COST OF POULTRY FOOD

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22507, 15 September 1938, Page 12

COST OF POULTRY FOOD

CONCESSIONS MADE TO PRODUCERS MINISTER’S EXPLANATION (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, September 14. The -claim that substantial concessions had been made to poultry proNew Zealand was made by the Minister for Industries and Commerce (the Hgn. D. G. Sullivan), in the House of Representatives to-day, in answer to a. question asked by Mr W. J. Broadfoot (National, Waitomo). Mr Broadfoot asked what steps were being taken to lower the costs of the .producer, and said that wheat which was. selling at 2s 2d in Australia was being retailed in New Zealand at 5s 9d, and other wheat products were similarly high in price. “The honourable member is advised that the price of good quality wheat has at no time this year fallen below 2s 94d in Sydney, and it has only reached even that figure in the last week or so.” said Mr Sullivan. “The wheat which the honourable member says can be purchased for 2s 2d a bushel must be an inferior grade. Low quality wheat is not worth paying freight on, while 'good wheat costs no more in freight and handling charges. I wish to inform the honourable member that the following steps have been taken to keep down costs in the poultry industry. The price of New Zealand pollard has been pegged at a figure more than £2 lower than the price at which Australian pollard can be landed and sold in New Zealand. By pegging the price, instead of letting it rise to import parity, we have saved the poultry-keeper at least £120,000. The importation of flour has been prohibited. so that as all our flour is now made in New Zealand, there is, in consequence, a larger supply of low priced milling offals for poultry food. Definite arrangements were made to fix the price of New Zealand grown fowl wheat at a figure 3d a bushel less than the price of milling wheat. By agreement with the grain merchants, the charges made by them for handling fowl wheat have been reduced substantially.”