WHEAT SUPPLY AND PRICES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 19, 22 January 1916, Page 9

WHEAT SUPPLY AND PRICES.

SKIMEr 3/nm.STER iATTACKED. APPEAIt 10 OZBERAIi MINISTERS. 'JB? 1 Telegraph.— Special to. "Stari' , ); CJHRISrCHURCH, this day. The question of wheat supplies is interest here. Mr. McCombs, rtrr? interviewed, said the Prime Minister's' statement of January 12 last year, "That, with the- estimate of the mew crop.plus Government importations, there was only enough wheat to meet the people's need 'up to September, 1915," resulted the consumers having to pay £17 10/ for flour, which before the -war could have been purchased at £9 10/. "The Prime Winister, v says Mr- McCombs, "now admits that his estimates and prophesies of last year -were wrong and that instead of a Berious shortage, there was actually a substantial surplus. Now, with a record acreage under wheat, we have the" Prime Minister again playing the role of Jeremiah. In January of last yea* he said there was only enough wheat -to last till September, and now he says it -will last till March 14th, and that there is less than one million buehels in stock, but he does not tell the whole story, because, in addition to wheat, there is a month's supply of flour, which is equivalent to 500,000 bushels of wheat, besides last year's wheat in stock. I am glad the Prime Minister has abandoned his claim that the Canadian wheat -which he imported relieved the shortage.' It only added to our surplus. It arrived weeks after we were milling the first wheat from our o-wn harvest. When the Massey Government was urged to follow the example of the New South Wales Government, and commandeer a supply at a fair price, Mr. Massey said it would discourage 'Wheat production. Again Mr. Massey'a prophesies have been falsified, because New South Wales has had a record harvest. What are the Liberal members of the Cabinet doing? They insisted, when coalition was being arranged, that something effective should be done, to reduce the cost of living. Why have they not proved their sincerity, and at least have insisted on the appointment of the Board of Trade provided for in the Cost' of Living Bill? Seven valuable months have elapsed since liberals discussed the question. They have accepted portfolios and emoluments, but have utterly neglected the people's part in the coalition bargain. .Was it all humbug? It is now almost too late to control the price of the new harvest, because new wheat is already changing hands. Apparently the National Government is going to give exploiters a free hand to gamble in the people's, food supply. In reply to grain merchants Mr. Massey said that no more wheat would be imported, and that no restrictions would be put on merchants and dealers."

STATEMENT BY MR. P.. VIRTUE. Referring to the above remarks, Mr. P. Virtue states: —"When flour reached £17 10/, wheat and flour wer then on. the fixe Bst as regards Customs duties. And the then current price ruling in the Commonwealth wheafT ~waS .7/6. |>er bushel aus° £18 the Commbawealth had also -withdrawn its duties. -American nonr then conld not be landed under £17r-and the price of wheat in London was 8/ per bushel, and is now that price."