MEAT PRICES REDUCED

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1920, Page 3

MEAT PRICES REDUCED

AUCKLAND, May 2'5

The thriftf’ housekeeper will welcome tlie news that from Monday next her meat account will not be quite so iiara to meet as formerly, the reason being a reduction in the retail prices of beef and pork as from that day. This decision, agreed upon by tlie Auckland Master Butclieys’ Association, wTI introduce the. first decline in the price of beef an c l pork for some years. Til the case of the former, the reduction will average from a halfpenny to a penny per pound and in the latter twopeiiTin every instance. Mutton prices will remain unchanged. Tlie reduced prices are attributed to the recent decline on the wholesale market, brought about chiefly through a good deal of fat stock, particularly beef, finding its way into the yards through the freezers Leing full and graziers without turnips crops on which to finish off their stornc finding it necessary to dispose of their stock. The freezing works of the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company have been closed down for several weeks, the Southern works since, Kay lltli. The .company intend reopen ng the former on the 2oth inst., and the latter on Juno 7th. Practically the same conditions apply at the West (mid Freezing Company’s works, a small quantity only being dealt with for freezing purposes. It is therefore quite "evident that the proposed changes in tlie retail prices have to a very large extent been brought about through the inability of the. freezing companies to deal with the stock offering. The preaur prices of beef and mutton were fixed by the Board of Trade a year or two ; go, in accordance with the prices paid for export meat. The proposed' reduction in the price of pork will bring the ratedown to about the level of those prevailing before last year's increase.