PORK AND BACON.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3331, 8 November 1919, Page 3

PORK AND BACON.

SCARCE AND LIKELY TO CONTINUE SCARCE. PIG~B‘REE__DII\TGr NOT POPULAR. The succulent Christnias ham is likely to be very scarce this year, so a Wanganui _Herald representative was informed by a. local pork butcher. It is also likely to be high in price, as an increase in prices of pork goods has just recently taken place. Explaining the cause of the scarcity and high prices, our informant. said that daiiy farmers nowadays found it very profitable to send their milk to factories, where it was manufactured iuto.such patent foods as Glaxo, or turned into casein. There was no residue coming to the farmers from these factories, consequently pig-raising as a sideline was gradually decreasing. This had occasioned a. shortage of pigs, the supply at present was much below the demand. but the majority of the general public seemed quite willing to pay t.he higher prices to get their little bit. of ‘pork. An instance of high prices asked by the farmers was quoted byiour informant, who said that locally yearling pigs brought £2 17/, a price which a few years ago would have been considered Very good for a. baconer. It cost at least 1/ per lb to land the pork into the shop, and then luanut':wcturers’ charges had to be added. But the shorta_£,-“e. was not only local, it was general throughout the Dominion. There seeined “to be no prospect of :m improvenlent, either. for ‘.15 soon as there was a little supply of polk on hand from the farmers ,the (lC‘lll€lllll from the public increased proportionately. Then not only had the pork butehers to p33‘ '3l] increased price for their supplies of _norl.~:. but the cost of manut'ar?— turin-g had also gzfreatly inere:is4‘-(l. -‘~‘al.J.’petre had increased nearly doubl» ":1 price, and all other articles; used in the tnannt’ale.ture of bacon had increased in ]n'O;vm’rlCn. Lzibolur, too, was :1 eoixsidemble item no\\‘ad:lys.

Disensing the prospect for Christmas hams our informant said ‘(hat the situation was not at all promising. He had senr; rlrflbtg whether he w<.l.ld be ab"«: l'u ‘S('.':{l'.'C supplies, at least he was quit: ;<ul'o :h:L‘r he could sell m:lu_" more than he rrould -ob’r:’lin. He did not see any relief frezm the posifion so long as pigs romain(‘(l the scarce commodity the,’ were at present. The only v.:=.ne<ly }.c- could see was I°ol‘ f:ll‘xnm's To ‘grow more pigs, OlZh'Cl'\\'lSC‘ the slm'r=:_«__re would increase.