ( Replying to a question put by Mr. | Nash (Palmerston North) in, the House lof Representatives, tho Minister of ; Lands (Mr. Guthrie) said it' was not I true that the Government had purchased 400 tons of corrugated iron for the ■returned soldiera at per ton when . the Wellington price 1 was .£65 per ton. There was no record of any such trans-, action. The Government had bought very carefully, and' it had been able to get corrueated iron and fencing wire for the soldier-settlers at considerably ■ below the current market prices in many instances. He believed that some pf the reports circulated about the Government's operations came froni interested people, who found that their ex-orbitant-profits were being reduced.

GIRL MESSENGERS

SUGGESTION TO THE POSTAL DEPARTMENT. A suggestion that the Post and Telegraph Department should cease to em■ploy giris as telegraph messengers in Wellington was made in the House of Representatives by Mr. Burnett (Temuka), who referred, without giving details. to a case that had been considered by a committee. These young girls,' he 6aid, were exposed to special dangere. An experienced woman ought to bo in charge of them. The Postmaster-General (Mr. Coates) replied that,thirteen girls were employed by the Department, in Wellington. They had been' engaged because boys could not be secured for anything like tho wage that the job was worth. The girls were not employed after 6 p.m. and they were under the supervision of an experienced woman. He did not think that anv trouble that might, have occurred need be attributed to the 'nature of tho employment. The Minister added that it was necessary for him to watch expenditure which was tending to rise in every direction.

INCORPORATED SOCIETIES

AMENDING BILL INTRODUCED. The Incorporated Societies' Amendment Bill, dealing with the incorporation of branches of registered societies, was yesterday introduced in the Legislative Couucil by Sir Francis. Bell.Tho main clause of the measure is worded as follows:—"Any society registered under the principal Aot (whether before or after the passing of this Act) and consisting of not less than five hundred members may apply 'to the Registrar in accordance with this Act for the incorporation of any local branch _ or group of such branches of that society. No application for the incorporation ot a local branch shall be mode except with the consent of a majority of the members proposed to be incorporated as a local branch, and 110 application for the incorporation of a group of branches shall be made except with the consent of a majority of tlio membors of each of those- branches. Any group of local branches may bo incorporated_.notwithstanding thai: the whole or any numbei of such tranches may, be already incorporated"

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT

The PuWic "Works Statement is to bs yscaented to tiw Houee to-day.