WHEAT AND BREAD

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 132, 17 March 1931, Page 2

WHEAT AND BREAD

ALLEGED EFFECT OF THE DUTY. AN ATTACK IN THE HOUSE. (Special to "The Guardian.") WELLINGTON,. March 16; Mr C. A. Wilkinson (lnd., Egmont), after a short speech in the House of Representatives to-day condemning the maintenance of the wheat and flour duties, wished to give notice of an amendment to the Address-in-Reply, but, as an amendment was already liefore the House, this right Avas denied him, and as by speaking to the Labour amendment he had foregone his right to speak on the main question, he was compelled to leave the protest in. the hands of a fellow-member. By imposing the highest duty of any country in the world upon wheat and flour, said Mr Wilkinson, New Zealand had achieved an unpleasant distinction, for it represented nothing more or less than an insane duty upon foodstuffs. This duty had been imposed by the Reform Party, the members of which were unrepentant in their attitude toward the people's bread, but the United. Government, though it had gained power, pledged to remit the duties upon imported foodstuffs, appeared determined to retain the protection on wheat and flour. "I am sorry the Government has not seen fit to alter the existing protection on these commodities, which is imposing a pressing burden upon the working community by keeping up the price of bread to an excessive degree," he said. "In Australia wheat is sold at 2s Gd a bushel, and here at double that sum. In Australia the 4lb loaf is r&tailed at G|d, and here we pay anything from Is to'ls 4d. In New Zealand we have a Wheat Pool whose duty it is to keep wheat at the highest price possible, while the Millers' Association is also securing the highest figure possible for flour, which sells in some places for £lB 10s a ton, less 2J per cent, f.o.b. In Australia we see better flour sold for £5 10s per ton. We are paying a duty of £9 15s a ton on imported flour. The whole .thing is a public scandal." Mr Speaker: Order! The hon. member must withdraw that expression. Mr Wilkinson: I withdraw, but I would give notice to move an amendment to the Address-in-Reply. When Mr Speaker pointed out this was impossible on account of his haying exhausted his privileges under the Standing Orders, Mr Wilkilson said be would place in the hands of a fellowmember an amendment advocating a reduction of the wheat and flour duties with the object of lowering the cost of living by the production of a cheaper loaf.

Duties Defended. Mr H.'S. S. Kyle (R., Riccarton) rose quickly as champion of the southern wheat farmers, whom, he said, would fail if the duties were removed. He went further and urged the' imposition of a dumping duty on Australian barley, maize, and chaff, which wore being imported to the detriment of the Dominion farmer, who was now receiving onlv Id per lb on the price of the loaf. ' The, farmer had to pay rates, taxes, and labour costs. The farmer got 4d out of the 41b loaf, the miller 2d, and the baker Gd, so that the price of bread was determined not by the cost of wheat, but of distribution to the baker. Mr T. W. McDonald (U., Wairarapa): The duty causes that. Mr Kyle added that stock foodsbarley, oats, bran, pollard, and maize —entered New Zealand free, and yet some members said that the sliding scale was ruining the pig industry. The pig farmer was not atfectied by the duty. Mr Wilkinson had said the flour was procurable in New Zealand from Australia at £5 10s iper ton, yet in the latest quotations flour was selling at £8 10s in Melbourne and in Sydney the retail price of bread at the door was Is, the same as in Canterbury. Mr Kyle said that 75 acres of wheat land gave, employment to one man and six horses for six months of the year, and work to five men for three weeks at harvest. In New Zealand there were 240,000 acres in wheat, giving employment to 3200 men and 19,000 horses .for six months of the year, and to 16,000 men for three weeks at harvest. If the duties were removed, the South Island wheat farmers would have to go out of business, whereas wheat-producing should be one of the pursuits of every South Island farmer. This would Ik> impossible against, the starvation prices of duty-free imported grain.