PRICE OF WHEAT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 312, 27 August 1932, Page 5

PRICE OF WHEAT

(Press Assn.—

BOARD'S defence REPLY TO CLAIM that DUTIES MUST BE WIPED out STATEMENT BY MR. PERRELLE

-By Telegra ph — Copyright)

Christchurch, Friday. A reply was made by the Wheat Marketing Board to a statement by Mr. P. A. de la Perrelle, , MfcP„- at Hamilton, that the present protective duties on wheat and flour mean a much dearer loaf, and that he thought the wheat duties should be abolished. The Wheat Board states that.it is in possession of cable advice received to-day from the Department of Industries and Commerce that the price of a two 1b. loaf in England ranges from fourpence to fivepence, while in Melbourne it is fourpence and dole bread threepence. The price in Christchurch ranges from 3d to 4£d for the two lb loaf. Allowing for a slhtic nig aoinrdlu Allowhig for a slight increase in this price for freight and charges on flour to the North Island, perliaps one farthing or one halfpenny on the 21b loaf, it was argued that it is difficult to understand how Mr. de la Perrelle advocates the ruin of one of the principal industries in New Zealand. It may be pointed out that in Australia this year, the Commonwealth Government is paying the wheat growers a bounty of 41 d per bushel and the taxpayers have already paid over £3,000,000 in cash to the growers. Mr. de la Perrelle further stated, the Wheat Board said, that if the wheat farmers are protected, why rot those who raise barley or oats? As everybody knows, barley for malting is protected by a duty of 2/- per cent. and oats by a duty of 1/6 per cent according to the country of origin. The remission of duty on feeding barley during the last year or two had very seriously crippled tlle barley growing industry. The price last year and this year was down to below the cost of production.