BERLIN NOW SELLING FOOD.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 48, 9 February 1912, Page 2

BERLIN NOW SELLING FOOD.

Willi a. view to mitigating the con-j ditieois resulting from the. extraordinary rise, in food juices, the city of Merlin lias gone into business as a , wholesale food merchant. J t,embarked' formally on the experiment when at 10 of the big market places quantities of sea iish. purchased by the municipality, were placed on sale. ; ' . I Aeeoieliiig to the plan adopted by the City Council, agents have been sent to ; Gaes'tcinuiido, the great lishjiiig centre j on tho North Sea, to contract for the', purc/iase of carloads of sea fish at the j best obtainablo ' wholesale prices. I

On arrival in Merlin, the fish is sold at a low cost to the retailers, by whom it is distributed among the consumers. The retailers, however, bind themselves to sell at prices iixed by the .city, the authorities hoping that in this .way the public will bo able tet get certain kinds of highly nutritious fish food at, prices as low as 20 or 25 pfennigs (2-Jtl.to 3el) a pound. In the markets where the sales began there wore lively scenes. Some.of the booths were surrounded by excited crowds of poor women, eager to make purchases. It is planned to.open later 7(1 branch markets under municipal control, and possibly to extend,the.plan to include other ■arietiesof food. Some !«f the smaller cities near' Merlin already have arranged to undertake .the

iMirchitse of wholesale supplies ol potatoes and other vegetables to be distributed in a similar way.