Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

WHEAT AND FLOUR DEADLOCK

' STATE MAY TAKE OVER SOME MILLS. The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. Vi. F. Ma.ssey) made a.statement in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon respecting prices and- the supplies of wheat and. flour in New Zea-' land. Mr. Massey said that very eoon after tho. declaration of war he took an opportunity to go through the necessaiy lormalities to prevent the export of wheat and flour. from this country. And the position to-day was still that these commodities, could not be exported.- In addition to taking that precaution, he placed an order,in Australia for 250,000 bushels,.of wheat. However, Vhe fact became'known, and, after his agent there had secured 45,000 bushels, he was unable to get any more, except at exorbitant prices. The most of that quantity of 45,000 bushels was now in New Zealand, but some was yet in Sydney. The next step was the appointment of the Foods Commission. This Commission eat, and finally arranged that the price of wheat should bo 4s. 9d. per -bushel, and the price of flour £11 15s. per ton; but this arrangement had not worked out as well as many people (and certainly the Commission) expected, and ■ the result was a deadlock. He (Mr./Massoy) had been interviowed by a number, of .millers who said that under this' 'arrangement' it was impossible - for them to carry, on their business and obtain the supplies ■ they required. The'matter'had, unfortunately, resolved iteeif into a strug : gle between the small and tho largo millers'. Millers who had been fortun--ate enough to get supplies in hand did not '.mind the price fixed; but the man with comparatively small capital; who' bought wheat from month to month, win. I not able to obtain ;wheat at 4s ; . 9d. -'l¥j\ was a very' eeriou's state ol -i affairs," and some of -the larger I millers seemed to bo anxious to squeeaj I ■tho-small men. r He had asked ■ the-ake-over all : the small mills—only one from the small men. He believed tho Commission: would sit for that purpose in'a few days from now. It had been I suggested to him by members pf. the millers' deputation which waited on him last week that the Government, should take over some of the mills.,' Hβ did not .want, to interfere with fair trade, but if it became necessary for the Government to take over'some mills for the purpose of ascertaining the cost of production, and tho buying price of wheat, and tho soiling'price- of flour, he was prepared to take that course. As 6oon as be heard from the Commission, he would make up his mind, but if the Government took over some of the mills it would not bo for the purposes of entering iiito competition with the flour millers, but in order, to ascertain' the prices of, wheat and flour and the cost of production. - Mr. R. M'Callum (Wairau): Will tho Mhiistei help tho small millers? The Prime Minister: The wheat I have purchased will all go to the small millers, unless we go in for the milling business ourselves. Replying' to a remark by Mr. G. Witty (Riccarton), the Prime Minister said that' the Government could not take over al ltho. small mills—only one or two. ■■."'' Mr. G. Forbes accused the Government of having delayed action until too late, and allbwing the price of wheat to go up in tho meantime. Mr. Massey: It would have gone up in any case. ■ ■ Mr. Forbes said that if the Government had acted promptly, and had not taken /time to set up a Commission, there would have been less trouble and dissatisfaction about the position created. . . • Mr. J. M'Combs also expressed the opinion that the Government had taken thought for the interests of the few rather than of the many. The subject .was again opened up in the House when members assembled for the evening sitting. • ; Mr. D. Buddo (Eaiapoi) said that ho had received a telegram from a southern miller (Mr. R. Gardiner, of Cust) requesting him to ascertain if millers were compelled by law to supply flour at statutory prices. Tho Priino Minister replied that ho was not prepared to give a definite answer at the moment. He would consult the Crown Law Officers on the following day as to tho actual position. His own impression, however, was that millers were not co-npolled to sell, but that, if they did 30, they could not charge a higher price than that fixed by. the. proclamation.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19141008.2.81

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2275, 8 October 1914, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
745

WHEAT AND FLOUR DEADLOCK Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2275, 8 October 1914, Page 9

WHEAT AND FLOUR DEADLOCK Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2275, 8 October 1914, Page 9

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert