CHEAPER LOAF UNLIKELY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18354, 21 March 1923, Page 10

CHEAPER LOAF UNLIKELY.

NEW SEASON'S PRICES.

LITTLE ROOM FOR REDUCTION.

[BY TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.] CHRISTCHUECH. Tuesday. The Government is now putting its surplus stocks of wheat on the market, and already several parcels have been sold. An idea has been current that the Government would not take this action until growers had sold the bulk of their wheat, but apparently the Minister £or Agriculture, the Hon. W. Nosworthy, does not consider that any "glut" will be caused by the unloading of the surplus wheat from last season. Business is being done generally in wheat at the price agreed upon by representatives of millers and growers. Tho old prices for flour and offals still rule. There is really nothing to atop trading in flour and offals at such, prices unless the Government declares that they are not justified. The Department of Industries and Commerce is making investigations into tho question of whether they are fair or not.

As the cost of the new season's wheat is much en a par with the cast of wheat to the millers at the end of last season, the opinion is 'freely expressed that the Government is not likely to, make sufficiently material alteration in the prices of flour and bffals to justify a reduction of in the 41b. loaf. It is stated that flour would have to be reduced in price by 25s a ton, so that there does not appear to be much chance this season of a cheaper loaf being available.