THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Grey River Argus, Volume 57, Issue 10520, 23 August 1901, Page 4

THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Most of the Wellington baker?, re« marks the Wellington Posb, have advanced the price of bread from 2£d the 21b loaf to 3d, and the reason assigned for this movement is that the millers have raise! the -price of flour by 15s per ton. The millers aie probably ju lified in advancing the price of flour, for theie has been a. distinct rise in mil ing wheat. When wheat was PbUing at 2s 2d per bushel, flour was quotpd «t L 6 per ton. Whe>t i'« now 2s 6d per bu»h 1, »nd flour L 6 15s pin' ion. The profit to the miller h»s, we understand, not varied, being still about 7s 6d per ton. The bakers have pas ed tho increased price on to consumes s, and are apparently < making " hu«e profit on the transfer. The i.dvancri of the 2 ih loaf is equivnlent to a 1 * increase of L 2 6s Sd on the ton of flour so that there is a direct gain to the bakers of 31s 8d p r lon, an>l they are probably not very sorry tos-e' flour advance. In Australia wheat is higher than it is in the c lony, but flour is 10d a ton lower. The cost of 'cozening wheit into, flour is apparently much less in Australia, and as cheap bread is e3senMal the people of New Zt aland should have the oppoituuifcy of buying the cheaper flour of Austra'in, which, however, in point of quality, is better than N^w Zealand flour. The productions of wheat per acr«* is ve:y much greater in -this colony than in any other of the Australasian group, an'l why under such circumstances there should be any protection against our neighbou s it is difficult to appreciate. The com duties should be removed, because under normal conditions they are of no banefit, and tend rather to strengthen the position of the flourrailler's "combine," and so become hurtful to the community.