THE WHEAT AND FLOUR RINGS.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 800, 29 October 1915, Page 8

THE WHEAT AND FLOUR RINGS.

Be Careful, Mr, Massey! WE hope Mr. Massey will turn a deaf ear to the "representatives of farmers, millers, and merchants," who, so it is stated, are to wait upon and request the Prime Minister to_ remove the embargo on .the exportation of wheat and flour. Last year, it is notorious, the. Government was, if not exactly. caught napping, at least very grievously deceived, by inaccurate statistics and other means. "Once caught, twice shy" should be Mr. Massey's attitude towards the highly disinterested —of course—gentlemn who want to ship away wheat and flour to Australia. It is alleged that one firm of millers made a huge profit out of the wheat it bought from the State—wheat which was purchased from outside by'the Government and sold at a rate which meant over £100,000 loss to the country. Also, it is whispered another firm in New Zealand which _ held on too long to the stocks of flour it had accumulated, still has the flour on its hands, and is threatened with a pretty stiff loss on the deal. No doubt there are other firms who would vastly like to "unload," but it is not the duty of the State to help them. * * * * As to next year's wheat supply being so'largely in excess of/the demand—so large, indeed, that the 'present embargo now, so say the disinterested ones, can quite safely be lifted —opinions, eyen of so-called experts, very materially differ. The lack of rain in Canterbury, which has been experienced during the past few months, by no means favours the assumption that there will be any surplusage of wheat this season. "We trust Mr. Massey will do nothing rash. 'It is time the consumers were studied a little more. The farmers, millers, and merchants have had altogether too good and too long an innings.