WHEAT PROBLEM

Northern Advocate, 29 October 1932, Page 2

WHEAT PROBLEM

INTERMEDIATE COSTS

CONFERENCE PENDING

STATEMENT BY ATE MACMILLAN

(Prom Our Parliainenrnry Special.)

WELLINGTON, This Day

A denial that there was any variation in the views he had expressed at. Hamilton, Timaru and Christchurch, on. the sliding scale wheat duties, was given by the Hon. C. E. Macmillan in the House last night.

“It is just a question of latitude,” suggested Mr P. Fraser (Labour —Wellington Central). The Minister: “I am built on such linos that climatic conditions do not affect me.” Mr Fraser: “You are a man of real weight. ’ ’ After outlining his statements in the South Island to conferences of growers at Timaru and Christchurch, Mr Macmillan expressed the hope that Mr 0. A. Wilkinson (Egmont) would attend the conference to be hold in Wellington to endeavour to find a method of reducing costs between growers and consumers and to state the point of view of the consumers.

Mr Wilkinson said he would be very pleased to attend.

Mr Macmillan recalled that he had suggested to the people in the South Island that there should bo some equalisation of prices between the consumer in the North Island and the consumer in the South Island. Criticism was prevalent that the -South Island obtained the benefit of the sliding scale. It was never intended that any one other than the grower should benefit. It was not intended that a group of merchants in either island should reap the reward of the sliding scale. The position now was that one set of consumers was getting an advantage over another set, the feeling in the North Island being that the consumer in the South, as well as the producer, had the advantage. It was therefore advisable to have a conference to bring about some adjustment. He did not care where wheat was £rown, as long as they got it at a reasonable cost.

Mr Wilkinson: “Provided the price is reasonable. ’ ’

The Minister: “It will be all the same to the consumer, whether they arc North or South Island. T think the conference will go a long way towards assisting us in arriving at a. better state of affairs.”