NO BACON.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1919, Page 5

NO BACON.

THE REASON WHY. *, Quite an acute shortage of bacon, ham, % and pork just at present is mors or Ims seriously perturbing householders of Wei- '; lington, and several inquiries have been -l, made of the Post to ascertain the reason for the shortage. From inquiries made, it was learned that there is little prospect of any relief for some considerable time. A gentleman who is rather intimately connected with this branch of trade told a Post representative the other day that tho begin: " '< ning of the trouble was Borne three or : = four years ago, when the operations of several largo outside buyers canted a J very considerable rise in the market price J of vealers. About that time it was the J custom in the great majority of oases ¥ for farmers to knock their calves on the «■ head, skin the body, and then use it for pig-feeding purposes, along with the aldm milk from the factory. There was not enough milk for both calf and pig, and the former, being then the most proflife able proposition, naturally got the pre-' ference. When the prices for calves went ' up, the pig had to go, and at the same lime the farmer realised that not so math labor was required as in the case pf the raising oC pigs. A calf can be "got s off" at about four month? to forage for itself, while it is rather unusual that '\ a bacon pig can be got away before, say, six months. In past seasons, too, there \ has almost been u surplus of baconers. •* and the companies have kept them in and loosed them for the winter trade, but with the growing attention to the vealer this position has, for some time, ceased '.I to exist. The position in Tcgard to porkers, it I was pointed out,'was much the same. ■'• Towards the end of the season there was a always a big lot of pigs available, thou- 1 sands of thorn, in fact, but under tbe new j circumstances most fanners found that 1 they had not got the milk to supply to them to turn them into baconers, and did not care to buy the necessary food ' j to fatten them off. These went into cold stores as pork>-rs, and were brought out to supply the winter demand. So tbe care of the pig gradually diminished, and hence the present shortage. As a matter of fact, it was mentioned that the total stocks now held in the North Island would not reach to more than from 1000 to 1800 circuses; a totally insufficient e supply to cope with the demand. As an- jj other instance of the present shortage, it ,„" % may be'stated that a prominent purveyor . H ]jj last year bought over 3000 porkers from ,} a couple of iirma, neither of which this 1 year were able to supply him with any. j In the Blenheim district, where, up to the present, there has always been a " good supply of baconers and porkers, a ■ local merchant has been unable to secure more than about TO during the current season. There are still a few pig* com- -, ing from the Sounds, but they are hardly i up to quality. It ia understood that, so .! short are the stocks, some of the leading -: igrocers in Wellington have only been supplied with a side of bacon or so per week $ to tide them over the difficulties. , \xfM Now the position seems to have '/a changed somewhat, and the market for ] pigs i* on the up grade, but it will, ' naturally tako several months for firm-, I ers to thoroughly rehabilitate the in- '•''' dustry, and, consequenHy, the supply wjll ; be short for a considerable time to wrae. It is even hinted that the popular Christ- ~ mas ham \.'ill be present in limited quan- - J titles only this year. • -' It is suggested in some directions that, h under the circumstances, it may be found ,\ advisable tlfat Parliament, should take ! steps to remove the high protection duty on imported bacon, imposed to encourage j the farmer to produce what lie is now, at $

least temporarily, unable to produce in ■ ',' : sufficient quantity.