WHEAT FOR STOCK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20827, 20 March 1931, Page 7

WHEAT FOR STOCK.

PRESENT DUTIES OPPOSED.

FIXED MAXIMUM SOUGHT.

REQUEST BY POULTRY-KEEPERS.,

The sliding-scale duties on wheat were further discussed, with particular reference to the duty on fowl wheat, at yesterday's session of the annual conference of the New Zealand Poultry Association. The following resolution was carried:— " That the Government be requested to allow the free importation of all food for stock purposes now subject to-duty; or, in the event of the abolition of duty on stock foods being contrary to the policy of the Government and Parliament, that the maximum duty on wheat used for stock purposes shall in no case exceed Is a bushel, and that for this purpose a differentiation in duty, if necessary, be' made between milling wheat and wheat used for stock purposes." Mr. J. N. McLean, of Wellington, in moving the motion, said the present duty' on fowl wheat commenced at Is 3d a ' bushel and was imposed when the world ~ parity was approximately 5s 6d a bushel, representing about 25 per cent, of the parity. With the present world parity of about 2s 6d the original duty represented 50 per cent. Wheat on the American and Canadian markets for delivery next October was 2s 6d to 2s 7d, with the same basis in London. Milling wheat could be bought in Australia for 2s Id to 2s 6d. The world parity'for a reasonable time ahead would not exceed 3s, and the proposed maximum duty of Is would represent 33 1-3 per cent. The present duties meant that poultry farmers were paying a "subsidy" of 2s a bushel. Poultrymen used 2,000,000 bushels of wheat a year. The slidingscale had a disastrous effect on poultry farmers, while the wheat-growers were "on. the box seat." The conference also decided to ask the/ Government to allow whole maize to be imported free of duty so as to permit kibbling to be done in the Dominion and thereby help unemployment.