WHEAT AND FLOUR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7818, 10 June 1909, Page 2

WHEAT AND FLOUR.

: P«r Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, .-■iine 9. Writing to the Press on : the:subject of tlie wheat market, Mr ]jL v Wood,. Chairman of the Flour Millets. Association, states that if there 5 was any' foundation for the report of Australian buyers intentions, it was only reasonable to suppose that they would first turn their attention to those districts largely interested m producing wheat, but it is going from home' to hear news with a vengeance when we find that they know all. about it m a district which grows just a small fraction over one per cent, of the wheat produced m the dominion, whilst nothing is known of it m the district which grows 72$ per cent, of the wheat crop* The letter continues : "It is perhaps scarcely worth while wasting time to point out how the information is being made to suit. First of all we are told that two Australians' are coming over to buy, and we are then tojd, that thoy have been buying for- two months pa.vfv I am quite willing thftt the truih of the position . should be judgoJ by statement of-an Auckland miller that ''more than half of ,the two million bushels surplus-had Keen shipped to London." -Mr Wood then quoted from the New Zealand Trade Review figures showing that from the Ist of February to the 31st of May the total shipments, of wheat were 156,463 sacks (say 521,543 bushels) He has verified these figures by the returns of vessels actually cleared, such returns having been obtained from the various Customs officers. " to-u. r AT7CWNB, June 9. With, reference to, a Ohristchurch telegram stating that unless the millers can be united ajrain a'"cutting war" will be instituted by the southerners, a local miller stated to-day that" the New Zealand Flourmillers' Association cannot cut prices any more, m Auckland than they have b.een doingi for the past eight yeqr 8 . _ Auckland had long been the Association's dumping ground for its surplus stocks, owing to the mills here refusing- to join the pomhino, hut there was o<:a thing; certain and that was that. if ("le Association dissolved the "cutting" \j:>u\d extent to its own ".?«, Ports s..H -/<, would then be a case oi the 'surviral of the fittest" amongst those m the Association. The Auckland mills were, however, quite prepared to hold 'their own. In reference to the Dunedm telegram as to flour being landed m Auckland at £11 Os <6d on the wharf, it was stated that the Flourmillers Association's recent prices, for flouiin Canterbury and North Qtago/where the wheat is gro^n at the millers' doors, wt>s more than what they wore delivering., it for m Auckland,, which was proof of the Association's object to crush those without the ■ combine, ihis tact was recently exposed by certain astute persons m Auckland buying the Association's wheat at the low" figure they asked for it here and then reshipping the grain, to Wellington and Aapior, both strongholds of the Association, and underselling them there Local bakers interviewed stated that they had never heard of flour bein" landed on the Auckland wharf &t £lf | Os 6d per ton, as stated m ffca I%iecjj'ri | telegram. Concerning, the, 2£: per cent ' discount alleged to be allowed tha baker? here., all''of those approached strenuously denied ever having been allowed, it, : ■