DUTY ON FLOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 11 July 1930, Page 2

DUTY ON FLOUR

AN AUCKLAND CONTENTION

■AUCKLAND, July 8.

That the removal olf the protective 111 ties oil imported flour would result u reducing by half the present price if bread was the opinion expressed by ;.]• I<\ W. Smith, a City flourmiller and grain merchant. Mr Smith osaid he amount paid each year in the "orth Island alone, in the form of protective duty lor tlie benefit of South sland growers, was sufficient to reduce the price of tlie two-pound loaf o 3LI. T'-e cost of first grade flour in Sydney at present is stated to be £9 10s a ton and tlie duty payable on entry '"to New Zealand is £0 Ps a ton. For ’""tb Australian flour tlie cost is £0 •i tn". end tlie duty £0 18. It is therefore claimed in many quarters ’’ini' t l '" prohibitive nature of tlie dut-.es maintains the price of bread at a conlii"b level, this burden being thrown on the whole of the count!' to a decree which is not compensated ! foi *' V rim o"-io” I '>t of benefit received by a niino'a’tv of wlmat-growcrs. “If flour fre" of duty now the op, lrvif could be' sold at 3'd ” sab’ Hr; .Wv ; tb. “.Tim p r i«e of wheat is <vrad""l 1 v falling throughout the world, nvip !+- jy generally thought that it will emithv’e tn do so until it reaches the level of 3s a bushel.”