BRAN AND POLLARD. PROTECTION BY POLICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18456, 20 July 1923, Page 11

BRAN AND POLLARD.

PROTECTION BY POLICE.

SHORTAGE IN SUPPLIES.

EMBARGO ON AUSTRALIAN.

REMOVAL OF DUTY SUGGESTED

:;. A shortage in bran and pollard is; reported, and the opinion has been expressed in interested ■'. quarters that the Government should lift' the embargo placed ; upon Australian supplies, and also remove the duty which amounts to £2 10s a ton. Some weeks ago one firm obtained permission to import from Australia, but although- supplies are here so short that merchants are rationing out their stocks practically by the hag, it could not take advantage of the permit owing to duty. '.The price for eacn. commodity in Australia is about £7 30s a ton, and freight and other : charges amount to about £2 10s. Thus, with duty, the landed price would ;be £12 10s—a prohibitive figure. v Until the beginning of the year supplies in New Zealand were plentiful,'' and export to Australia reached some dimensions. " The Government then closed the door," said a merchant yesterday, "but .it was too late. The result is that a surplus which could have tided' us over the present period was lost." Asked the cause of the shortage, thia .authority said that the quantity used, particularly of bran, had increased as a result of farmers paying more attention to scientific feeding. Pedigree cattle nowadays were often stalled In the winter, and bran was a necessary ration under such conditions. Further, many farmers found it a very good plan to give hot bran mashes to cows at calving. Poultry and pig keepers, who usually used a good deal of pollard, could find a substitute ] at;' a. pinch, but there was no substitute for bran.

He admitted that merchants now were not able to buy bran and pollard from the mills as readily as they used to, because bakers, when buying flour, made it a condition that they must get a proportion of the bran and pollard, which they turned oyer to storekeepers at a profit. This disposition of the bakers to trade did net, however, reduce the supply. If there were stocks in the country they were not held in Auckland, and the .dairy farmers of the province were suffering in consequence.

One man stated that if Australian bran and pollard were allowed to come in, care would have to be" exercised so that those who now held New Zealand stocks at £6 15s a ten for bran and £8 15s a ton for pollard would not reap an undue profit based on the landed prices of Australian.

NO EXPORT PERMITTED. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. [BY TELEGRAPH.-- REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. Th« Minister for Industries and Commerce was recently asked by Mr. HI. Atnior© (Nelson) whether he would inquire into the statement that flora-millers were exporting bran and pollard to Australia, to the detriment of people in the Dominion, who required supplies. The Hon. W. Downio Stewart replied to-day that the exportation of bran and pollard from New Zealand v save with the consent of the Minister for Customs, has Acen prohibited by Order-in-Council gazetted on April 26 last. No consent haa been given for exports since that date., except in respect of very small supplies for domestic requirements in certain Pacific Islands, and virtually the whole of the Dominion is retained for New Zealand consumption. Moreover, the export returns showed that even prior to the prohibition of export the quantities going abroad were no more than normal. ..■• ■ ■ •.<> "••'.'■

A PROTESTANT STATEMENT

CENTRAL OTAGO INCIDENT.

The published report of the correspondence between ■ the Eat. James Kelly, editor of the Tablet, and Sir Francis" Bell, Minister V for Justice, on the subject of police protection, was commented . on . yesterday .by ; Mr. Howard Elliott, of the Protestant Political Association. . . .■..-:.■;,.',..,'/■ ; ' * ;.' ■■■■;' f.-,-;...,:' Mr.' Elliott said the report conveyed "'»■ very partial impression of the facts. v' I have seen the letters as published in the Wellington press, and the editor of the Tablet has either been misinformed or has misrepresented the facts. About 18 months ago, it was proposed to hold a series of- meetings through Central Otago. Threats were received by the representatives oi* the P.P.A. in Dunedin that these meetings would be prevented by force from being held. In view of the experience at FeiTding and Greymouth, when mobs attacked and injured several ministers and destroyed much property, the matter was laid before the inspector of police in Dunedin, as the ■ resjwonsible chief officer for the Otago district. The police, after inquiry; decided to strengthen the somewhat meagre police force in order to prevent any disturbance of the peace, since the meetings proposed to be held were similar in purpose to those : held throughout '•:■ New Zealand, and were strictly legal and within the rights_ of the association. A constable was detailed for special duty, and was' not armed even with a walking stick. The action of the police authorities safeguarded against disturbance and injury to loyal arid lawabiding citizens, and when Protestants threaten to disturb the meeting held and addressed bv Roman Catholics, the Rev. J. Kelly will be justified in applying for similar protection." > ,