WHEAT.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18343, 28 March 1925, Page 11

WHEAT.

to tot BsiTOn or "ths pkbs" Sir,—A few items in your commercial columns of last Mondny are worth noticing. (1) Our patriotic New Zealand millers have reduced the price of wheat 6d per bushel. (2) Australian wheat is selling at 6s 3d i'.o.b., Melbourne, and Australian flour at £l3 12s 6d per ton f.o.b. at Australian ports. (3) Our millers, having hought wheat at 6s 9d to 7s 3d. say they cannot give more than 6s 6d for wheat in future and cannot reduce the price of Hour below £l9 per ton to our hard-working consumers and others. These facts are worth analysing—as follows. Tlie price paid the Australian farmer has been £ll 7.4s €d per ton for his wheat and the Australian miller is selling flour at £l3 12s 6d, or, in other words, there is a difference in Australia, between the price of wheat and the price of flour of £1 18s per ton. In New Zealand our millers show a very different balance-sheet. Taking wheat at 7s for our f.o.b. means £l3 12s 6d per ton to the farmer. The! miller charges £l9 per ton .for flour, >whiah gives him £5 17s 6d in Kew Zealand against the £1 18s in Australia, The difference in the price <f offal cannot be more than 10s per ton in fawour of Australia seeing that, oniy 20001b of flour is sold for a ton and not the 2240 which was received from the farmer. One likes to back one's own country as much as possible, but surely there is too much difference between £1 18s for Australian and £5 ]7s 6d for New Zealand? With regard to the price of bread, I am informed that a great politician, who lives at Sumner, buys his wheat direct from the fanner, grinds it, and bakes his own bread. With bread at its present price he saves £l6 7b 6d per ton; or, putting it in anctber-way, he makes £3 6s per ton more than the fanner does for his whole year's work. Good luck to him I say, and although I am very much opposed to his pouttcs, I admire his domestic economy. — Yours, etc., POOR OLD COOKIE.