THE BREAD QUESTION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 27 October 1928, Page 2

THE BREAD QUESTION

TWO VIEWS Speaking at Island Bay Mr John Burns, the United Party’s candidate, for Wellington South, said that .the. Reform Government should he turned out ot office, if only for their policy, of taxing the people’s bread. The present duty on: flour was fixed on a. sliding scale based on a standard of £3 10s per,ton when flour in Australia was at £13.10s y and when the Australian price; dropped to £l2 the duty would be £5 per ton, or; £830,000 a year. “This., means . (stated: Mr Burns) that we pay £5 per ton more for our flour than if it wefe_a .fiefr ket; and all to benefit the Reform Party’s wheat-growing supporters m the. Soutii Island. The standard tax of £3 10s works out at 1.2 d per 41b' lodf, while the £5 rate work's out at 1.7 d per loaf. How many city people (he asked) realise this fact? What housewife is there amongst you who realises that when she goes to the baker’s she pays T.7d per loaf to pacify the friends of Reform?” Mi- W. H. Field, Reform candidate for the Otaki seat, said th at , his United Party opponent (Mr Sievwright) was still brazening out his absurd statement concerning the price of bread. He was, Mr Field said, the only candidate, so far as he could ascertain, who_ had discovered this shocking act of villainy on the part of the Reform Party. Everybody else knew, indeed his opponent must know, that he had struck a mare’s nest. Mr Field said that he had ascertained that in Australia, where all this cheap wheat was supposed to be procurable, the price of bread, instead of being 2d per 41b loaf—that is, Id per 21b loaf —cheaper than the ruling price in New Zealand, the price in the various Australian States ranged from sgd to 6gd, and in Canada, another great wheat growing country, the price is 6|d. Here also'in New Zealand the price does not. exceed 6gd. But the main point is that ' if wheat growing was abandoned in New Zealand, and this was imminent onlv a year or two ago, we might at any time have to pay famine prices. Then the Government could; fairly : bo blamed if they had failed ftr conserve our wheat supply, and with it the reasonable price' of bread.