FLUMMERY WITH FLOUR

NZ Truth, Issue 804, 9 April 1921, Page 6

FLUMMERY WITH FLOUR

Merry Money for the Miller

HOW HE IS BEING FATTENED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

Whiat of the World's Parity Now?

"If the Government would only lift the embargo on overseas flour, the people of New Zealand could buy bread for 6d or perhaps even 5%d per loaf." This was the considered statement of a Wellington flour merchant, who considers that the Board of Trade is fixing the price of flour. As there is nothing economic that reaches nearer the lives of the people than the price of "the staff of life," a "Truth" writer considered it his duty to get busy on the subject. And this is what he discovered: That the New Zealand Govern-ment-fixed price for flour is £22 per ton less 2-Vz per cemt. f.o.b. m the South, or £21 9s net. That m. addition to that every miller m the country receives £1 10s per ton as a bonus from the Government. This makes the total price received by the miller, £22 19s per ton. That ln getting that price he has to pay the farmer 7s 9d per" bushel for his wheat. That, m comparison with the above, figures, the Australian miller had to pay the farmer 9s per bushel, and could still afford to sell his flour to. the public for £19 10s WITHOUT ANY, SUBSIDY. 9 That, since he was able to buy •wheat at 9s and sell the flour therefrom at £19 10s, the Commonwealth Government has had to reduce the price of wheat to the. millers to 7s lid, because it has sold a big r swag of wheat to Germany at that figure, and since that was done Wellington merchants have received quotes of £16 10s per ton f.o.b. at Melbourne. That better buying still ca.n be done if a glance is taken across the Pacific. Advices have been re- , ceived. from 'Frisco quoting flour at £18 per ton . delivered at the Wellington wharf, which means £5 (less Is) less than we have to pay for our own flour. That there is at present an em- • bargo against all overseas flour, so ' that If flour were quoted at 4d per ton anywhere else m the world, we could not buy it. — WE MUST GO ON GORGING THE LOCAL MIL-. . L,ER! ' ■ ' THIS, IS A SCANDAL! It. is a scandal because these figures do not lie. They show how the Australian miller is able to keep going, though having to pay more for his wheat, he

can sell his flour for less. It shows that the BONUS SOP to the millers is really unnecessary, and an uncalledfor tax upon the people- The amount paid away m subsidy last year would have bought all the flour mills m the country twice over. That such an anomaly should be allowed to ekist at a critical time like the present, with the wolf of unemployment snarling at the door, is a matter that Mr. Massey should be called upon to explain before he leaves New Zealand. Even if he were to argue that it costs a little more to grist m New Zealand than it does in' Australia, which may be the case, the enormous disparity is -not accounted for; ahd the coddling of the wheat farmer and the monkeying with the miller is just an extension of that political interference which, m connection with wool and meat," has brought the country so low.

There should be a call from one end of the country to the other for the immediate lifting of the embargo against the importation of flour from overseas, go that we — the. peoplesmay enjoy the world's parity, which the wool and meatgrowers. and producers of dairy produce have been so insistent on gaining during the last six years. Now comes the time when the world's parity is m favor of a

LOWERING OF THE PRICE, not the raising of it, yet Mr. Massey- is m supporting the Board of acting exactly the reverse "' way .to his declared policy — the policy that gave the dairyfarmers an extra 3d per lb. for butter out of the coffers of the State. Now that there is a prospect of people, other than the farmers, benefiting by the WORLD'S PARITY, what are you going to do about it, Mr. Massey?