THE MILLING INDUSTRY

Otago Witness, Issue 3275, 20 December 1916, Page 13

THE MILLING INDUSTRY

REMOVAL OF DUTY ON FLOUR. PROTEST BY WORKERS. AUCKLAND, December 12. A largo mooting of the Auckland United Flourmill Employees' Union unanimously resolved: —"That an emphatic protest be entered in regard to the action of the Government in removing the duty on flour, as the object intended will not be accomplished, and tho result will bo disastrous to the milling industry of the dominion." 'STATEMENT BY MR MACDONALD. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, December 12. The Minister for Commerce made a statement to-day about the objects of tho conference of wheat-growers which ho is to attend in Christchurch on Thursday. " I want to discuss with the wheat-growers," said Mr MacDonald, "the future prospects of wheat grown in tho dominion. We must recognise that the wheat-growers,_ with frosts and droughts, and tho fluctuation of the markets, have not had a very encouraging time, and I hope to see if they can suggest some system that will equaliso the rates of prices for wheat and flour. It must be patent to everybody that, owing to the difficult conditions that the farmers are working under~to-day, there must be an increase in the price of flour on tho pre-war rates qr the rates of a few days back. Suitable agricultural labour is very much more difficult to obtain at the present time. These are the main points that will have to be discussed at tho conference, and an effort will be made to determine what would be a reasonable and fair price for the season throughout, instead of tliis continual removal of duties and rcimposing them again, which must be unsatisfactory for all parties concerned. I have had about 100 replies from persons interested in wheat growing who will attend the conference, and I hope that they will be able to give some information that will be of value to tho Government in submitting proposals later in the direction of encouraging them to continue wheat growing, so that New Zealand will bo able to supply its own requirements "

EXPRESSION OF VIEWS IN WELLINGTON. (From Ouh Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, December 12. Some discussion on the wheat production question occurred at a meeting of shareholders of the Farmers' Co-operative and Distributing Company to-day. The Chairman . of Directors (Sir James Wilson) said that there was no doubt that the farmer had been growing wheat during tho last 20 years at a loss, and the public had been gaining by cheap bread. It was quite certain that there would be a deficiency this year, as the area under wheat was at least 100,000 acres less than last year, and to make the return equal to that of last year an average crop of 30 bushels would bo required. Ho did not consider it at all likely that there would be such a fine yield. The Government must consider the question of taking over the whole of. the wheat, because if there was to be a scarcity there must bo no speculation in this article of food. Ho hoped some arrangement of this kind would bo made at the same time Tho publio must recognise that they had had bread for a long time at a rate which was not a paying rate for the farmer. Mr E. W. Relph (manager of the-North Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association), who was present, said ho would have to differ from tne chairman on one or two points. He considered that it would be a calamity if wo were to allow ourselves to 1)0 dependent on other States for our foodstuffs —("Hear, hear"), —but the president had said that for years past tho farmers had been growing wheat at a loss. Ho thought there had been years when wheat was grown at a loss, but of Inter years this had not been so. Tho ease was rather that other products had' been more profitable, and perhaps less vexatious. Ho had lately gono into figures with some more thoughtful Canterbury farmers, and they had admitted that at tho prices obtaining for some years past they had been able to make wheat-growing pay very well, even

allowing for the enhanced value of land. The difficulty of late years had been in securing labour, and last year this difficulty had been very much pronounced. When normal conditions were restored again, he believed that some system -would have to be devised whereby farmers would be freed from anxiety as to prices. It did not seem to be right for the community to rely on the farmers to feed them, and then to require the farmers to take the risk of prices which might be governed by a set of circumstances such as had occurred last year, when Australia produced a very large .surplus of wheat, bringing the price down, and causing loss to our farmers here. The farmers, if they were to continue to grow wheat, would have to be guaranteed a fixed price. This seemed to be the only fair way.