WHEAT & FLOUR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2350, 5 January 1915, Page 7

WHEAT & FLOUR

. v IIES ARRIVING ' ! • -A/— -y. : ,T0 REPLENISH THE SHORTACE. The Government's plane f<jr the replenishing of the wheat and flour supply of the Dominion will materialise in the course- of the next week. The Prime Minister made a brief statement on the subject of wheat .supply to a . ' Dominion reporter yesterday. "We have a shipment of. wheat coming by the Niagara,' due in Auckland next Monday," said Mr. Massey. "Wo have another shipment coming by the Waitemata, which sailed from ' Vancouver on December 20,' due in Wellington on Tuesday cr Wednesday of next week, and arangements have just been, completed for a shipment of 50,000 bushels to leave Sydney for New Zealand this week. News of this last, shipment only. arrived ; to*day. .We knew, that it was under way but could get no information. during "the holidays. We are endeavouring to secure an increase in tho amount to 100,000 bußhels and a telegram on the subject was despatched to Australia to-day. There is still some hope that the larger shipment may be secured. . ' "A number of requests have come to the Government during the past few days for . wheat and flour, and an im--1 prcssion seems to obtain that merchants and farmers are holding large stocks of wheat. I have made most exhaustive inquiries through officers of the Agriculfcual Department,, and 1 am in a position to say that such is not the case. For instance, there were persis-. , tent rumours abroad during the election campaign that one Ashburton firm ' held 250,000 bushels of wheat. The i rumour was 'Without the slightest foundation. The firm referred to hold no ■; wheat, and have not held any since the • first week of the war. Another rumour was to tho effect that a farmer at Rakaia held 60,000 bushels. That gentleman has barely sufficient for bis own purposes until the new season b crop comes in. We have had a certain amount of difficulty in arranging for freight space from Canada. That difficulty has now been overcome, and I anticipate that a 6 . soon .as the first ■ shipment comes from Australia —and I think it will arrive here next week — there will be ;no further difficulty • about supplies. With the Australian 5 , and Canadian wheat I think we should ' have enough to keep us going until I this year's harvest is gathered. Some of our own New Zealand wheat should be available for milling about the third ■ ■ week in February. , . • . "There are a few of the millers in the Dominion who hold sufficient stocks to supply their customers until the new crop, comes in. The Government has no difficulty with them, but with those smaller millers who are not possessed of sufficient foresight or financial ability to make the necessary arrangements for a supply ( until tho end of tne season. And it would, of course, •be very unfair for the ■ Government to take from any miller grain wliioh he has purchased, and which he requires to supply bis own customers -until the ena of the season. That can not be done. As soon as we begin to got these supplios that have been asked for; and axe now afloat, matters will readjust them"The question of readjusting prices will probably be dealt with at the first meeting of Cabinet, but I am in a position to say that the wheat we are importing will not cost ae much as many people have imagined, and in all probability it will be disposed- of'by the • Government at a slight loss. But millers purchasing from us must be pre-; pared to ,sell " their . flour at a- price in proportion te the price they ;\ml' be aiked to pay for their wheat: .