PRICE OF MEAT.

Evening Star, Issue 23379, 23 September 1939, Page 14

PRICE OF MEAT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I think the retail price of moat to-day is far too high according to the prices ruling at Burnside. My wife went to a shop the othqr day and paid lid per lb for chops and 9d per lb for stewing steak. Surely this is an extraordinary price for a country like this, where there is so much meat produced. In 1922-23 beef was costing up to £3 10s per 1001 b, and mutton was equally high, but the retail price was not so high as it is to-day. At the present time extra prime bullocks are selling at Burnside from £l7 10b to £2l; the weight of these bullocks will be in the vicinity of 8001 b to I,ooolb in the butcher’s shop, which means they will be costing about £2 per 1001 b. Then there are the by-products on top of that, so why should meat be so nigh in price? Recent wireless reports quote the following prices at Smithfield market at Home for the primes! Now Zealand mutton and lamb:—Ewes from 3d to 3£d per lb; wethers 4 Jd to sJdj lamb 7id. What becomes of the rejects, which are quite good quality, but may be underweight or overweight? They are all passed by an inspector for human consumption. It has been said they are sold to the cats-moat butchers, less freight and overhead charges. All I can say is, there must be a lot of cats-meat butchers in Dunedin.—l am, etc., # Live and Let Live. September 22.