MILLING COMBINE AND THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Evening Star, Issue 11681, 13 February 1902, Page 4

MILLING COMBINE AND THE PRICE OF BREAD.

TO TJIK EDITOR. Sir,—This question is a very mteesfoy one to all, and with your kind perugswn 7 shall take a hand in sifting the w&at n* endeavoring to sbrw tho unreliabity of ihe .YTjjuments' of your corresjodent " Miolner " and other supporters of te Milling Trust. It will suit very nicely to after "MkdnerV opening scntencee jus:— " Miolner " is a person with a thorougknowledge of the subject, and trying to isfead the public. He is fully aware tbl your representative's report of an intervie witi* Mr M'Glashan discloses facte unretaMe, and his attempt to defend the causotf tide milling combine by such statements only a weakening element. Sixty-eig to seventy Alb loaves are frequently oained from a 2001b sack of best quality fk' in the hands of a good baker. Butmark " Miolner's" following statement:' The Dunedin millers are just now paving j 4£d per bus. net" for wheat, and ask sfleoOe to enlighten the public as to the ittrrecost of flour per ton. Now, tna iblte don't require enlightenment anent tl, as it is easily calculated, but here is tl oilimportant point about which "Mker" can enlighten the- public, and vef interesting it would be. Every inch ofjace in the large mills and accommodating ores ;s—shaft I say annually—taxed if, its utmost to hold the enormous purchat Gf wheat ingeniously brought to low-vter murk —this season 2s 4d to 2s 8d per bhel —and some of the millers have not ya?xtheir supplies at these low prig. When all. available wheat has <m secured, nnd probably none, comparatily speaking, is m the producer's hands, be miller steps in, changes his tactics, aMy a few judicious purchases in open ma*t of small lots enhances value, until it r« reached ;i figure at wliich it pays halsomely to unload stocks, and, of course. l ! sympathy with the fictitious rise in whi the miller and speculator (being one) !j nho succeeded in lifting flour from £o \ £8 5s a ton. filter and baker enter into each oIIt-v 1 confidence. The fatter "gets tin tip.' secures a fair rjtantity of flour at the loir.-i price.?, and is enabted to raise the price ol broad in keeping with the fictitious ndvawe in iioar. Such 1 schemes as these proceed until the Northern miller, who has <!•}- clined to join the Southern Trust. sr»r « tit in shipping his commodity to !)'<■. ','.:', But tho ; 1: rvers fire very ]■'■•: ■■•■:■' f.r/1 in ct';t io ;--.';• th" bind of • ■■ ■it-i'urK-r ih'"i;i i; down h\ hi- m:nl:-' ■••'< -'-o 10:- a ton. ' 'i'b':. !('/-"•" b" ; ri;.' d;, ;:'biii!;' over a liii'r.h-'-r i- ; a rnrre b;o,:■■'?.•!'•. "Miolrifr" ,; Vv> . ~., ;1 V':-c:y of lb?. 'Northem itoiler I- ill, ciiTiiihi.r'y c.r-r.: d ?:y\\n to mislead. Here arc his word.-:—'" The man who btrilt it was ruinc-d." He do-snt tell us how, but there can be only the one ference—namely, thai tho mill mined him. Well does " Miolner " know that tho mill was a mine of wealth to Mr Firth; so prosperous, in fact, was he in it tka,b he hardly knew what to do with his accumnkting money, and it was in going afield for investment that difficulty overcame him. In purchasing, stocking, and working that huge property in the Waifeato known as the Matamata Estate some £250,000 io Jbooo,ooo was, I believe, sunk. Notwithstanding this, "Miolner" would lead the public of Dunedin (who are ignorant of the facts) to believe that it was the North Roller Mill that rained its owner. What credence, therefore, can we put upon his statements? None whatever. He had better write, to the ancient "Greek." Again, "Miolner" tells us no arrangement has been made or suggested for fixing the price to be paid to the farmer for his whaat. That is for the approaching season. Note here the cuteness of the far-seeing combJße. The time is not ripe for this. Tbey hare not full control. First wipe out our rival*, or force them to join ur. Then we need not fear outside markets next season. Australia, is closed. We shall have all the wheat to ourselves, and the farmers at our mercy. "Ha.! ha! What a harvest we ;;htill have!"

Let the public of Dunedm take warning in time, and break up this attempted combination. " Miolner's" letter from beginning to end i? simply bristling with argument calculated only to mslead.—l am, etc., TORPEDO. February 13.