WHEAT AND FLOUR.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19175, 5 December 1927, Page 10

WHEAT AND FLOUR.

NEW DUTIES APPROVED. ADDRESS TO FARMERS. An address to farmers on the effect of the new customs duties on wheat and hour on tho wheat farming industry was delivered to the Waiinate branch of the Farmers' Union on Saturday by Mr J. G. Ruddenklau, of "The Va'lley," Glenavy. one of the biggest wheat-growers in Canterbury. Air ituuclenklau expressed approval of the sliding scale scheme embodied in the Act of last session, and he explained by the use of actual examples, the operation of the duties. Concluding his address, Mr Ruddenklau said: — ''l am perfectly satisfied that the Coates Government is solidly behind the primary producer, and is out to give the farmer a fair deal. "Mr Coates's wheat and Hour tariff proposals were framed hi fulfilment of his promise to wheat-growers in Canterbury and North Utago and were based on figures submitted to him by his expert advisers. Our suggestion that such figures were not in accord with practical results led him to take a most serious view of the whole question, and when we had convinced him that these figures were incorrect, he revised them. He has a very difficult position to fill in handling the conllicting interests of producer and consumer, but I am satisfied that he is doing it, and that he is absolutely the right man in the right place. I am also satisfied that any farmers' representations made to him will receive most careful consideration —if they are reasonable and the case is a sound one, they will be acceded to. "I say unhesitatingly that Mr Coates is the man for the farmer and that our representative, Mr Bitehenev (himself u farmer), deserves our support. At my first interview in Wellington, Mr Coates stated that lie was going to carry out his promises at all costs and if the House did not like it, they could get someone else to run the Government. "I have heard it stated that M'Coates promised us an increase of £1 per ton on the duty and that he has broken his promise by giving only 10s. With this statement I entirely disagree, because the working of the new sliding scale of duty in conjunction with this 10s increase is of infinitely more value to us than any 20s increase on a fixed duty. Mr Coates has, in my opinion, kept his promise in its true sense of benefiting the wheatgrower with the new tariff, but of course it still remains to be seen if this protection is sufficiently high to put wheat-growing on a sound financial basis. "Everyone wiio follows the trend of public opinion must realise that if 20s were added to a fixed duty, then, in the event of a short supply both here and in Australia, there would be immediately strong agitation to have the duty lifted and we would be faced with the whole work again to have the duty replaced. Such is avoided by the sliding scale of duties." The meeting, on the motion of Mr G. J. Bailey, seconded by Mr J. H. Milne, carried the following resolution: This meeting of the Waiinate Farmers' Union after careful consideration of the new tariff as affecting wheat and flour duties is satisfied that the principle of the" sliding scale is in the best interests of both wheatgrower and consumer, and the Governmetiit is strongly -urged to adhere strictly to the working of the Act and its regulations to enable a fair trial being given of the new market stabilisation. _ The meeting also records its appreciation of the Government's action in honouring the Prime Minister's undertaking to the farmers of Canterbury and North Otago to give the wheat-grower a further protection equal to n 20s per ton duty on Australian flour.