WHEAT AND FLOUR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 1, 26 September 1917, Page 8

WHEAT AND FLOUR

j; ■: ; MINISTER EXPLAINS POSITION. I -,■■;• ./-A'- report that th.e.re_«wae a shortage {■- of .wheat' in.. Canterbury,.- and■ that cne >V-,lugs mill had already-closed down and others 'might" be Woied down shortly, •.■'■was referred to bj- llr. Witty iu the ■'j House,of Eepresenratives yesterday aftcr- : -noon. He asked; the .-Minister of Jlgriculi. .tare wlat he proposed to.do in the mat!j. '■ -, .foreseeing, that'some millers and farm- .;:;.:' ere vnrere. holding large quantities of ;. : " : wheat.-. ... ■ '..'.'....,. . ? ,. ... The Hon. , W.'D. S. Mac Donald in reply :•:'■■: stated that they_ all knew the rtiison ;.■: for, the shortage of wheat in different : -places., The (jovernnient managed to ■'. eet two shipments of Australian wl.eat ':■. .before the strike.'.Acting on wrtain , information received the Government deV : termined to secure the wheat as quickly/ ;•" as'possible, and alter the discharge of ; ( '.the last shipment the vessel was inrmedii. ,•' atioly sent back to Australia to load anbl other shipment. Unfortunately whilst i '•- shewas loading the etnke ; had occurred. r\ : . The vessel had been, diverted to Fiji; '. : where she had loaded sugar, which had :v-v been landed in Auckland, together with '■;•■■-. e' small Quantity of wheat loaded before ;--: the'strike occurred. :;.. 'The Minister; added that he did not ■ -.think, any great anxiety need be felt ?cbncerning the , wheat supplies. Only,six i -.weeks ago the Priino Minister imd/he ■ had been bombarded )>y, the millsre with "protests against the great supply of Australian flour arriving in the Dominion, ;i -and. then'next week-they were talking '' '' about shutting down.. His opinion, and ! -;that of the Board of Trade was that'it i'.r Was just aseasy to shift flour as wheat !•'.'from millers storing it up.-.lf it were vnecessary' to -dp this it would be dene. ■•"The' position in, regard to stocks held ; ; ; :. ; by -the farmers would also be 'investi- ; negated.- ' ■" ■ ,- : -■ ~' ';1 ';•' •.. ■ ' ;