THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Southland Times, Issue 21098, 2 June 1930, Page 3

THE PRICE OF BREAD.

To the Editor.

Sir, —Your correspondent “Present Day Farmer” has opened up a very important question, one that affects the staff of life, and incidentally establishes a dangerous precedent relating to all foodstuffs. We are at present living in most unnatural times. While the world’s prices for wheat, are, and have been for many years from 4/- to 4/6 per bushel, our prices have been kept up artificially at 5/9 to 6/3 by an unreasonable tariff. It costs £6 5/a ton to import Australian flour and a fair amount is imported, because it is necessary for blending with our flour. All the New Zealand breadwinners are compelled to contribute towards the dear loaf, to pamper the .wheatgrowers of, two or three provinces. There is talk of still another rise in the price of bread, and it is getting intolerable. It is necessary to investigate things honestly. If the wheat grower cannot, or will not see his way to grow wheat at 4/6 per bushel, he should not.be cajoled into it, especially while there is an absolute glut of wheat all over the world, and especially in our sister dominions, Australia and Canada. We have had commissions looking into the cost of living, but with poor results. How is it that the New Zealand public has to pay more for second quality meat, butter, cheese, fish and' fruit, etc., than what is accepted for the first grade article in London? We export only the best. Wheat growing costs very little, more to-day than 30 years ago, provided the farmer works himself. Some items of cost are actually less, such as carting, which used to be a big worry in days of bad roads. We often had six weeks’ carting on end, and meantime it used to be no small trouble to keep the piles of grain covered against rain and wind and vermin. Now, motor lorries cart it away as fast as it is threshed, at less than half the cost. This item alone would more than counterbalance the extra charge for threshing. Binder twine for

heavy crops amounts to about 3/6 per acre and sewing twine and oil about 3d each. On cornsacks we often lost more than 2d and coal was heavy on the carting. Interest on mortgages in olden days was seldom under six per cent., with renewal charges every five years. Machinery is dearer, now, but also more efficient and reliable. Accident insurance is a wise institution and not costly. The high cost of wheat land, the same as the high cost of motor cars, is no excuse; it. is simply a result of the high price of produce. Manures are a blessing, not a drawback. Good farmers say that while they can, and do grow as good crops as ever, without manure, they can grow better crops with manure, and as the manure tends to stiffen the straw, there is less trouble with heavy crops being laid down. Science has done great work to make the farmers’ noble calling more congenial and profitable, and he should be able to do very well at normal world’s prices, -without the public subscription of 1/6 per bushel. Perhaps our new Minister of Agriculture, who is not representing a wheatgrowing constituency, may find a way of preventing a further rise in the price of bread, especially if he has plenty of poultry farmers round him. Sooner than allow a further rise in price of bread allow the Australian or Canadian wheat to come in free, or nearly free of duty. Flour is only £ll 10/- in Australia, and their quality is very good.—l am, etc., , - EX-FARMER.