DENIED SAYING IT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 14 July 1928, Page 11

DENIED SAYING IT

STATEMENT ATTRIBUTED TO MINISTER OF LANDS (% Telegraph) (brom “The Mail’s” Parliamentary Reporter). WELLINGTON, 13th July. The statement attributed to the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. McLeod) some months ago advising wheatgrowers to hold their wheat in order to obtain a higher price for it was referred to in the House of Representatives to-night. Tlie Minister denied making the statement. What happened, said Mr McLeod, was that during the stay of the train for two or three minutes at Ashburton two gentlemen representing the wheatgrowers waited upon him and asked that he, as Minister of Industries and Commerce, should take steps to compel the flour millers to pay 6s per bushel for Wheat or else compel the millers to sell flour at a parity of 5s 3d per bushel, at which it was stated they were then purchasing wheat. He had replied that he could not recommend the Government to do that, as after having gone very fully into the matter it had almost unanimously decided that a sliding scale of duties on wheat to the ports should be imposed, which would ensure growers round about 6s per bushel for wheat. He had also stated that if the growers could not so organise as to ensure that price he was afraid they could not look to the Government for compulsion in the matter.