Wheat and Flour Duties

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 287, 31 August 1931, Page 11

Wheat and Flour Duties

Sir, —Allow me to join in thenprotest ventilated by your correspondent v “North Island” in a recent issue against the high import duty ou wheat and flour. To me this protection has always been incomprehensible—now, when so many are up against it to obtain bare necessities, it is idiotic. In the name of commonsense. why is this particular section of the producers so pampered? Of course, I know the old well-worn argument put forward by the wheat-growers and their supporters about the awful state into which New Zealand would be thrown by a shortage of wheat. This, to my mind, is utter bosh. There are dozens of idle steam-ships to carry wheat cargoes over from Australia if any shortage should occur here. England. with her huge population, did not starve during the Great War. in spite of the submarines. No doubt the wheatgrowers have bluffed the rest of the population with great success for many years, mid it is high time that they took their share of the low prices prevailing. Funds contributed by everyone for unemployment Would go much further if bread were about half the price. As your correspondent suggests, the duty might be kept on flour, and wheat admitted either free or with a very small import duty, thus enabling the flourmills to be kept going. In spite of their loud protests, the wheat-growers would still go on crowing wheat, and no doubt with lower costs prevailing for everything it would still pay as well as other branches of farming. Hoping that this most important question will receive more attention and thus help materially to relieve the present economic position.— I am. etc., NEW ZEALANDER, August 27,’