Wheat Duties Must Keep Bread Price Up

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 356, 17 May 1928, Page 13

Wheat Duties Must Keep Bread Price Up

BUSINESSMEN’S VIEWPOINT MINISTER APPROACHED It is the contention of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce that the Government’s sliding scale of duties on wheat will preclude any reduction in the price of bread, which otherwise would probably have taken place. Views upon this line have been conveyed in a long letter to the Minister of Customs, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart. It is pointed out that the importance of. a duty on wheat is greater than that of the duty on almost any other article, because bread bulks so very largely in the expenditure of the common household, and, further that it is a commodity that can be less easily dispensed with than any other commodity. "It is our contention,” the communication says, ‘'that the imposition of a naw duty on wheat at the present time is against the best interests of the country, taking the broadest possible view. We have first to consider the fact that nearly all our primary industries and our secondary industries suffer to a large extent from the high cost of production, and the time has come when a halt must be made in the increase of duties likely to make such costs higher than they would otherwise have been. “These costs are largely consequent on factors tendipg to keep the cost of livng and therefore wages high: and if this cost of living cannot be reduced we can scarecly hope for an extension of our industries, while if factors are brought into operation which tend to increase this cost, there is grave danger of our export trade suffering accordingly. “It would be interesting to have your views as to the result of an increase of protection on wheat on the value of wheat growing land.”