WHEAT AND FLOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16282, 15 January 1915, Page 5

WHEAT AND FLOUR

SHIPMENTS FROM AUSTRALIA (FllOir OCB OW9 COBRKSFONDIRT.) WELLINGTON, January 14. There is no further news in regard t9 the wheat cargo from Sydney which was blocked by the Federal Government except that the Right Hon. Mr Fisher, in reply to Mr Massey's telegram, stated that he was taking action Advices received by Mr Massey show' that merchants in New Zealand are importing considerable quantities of flour, having been encouraged to do so by the remission of duty and also to the result of negotiations between New Zealand and the commonwealth Government, which allows "contract" flour to be imported into New Zealand from Australia. Mr Massey added that many hundreds of tons had already reached New Zealand under that arrangement. Only this morning ha had received advices that by the Riverina one consignee in Auckland had received 220 sacks of flour and another 374 sacks, and that on the Warrimoo there were 15 tons of flour for one Wellington merchant i and 35 tons for a Dunedin merchant. | Similar consignments to various firms were J due practically every week. In addition, there were 300,000 bushels of wheat now on the road to New Zealand from St. John's (Canada) by the s.s. Hesperos, so that the delay in the Kaiapoi's shipment would at the worst be only a temporary inconvenience. Some correspondence between Mr Ell, M.P., and Mr Massey has been published in southern newspapers. Reference waa made by Mr Ell to a letter which he had received from someone in South Canterbury giving in f ormation in Tegard to wheat alleged to be held by one of the large firms there. The gentleman who wrote the letter out of which Mr Ell was endeavouring to make capital has telegraphed to Mr Massey as follows: "Deduce from Monday's Lyttelton Times that Mr Ell sent you my letter re wheat at Timaru. Mr Ell never acknowledged my letter, never asked and never received per- ' mission to give you the letter. My information was given to enable him to secure definite facts from South Canterbury instead of pestering you with vagu» generalities." Acting on the information contained in this letter, the Prime Minister at once instituted inquiries, and ascertained that the firm referred to had in stock 170 sacks of seconds and screenings, 350 sacks of fowl wheat, and 1300 sacks of milling wheat which was held to the order of a. firm of millers in the North Island, being the residue of a contract made last June and which runs out this month. About the middle of November the Prime Minister had a wheat census taken in accordance with legislation provided for the purpose, and soon afterwards notice was given to merchants and farmers holding wheat that they would not be allowed to exploit the public in war time and that, therefore, their wheat must be disposed of within a reasonable period. Mr Massey now states that in nearly every case the wheat was placed upon the market, and either has been used or is in the hands of millers. He adds that while the census showed that some of the millers held comparatively large stocks there waa not a great deal in the hands of merchants and very little, indeed, in the hands of fanners.