Here’s the vinegar on timber and chips

SOME years ago I learned a bizarre thing. A person wanting to build a house in Tasmania went to a local timber mill for a quote. He was told it would be cheaper to get the timber from Melbourne.

The mill would cut the wood, ship it to Melbourne and then it would be shipped back to Tasmania at a lower price. Our local supermarket does something similar. I got out a part-used packet of frozen chips, purchased a few weeks ago, to cook in an oven. The packaging said “Made in Netherlands”.

Because there were not enough, I got out a new packet that said, “Belgium with ingredients from multiple origins”!

Apparently it is cheaper to make chips in Europe, ship them to Australia, ship them across Bass Strait and sell them in Kingston. I thought we grew potatoes here?