WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 December 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

WHEAT CONTROL. WHAT NEXT? (Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, December 10. Wellington, like the rest of the North Island, with the exception perhaps of ihe comparatively small area ol wheat growing land in the Rangitikei distiict, is protesting mildly against the Government's further guarantee ol prices to farmers ami millers. Ihe ' Eveniug Post” points out to the -Ministei „f Agriculture, that speculation in wheat, which i one ot the .Ministei s excuses for giving the guarantee, dues not neeessarily mean scarcity. ” Aus- ' || j., •• it -ays ■' a il! have an exporta'i'le ' surplus this harvest of 00,000,0. !0 |, r ru.noo.ooo bushels. The wheat inarhet in l.omlon has lirmed. hut this is not attributable so mncli to scarcity, ~11 oiiieial ret unis, as gamhliug |U wheat. .Meanwhile, the New Zealand grower i- rendered proof against a fall. Tie diHienlties of the Government m assuring -ullieient wheat being grown in New Zealand to meet the country’s consumption are not to he nunmiised. The nroblein. indeed, is lull ol eoinulexil ies. liui what is to prevent, say.

~. ,t;> in growers producing short, and , pen demanding as tiiey ditl) an einbarc'n riit imports and continually seeuijm/a lixed prim from, the (tovernmenl and immunity from the vagaries ol marie-;-.' That i- llie trouble of cottiml- of ibis kind. Ol her producers a ill demand them." That this is a real danger inuv lie judged Iron*, the oxperience of other ‘■subsidising’' eouii-li-ies. Once the priui-iple is adic.it ted it is extended until the backs ol the long -tillering ciumimeis break. THE ItI'TTKK SI.I'M I’Tin- Chairman of the 1-Tee .Marketing League having challenged the accuracy of some of tin- statements made by Aft W. Grounds concerning the handling ol butter exported from the Dominion the ('hairman ol the Dairy Hoard falls hack in such order as lie m.ay upon tinold plea of having been misreported. lint lie lifts not corrected the newspa per in which his statements appeared and the Chairman of the Free Marketing League reiterates his proto* ‘■Surely.” ho exclaims, -‘when a man accepts a position of such responsibility as he does when lie becomes chairman of a hoard which proposes to control compulsorily the marketing of C20,0()0.(>00 of produce

annually, h might he expected that, he would he sure of the accuracy of his utterances before be made them, flow can a man fitted for the position make such .statements? If he dues not know that these statements are incorrect, how is the control going to progress under a man who knows so little of the facts;-' The reprimand we consider due to him is because of his careless, misleading statements to the Press.” The retort, of course, is legitimate enough. Mr Grounds was reported as implying that the Danes and Australians both had absolute control systems similar io the one that is to come into operation in this country io August next, ami of roundly stating that it was this system that enabled the Danes to maintain an even price for Ihoir butter on the English market. AN EVEN PRICE. Mr Grounds now has allowed threedays to pass h.v without making any attempt to set himself right with the public, and this being the ease it is legit ill'llte to summarise what the Chairman of tin- l-’rer- Marketing League had to say about bis statements a few hours filter their appearance in print, 'illi' Chairman declared that .Mr Grounds hut! grossly distorted plain taels. It was not possible to maintain “even prices” mi The English market for stit-h a perishable article as butter. There were a score: ot factors affecting supplies and prices over which no lotlaau being nor eoiii-iiurse ol human 1-cings cotil,! exert iso anv control. The IVa - made no attem-u ;n do anvthirtg ol the I..in-!, i'he.v did ail that human ingenuity could do in regard to organisation. supervision, regulation of shipment..*. insistence on quality- and the rest, hut il-ey never were stupid enough to saddle themselves with compulsion nor Io attemnl to hold up any market with tlie d elusion of fixing prices for themselves. They sold their product week by week at the best profs they could obtain, and suffered anil gained just as n-.ucli as other shippers suffered and gained from the variation in prices. A reference to Wed 'b-l’s cltitrl would show this to be the ease, l.a-t year Danish butter stood on tlie l.omlon market at IT; in duly, rose in 232 in December, was down to I'll, in April, wi-nl straight up to did in May. and in th ■ following month, alter wobbling n hit. was back in fso Whal honesty could there In- in talking o! an ” oven price " after t hat ? I u Denmark the butler ’industry had been built up nit sound business principles. CABINET I! ECONBTR ITTIO.V.

Mis return to Parliament. at the head el a huge majority has moi relieved Mr Coates <jl the necessity recouslinctiny the Cahinot to which he succeeded aitr r a brief interregnum, upon the death ol Mr .Massey. Ilis present colleagues it re not ni his own choosing Mini they obviously do not represent the full strenglh of his enlarged parly. i\luch will he expected from the Prime .Minister, and no donht much will he attempted, hut tltero will lie no guarantee of a. successful issue unless he has the host available axsaistance at his disposal. "There are vacancies in the Cabinet to bo filled.” the "Post,” says in discussing the position. “ but if Mr Coates is wise be will not stop Ids reonnstruction after merelv appointing .Ministers to these posts. TTe will review the whole Cahinot. particularly socking young men of his own type to Oilrry on the work he has begun in the hig business departments, for it is plain that he oannol continue to carry all the heavy portfolios he now curries." The death of Mr Massey and the retirement of Sir Francis Hell and Sir Heaton "Rhodes have created the three vacancies to which the ” Post ” refers, and it is understood that the apnoinlment of a suetessor to Sir .lames Allen at the High Commissioner's office wii! leave another empty chair at the Cabinet table. Keen with the.se vacancies filled, however. reconstruction as it is desired by many of (lie Prime Minister’s friends would not be completed.