AUSTRALIAN BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1920, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN BUTTER.

INCREASE IN PRICE. Sydney, Sept. 2, Judge Rolin announced this afternoon that the Necessary Commodities Commission lias decided to "rant an increase in the wholesale price of butter, which would increase the retail selling price by 31d a pound. Judge Rolin said the present wholesale price of butter was 242s 8d a cwt, and the retail prices 2s fid arid 2s did a pound. The application was for permission to charge ,275s 4d wholesale, on the main ground tiiat this would be the equivalent of the export parity of Australian butter. He said he had come to the conclusion that it was useless to attempt to fix rates lower than export parity, and it was a question if they had any right to deprive the primary producer of the price obtainable in the world's market. NO PROFITEERING. Judge Rolin said that from the limited amount of evidence, placed before him he was satisfied that the butter producer 1 would not get more than a fair thing at the increase asked for, and that he would not be profiteering. Then there was the/fact-.that at present there was a shortage of from 10,000 to 10,000 boxes of butter a week on the local market, and they could not expect to make up the shortage from Queensland at, a price below world's parity. Mr. McCrae concurred with the President, and therefore the increase was granted. Mr. Black dissented. The price of new large cheese was increased to Is 4d a. pound wholesale, and Is 7d a pound retail, with other grades in proportion.