CHRISTMAS FARE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26630, 28 November 1947, Page 4

CHRISTMAS FARE

SHOPPING PROBLEMS LONG CLOSING PERIOD ARRANGEMENTS IN CITY With Christmas Day less than four weeks distant, the city is becoming increasingly busy and the search for Christmas presents is beginning in earnest. At the same time the business community and residents of the. city are preparing for their annual holidays and housewives are planning their holiday meals. As Christmas Day falls on a Thursday this year, retailers will be closed for longer than usual. They will be open until 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, but will remain closed from then until the following Monday morning. Shops will close at 9 p.m. on New Vear's Eve and will not reopen until January 5. Furniture retailers will be closed from Christmas Eve until January 14. As a result of the long period when provision shops will be closed, housewives will have more difficulty than usual in stocking up their larders for the holiday periods. This applies particularly to such items as meat and bread, but groceries will also be unobtainable during the holidays. Baking Arrangements At the present time it appears that no bread will be baked from Wednesday, December 24, until the following Monday. The Bakers’ Union has notified the master bakers that its members will not bake between December 24 and December 29, but the employers are hopeful that some arrangement can be made for bread to be baked on the Saturday so that the public may receive fresh bread during the long holiday period. It is predicted that a full Christmas fare will be available for most householders this year. Meat and poultry should be plentiful within the coupon limits, and ample supplies of new potatoes, green peas and fresh fruit should be on the city market. Grocers expect that there will be sufficient dried fruit for Christmas cakes and puddings, and tinned fruit is likely to be more plentiful than last year. Confectionery and chocolate should meet the public’s needs, although it is predicted that chocolate may be dearer and scarcer in 1948. Shortage of Beer Although whisky will be even more difficult than ever to obtain this holiday season, there should be plenty of wines for Christmas parties. Beer, particularly bottled beer, may be more difficult to obtain this Christmas than ever before, and a shortage of bottles is causing concern to cordial manufacturers. Practically all manufacturers are extremely busy at the present time, and a great deal of overtime is being worked so that a surplus stock of goods may be built up to last through the holiday period. Factories will “ stagger” their holiday closing this year to relieve congestion iri the transport services. Some firms will close on December 19. but all will endeavour to arrange annual- leave so that workers will return as near as possible to the beginning of a week. The opening of a factory on. a Thursday or a Friday could, it is felt, offer temptation to employees to take an extra few days’ holiday