WHEAT PRICES.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18668, 17 April 1926, Page 14

WHEAT PRICES.

IMPORTATION OF FLOUR. MILLERS CHARGED WITH MANIPULATION. (SPECIAL TO "THE TiESS.") TIMARU, April 16. A meeting of the Timaru Branch of the Farmers' Union was held yesterday. During the meeting tho president (Mr P. A. Talbot) referred to what he termed '"the two handed work" on tho part of Distributors Ltd. He said that leading millers, were imIwrtLng a lot of flour into Wellington with the idea of keeping prices down. They were supposed to be doiu" it through agents, but the whole thing was bluff, for there were no agents here. Continuing, Mr Talbot said that these millers were buying wheat over tho price they had stated, and u lot of fanners had been forced to sell, owing to financial reasons, when they needed tho money more than the millers did. He believed that any one who could hold his wheat would come out 'woll in the long run. Mr P. Porter stated that farmers wero not getting a fair deal. Last year Distributors Ltd. had urged tho farmers to grow whoat but what treatment wero they receiving? In view of the price of wheat bread should have come down at least one penny. MID CANTERBURY FARMERS. WHEAT POOL DISCUSSED. THE PART PLAYED BY "THE PRESS." "T want to give the farmers of the county a little information as regards wheat prices," stated Mr J. Brown, president of the Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, yesterday. He read the following message from the Department of Industries and Commerce: "Current quotations for the Australian wheat and wheat products aro as follows: Flour for export is firm at present at £l3 to £l3 10s f.0.b., while wheat has also advanced in price, and sellers cannot be found under 6s Gd f.o.b. Bran and pollard, on the other hand, have eased in price, presumably on account of Australian rains, and are now quoted at £6 for bran and £7 5s for pollard. The Australian exportable surplus of wheat has been rapidly going off the market, and sellers are apparently inclined to hold in anticipation of a local market at an early date." The president said it was important that the prices should be made known"; to farmers of the county, as the information was reliable. He had a message from the North Canterbury branch, and they were arranging an unofficial meeting at Christchurch on April 28th to discuss the advisability of forming a wheat pool. If anything definite was agreed upon then an official meeting would be held *ater. North Canterbury wanted all |tho executives to appoint a delegate-to the meeting. The chairman thought, that if there was to be a pool it should embody the whole of North, Mid, and? South Canterbury and North Otago. 1 "The Press" Held Responsible. Mr W. T. Lill: Before anything is going to be done you should go to the Government to ascertain its attitude in the question. It is no good if they are going to play hanky-panky. # It is no use going on with the question af we do not know what is the attitude of the Government. I think that the Christchurch "Press" is mostly responsible for our present position. It published that wheat was worth 8s 9d per bushel, and everybody went up in the air like rockets. Who has got 8s 9d—-if we got that price there would be a famine. I maintain that the farmers don't want 8s 9d—you guarantee 7s—that is a good enough price. I know "The Press" thinks wo are cMdwh and have gone soft in the brain. My conviction 8 !* that if the Government and some committee can get on some Une or basis so that we know where we are, then the millers have got to come into it. "HoWßeaded statements." Mr F G- Evans: We have made some wild statements, and have got hot-headed, and I maintain that we should let this matter drop for a while We are only playing into the hands of those fellows writinf articles, like the Editor of "The Press." They have said that they are out to protect farmers' m. terests—let them go on—let it sweat for a while. «««„:„i The chairman: We will get an official statement from them shortly. Mr J. Carr: That doesn't appeal to the man who has wheat to sell to-day. "The Press" talks about the success of its campaign, but it seems that the only thing it has done is to make a muddle of it. Compulsory Pool. Mr G. W. Leadley stated that nothing would ever be satisfactory until they had a compulsory wheat pool. He detailed statements he had received from millers upon the cost of manufac-, turing flour. Continuing, Mr Leadley stated that taking the average cost of the four cases he had quoted, and the price of flour and offal at present ruling, the millers could not afford to pay an evarage of 7s a bushel for wheat. Three of the statements were' prepared by millers, and the other by the Board of Trade. He also had a statement from a baker' whidi stated that on three tons of flour made into bread, which he disposed of in a week, it cost him £l6 15s. If tho price of bread was increased to 13d for the 41b loaf, it would mean that flour could be £2O per ton, thus allowing the miller and baker a reasonable profit. He did not think that an increase of Id per loaf wuold be a hardship on a family. Allowing the average family the consumption of six loaves a week, it would mean an extra 6d, and that would ensure a profitable price of wheat for the growers. After further discussion the chairman stated that tho farmer would have to be looked after for everybody else to do well. Something definite might be; decided upon at the meeting. The chairman, Messrs G. W. Leadley, and J. Carr, were appointed to repre-1 sent the Union at tho meeting to be held in Christchurch. ■ FLOUR IMPORTS FOR MARCH QUARTER. Some light is- thrown' on the statements recently made regarding importations of flour from Australia, by the figures relating to such imports for the first quarter of the present year. Month by month they are:— 1926 i^o lß January ... February ... 4bd March 1400 Total 3232 The total annual consumption of flour in the Dominion is said to* be in the region of 134,000 tons; for the year ended March 31st. 1924, it was 133,428 tons. ,