WHEAT AND FLOUR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 151, 15 March 1918, Page 6

WHEAT AND FLOUR

THE INCREASED PRICES MINISTER DISCUSSES THE POSITION By TeleptraDh.—Press Association. Christclwrch, March 14. The Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald today made a further statement as to the fixing of prices of wheat and flour. Ho said the prices announced yesterday, flour £15 10s. per ton, pollard £7 10s., and bran £5 10s., had been submitted to Cabinet, which had agreed to them. At the conference on Wednesday and Thursday the flour-millers said that if they were to continue to purchase the new season's wheat- it was imperative the new prices should come into force at once. Up to the present time they had made contracts to purchase about 900,000 bushels of wheat at tho present gazetted price, on the basis of ss. lljd. f.o'.b., and they could not continue to purchaso wheat if there was any delay in bringing into force the price for the manufactured product. The .increase asked for, the Minister continued, represented a rise of about £1 2s. 6d. on a ton of wheat, and was made up as follows:—lncreased price of wheat, _10s. j increase in cost _of manufacturing, railage, storage, discounts, and prices of bags, ]2s. 6d. Total, £1 2s. 6d. The flour-millers had satisfied him and the Board of Trade that at the price stated tTiev were not making undue profits. The last of tho Australian yflieat imported last year, totalling 1,150,000 bushels, was now being unloaded at Lyttelton. Mr. Ferrier, the Government grader, had reported that the wheat was of the highest standard. It was, in fact, tho best milling wheat that had ever come to New Zealand. It had been distributed to flour-millers on the basis agreed upon by the flour-millers and the Wheat Controller, and it would be , used by the millers for mixing with the new season's There_ should therefore be no deterioration in the standard of New Zealand flour. Tho schemo for handling the Dominion crop, judging by all reports, had worked patisfaciorily. At his.meeting with '.he Canterbury farmers it was stated that o^cry promise made by the Government in connection with the guaranteed price of. wheat last year had heen fulfill°d. Farmers generally expressed _ their satisfaction with the way in which the scheme was put into operation. Tho Minister could not state the prices the Government proposed to guarantee farmers for the new season's crop, but he stated prices would be in advance of the past season's prices, and there would bo different prices for different qualities. Asked as to the effect of the new price of flour on the prii-o of bread, he said he was assured by tie Board of Trade that it had tab>n_ vo'urninsus evidence on the relative vices of Hour and bread, and that in most town? no increase over the present price for bread would be justified.