WHEAT AND FLOUR.
TO THE EDITOR Of THE PRESS. Sir—This morning's Pkess publishes a- statement from Taranaki that New Zealand flour is sold in Taranaki at a price several pounds per t° n low the price in tlie South Island. This surelv warrants investigation, tne ,people ore hardly likely to legislation which renders such . a thing possible. AVe seem to be drifting into
an utterly false position with regard to the duty on wheat and flour. WJieu the late Mr Joseph Chamberlain advocated duties against the foreigner, the argument was that the foreigner would pay the duty by reducing his price. When we propose to import wheat or flour from Australia it is seriouslv suggested that nothing of the sort should be allowed unless the Australian merchant charges us top price. In other words, we want him to take all lie can get out of our pockets. In figuring the cost of growing wheat what do we allow as the value of the land? An artificial value created by the heavy duty enabling the land to be used for wheat-growing or the ordinary value of the land estimated on its ability to produce fat lambs competing in the markets of the world? The last number of the_ Melbourne "Argus" has wheat-growing land advertised at under nine pounds per acre, and if the Canterbury wheat-grower cannot make a do of it the remedy is simple, writ© down the value of the land to a lambfattening basis and leave wheat alone. Some people in Australia are seriously proposing to shut New Zealand butter out of the Commonwealth on the plea that the butter is being "dumped" into Australia. A lot of talk about "dumping" is mere camouflage. Primary products must be sold at a world parity whether these products are cotton, wool, wheat, meat, coal, or pigiron.—Yours, etc., FAIR PRICE.
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Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18901, 17 January 1927, Page 13
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308WHEAT AND FLOUR. Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18901, 17 January 1927, Page 13
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