POULTRYMEN HAVE GOOD SEASON.

Shannon News, 3 December 1926, Page 3

POULTRYMEN HAVE GOOD SEASON.

$ i SHORTAGE OF EGGS MAINTAINS PRICE. i / * Enquiries by a “Chronicle” representative go to show that, in a year of generally depressed markets, the poultry industry lias experienced, a very prosperous season to compensate it for the many years of high feed prices and low egg. values. The main factor for this state of things haSvbeen the swing of the pendulum that usually follows a long period of depression in an industry. Poultry-keepers became so disheartened that they reduced their flocks or went, out of the business, resulting this year in a very real shortage of eggs. The Wellington district has not provided any eggs for export this season, all being required for homo consumption. Auckland and the South Island have been able to ship only reduced’consignments. The law of supply and demand has operated to keep up prices and. in the flush period of September and October, eggs were never quoted at lower than Is 6d, though the average price for the 1 height', of the season is Is Id and Is 2d. At the present time sales have been readily made in Wellington at 2s 2d per dozen, while southern quotations are still in the region of Is 8d and Is 9d witli ample supplies.

It is stated that one interesting feature of the situation lias been that mauy bakers and pastrycooks throughout New Zealand have failed to secure supplies for; future needs. They evidently anti; eipated that prices would fall from Is fid to the usual level and withheld from Hhe market, but .expectations in this ‘direction have not been realised. The Levin Poultry-keepers Association has been advised that efforts are being made to secure the free admission of imported eggs and pulp. Any movement in that direction would be strongly opposed by the poultry-keeping industry which in recent years has had none too rosy a time.