THE DUTY ON FLOUR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14001, 6 September 1907, Page 8

THE DUTY ON FLOUR.

Sir,—The voting upon Mr Hogg's motion to 1 abolish tho duty on flour is an eyoopener. And taking tho result, together JvitJi tho fate of Mr Massoy's -motion— " That oats : for sc.cd purposes be oxnmpt from tho 9d per lQOlb,"—and tho fact that the £1 per ton duty on imported potatoes is not oven referred to—there is only one conclusion to bo drawn—viz., that tho public of New Zealand, won't tolerato a. "food trust," and, notwithstanding what quibbling may bo resorted to as to whether "tho Milling Associationis a "trust" or not, tho, .public believe it to bo a trust, and it won't have it. According to Webster's International Dictionary a trust is "an organisation formed mainly for the purpose of regulating tho supply and pricc of commodities, etc., a.s a sugar •trust." _It will L>c nothing short of a disgrace if a colony like Now Zealand will bo without fiourmills, and'tho South Island farmers unable to grow'wheat, and this will be just what will happen unless tho millers' trust , has forethought enough to disband, and practically immediately. Tho duty- on flour would long ago havo boon removed had not the Northern Roller Mills throughout steadfastly refused to join the .trust.. . This the \lato Mr Seddon GlatoiT hspeatbdly: "It really is not a trust in tho full meaning of tho term, as th.cy are kept in chock by tho Northern Roller Mills."

The manager of these mills has again saved tho position. Ho fought like a-bull-dog; ho had strong convictions upon tho subject, and the courage to express them; he was earnest and free, and could, and did,, fight to tho uttermost. In the homo of the bulk of the flbuxmills in the colony (from Oa'maru to. Cliristohureh) no word wiis spoken, no protest mado, no letters to tho press, no interviews, merely a foellnoi "Wo are guilty and had- hotter keop quick' Oho of tho trust managers, when |n Auckland, recently, told tlio writer tliat' "■the- mq-nagar of tho Northern Mills was going too far; ho was drawing too much attention ,to tho association." It never even dawned .upon him that if tho trust was a> wrong ■ thing ■ then it ought to disband. Hub trust never ought , to have been in existence; it' was called- into lifo by a seotion of tho millers who were not very strong, men who had praoticaily forfeited their right to existence as millers by being unable to oompeto any longer, and these wcro ablo to . induce tho other millers to join them, and to bring about tho absurd position of oich miller gunning his mill a few hours-per day out. of tho 24, and obtaining such a pricc for tho little bit 6o manufactured as would pay interest upon it.ho _whple ? "of- tho- useless outlay in machinery, etc.. .upon their respective, mills, aild give a good, fat salary as well! for management of each little "tinpot conearn." Many of these mills running, full tiino. (24 * hoiire) would turn out about 170 .tons nor week. ! From my observation, extonaing since tho formation of tho trust until now,' these mills' run for- a timo 12 hours, per day, accumulate stocks in 'so runniiig, clcse down then for a month or two for t " cleaning machinery, etc." They •work really about six hours per day tho year through; make about 40 tons flour ppr week ;tho year through-less than 7 tons per -day—buying - wheat for ' suitfi an output, ana then handing tliis enormous quantify of-flour (7 tons per day) over to the, trust;, so that the lattor. may exploit the puhlio'.with it. This obviously must, in the nature of things, be a very sovoro mental strain, and tho mail who is capable of enduring it should most assuredly bo recompensed handsomely by tho flour consumer. Is it not a wonder this absurdity has lasted eo long as it has? Wo havo four times :the" fiourmilling power in New Zealand that is required Why shoujd,,'tho flour consumers support such .a. condition? . What have the inillers done for this'public that it should tax itself for. them? They have made had investments in "this- surplus milling plant—why should they not beai tho loss themselves instead, of foisting it upon a'long-suffering publio? ■

This trust has dono no good in any shape or', form; it;.has at the public expense bolstered ,up millers .who ought to bo making their livelihoods in other directions —and ipossibly fetter livings, too,—but it has'done this all at the expense of the .flour consumers. And if this fatuous policy of maintaining a trust continues they wiil in a year Joso the.,ivholo property they have in flour-mills and bring great hardship upon the wheat-growers and thoso who assist them in wheat-growing. ' It will bo. interesting now to notice whether somo millers amongst them are strong enough and far-sighted enough to foresee tho unmistakable trend of .events, whether they' will force the trust to disband forthwith, or whether they will stick, ostrich-like,, their lioads in-the sand and stupidly wait until Ncbesis swallows thorn; Let them understand dearly that the position.-hitherto and now, has been saved ;by. : the''freedom of' tho Northern Roller ' Hills, but, ' notwithstanding this powerful factor, tho majority in the House in -favour, of retaining the duty is too email to bo trifled with—in fact, tho writer himself was the means, through personal friendship, of inducing three mombers to vote for 'tho retention of this duty—men who wore'-'practically determined to'vote' for its removal. These three would have turned the ecale.

' .Tlio ." writing on the wall" is there plainly enough now: let as see if tho trust can road -it.—l am. etc.. A Hater op .all Trusts. {Auckland, August 30. ■ . ■