RATIONING WHEAT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 232, 2 October 1933, Page 4

RATIONING WHEAT.

DESPITE HEAVY SURPLUS.

FLOUR MILLERS' COMPLAINT

To the general public it will seem curious .that wheat should be rationed to flounnjllcrs in a time of,super-abundance. That (remarks the "Evening Post") appears to be the position in Kcw Zealand to-day, according to a circular to be eent to members of Parliament and representatives of a group or six South Island milling companies, who are described as "free millers." Official statistics so far published show that a surplus of over 1,000,000 bushels of wheat remains over from the last harvest. While the local price of wheat and flour, and consequently the. price of bread, has been maintained independently of, and substantially above, the export market price, yet .sales of wheat have been arranged for shipment to- the United Kingdom and to the East .at such export market prices. Meantime the producer has had, and still has, complete control of the New Zealand market. Export values of wheat as so far declared to the Customs, were between 2/6 and 2/7 per bnsrel; the New Zealand price for Now Zealand wheat was held at from 4/7% (for March) to 5/0% (for September). The group of '"free" millers consists of the following:--Aulsebrook and Co., Ltd., Christchurch; Central Co-op. Milling Co., Ltd., Christchurch: Proteenn Milling Co., Ltd., Ashburton; Sefton Flourmilling Co., Ltd.. .Sefton; Simplex Milling Co., "Ltd., Southbrook; Star Milling Co., Ltd., Dunedin. Complaint is made that permission to buy sufficient wiieat is withheld, and that two mills in the group must reduce their working hours from between eighteen to twenty hours a day to six hours a day, in order to make their present holding of wheat extend over the balance of the season. Advice has been sent to the customers of these free mills to the effect that if further supplies of wheat are unobtainable orders for flour will have to l>s reduced as from October up to February.