WHEAT IMPORTS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1932, Page 5

WHEAT IMPORTS

A PROTEST MADE AGAINST GOVERNMENT’S ACTION (Per Press Association — Copyright.) AUCKLAND, July 18. The charge tln.L the Government hats paid above the *ru>lmg• market price for wheat that is being imported by •it; from Australia, is m aclir in a stat-e----’inent issued on behalf of the Importers of che Auckland Chamber of Commerce. The* shipment of 4000 tons, which ''will arrive at Auckland from Geelong to-morrow, is the first of 85,000 busii"els that is to be brought to New £ea- ‘ land by the Wheat Marketing Agency Company. Ltd..' which is commonly known, 'as the Wheat Marketing Board.

“If the Government i-5 determined to give a. monopoly 'which operates against the general body of the merchants who are interested in the imi pbriafioir of this' class of goods, surely /tits elementary duty is to see that the f very best price is obtained in favour of this country,” is stated by the Chamber.

“In th 0 case of 'the! wheat being imported at ■ present, we are advised that the price paid in • Victoria and South Australia has'averaged 3s 3Jd a bushel f.o.b, ;|- ; and we are further advised thatj wheat from the Bam 6 and; of equal quality, could ba pur- > chased at the time that the orders were placed at 3s a bushel, f.o.b. It is understood thaU a similar position was obtained at Perth, wher 6 the •ptircha.ses made, are said to have been 'made at 3, s Id per bushel, ' whereas wheat of .the same quality could have been bought at the same time a; .2s (lOd to 2ts Hd per bushel.” The Chamber continued: “If the difference, all round. ..is estimated at 3d per bushel, surely £IO,OOO is too dead .a price for the 1 monopoly?” '■ Mr 'Gainor Jackson, Chairman of the Importers’ Section, .said khat it was understood that the Government 'purchases had been made through one agent in .Sydney, This had been done on the ilast occasion that-the ' Government wen); on' the Australian wheat market, 1 and. it wa> estimated that -sev-; eral thousand pounds more than- was necessary was paid. _ ' •(‘lf the Government announces its intention of becom’ng a large buyer, it mVands to reason that th 0 price will not fall,’ r said Mr Jackson. /Although the figures were not available; it was believed, he said, that heavy lots had ■also been bought by. the . Government •in South )Australia and Victoria. The 'lower price paid /in Perth was offset by the freight charges from, that port. ! >pho buying had probably been spread the four chief Australian dig r tributing centres. ! "Mr Jackson said. ,that there “wos. no doubt ffh'at the Government had granted” a monopoly in the importation Of V wheat, It was impossible for . ; .pther firms to obtain a permit for importing even for milling purposes.-There could be no defence by the Government on -the grounds • tihalt special hard wheat ‘ was being purchased., -u Mr Jackson said that/ the Melbourne Chamber of ‘Commerce had -advised tne /Auckland Chamber that, “th 6 flour ■ fiianufactured in Victoria, both for export and for the local trade, is made 'from fair average quality wheat, and “ there .is practically no hard wheat grown in the State.”