THE PRICE OF FLOUR.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 204, 2 October 1914, Page 10

THE PRICE OF FLOUR.

THE MILLERS HIT. ! PREMIER INTERVIEWED. - MILLS WILL CLOSE DOWN. (SUK Special.) WELLINGTON, ''October 2. A deputation of flourmillers.from Can- : terbury and North Otago outside the„ Millers Association waited on the Rt. Hon.. Mr'Massey to-day to protest against the price of wheat and flour as; fixed by tiie Foodstuffs Commission. , The deputation was introduced by the j Hon. D. Buddo and Messrs Nosworthy j and Lee were also present. The speakers were Messrs R. Gardner (Cust), P. W. Eiby alid W. Evans (Timaru),A. J. Tutton (Southbrook), R. Milligan and R. Ireland (Oamavu), J. Moffat (Christ-' church), and Robertson '(Ashburton). They contended that if the prices as I fixed by the Commission were adhered | to, the small millers would be faced with a serious loss. The only course open to them was to close down their mills and sit oil' their wheat supplies in the PrVope of a bettvr market next year. The ' juices fixed by the proclamation are J4/9 per bushel" for wheat and £ll 15/1 per ton for flour. All the millers had ! already bought their stocks of wheat .' before the price was fixed, and they can- • not possiblv sell flour at the price fixed 'without a "serious loss. They contend that at the price they paid for wheat I £i:s was the lowest figure at which they I could hope to make a reasonable profit. The Commission first recommended j.whea't at o/:5 and flour at £l3 10/-, and the deputation said they would be contented with these prices. The profit 1 would be small, but they would not be ( faced with a loss. ! Several speakers ottered to. let the Government take over their mills at the .prices decided on, but challenged it to 'make them pay. Mr Milligan said a '.grave injustice" had been done to the Ismail millers. They had bought wheat ; at prices above those axed by theX'om- ! mission, and could n-ot possibly sell j flour at £lfl/*JS/-. War or no war, prices for wheat"would have been high, owing ,to the conditions in Australia and' New Zealand. They had anticipated a shortage, and had'to buy at prices offering in 1907, when there was no war. The price of wheat was pushel, and i neither the farmers nor the millers were exploiting * the, public. Now that the [.embargo against the export of flour from 1 Australia had been removed, prices must ! tall. * A REASONABLE PROFIT. i Mr ' Massey: Putting the price of ', wheat at 4/9,-what price could flour be ) sold at a reasonable profit ? j Members of the deputation: £l.'i per ton. , Mr Massey: If wheat were o/3. could there profit at £!.'>? Mr Milligan: No. He* suggested that the prices-originally proposed by the Commission should be fixed, then millers would be able to make a reasonable profit without "the public being charged undue prices. Had the Commission fixed the prices six weeks ago the difficulty would have been avoided. Now all kinds of -trouble-would- arise. Mr Massey, in reply, said the matter was one for the Commission. He "promised to arrange that the small millers of the Soutli Island should have an op : portunity of giving evidence. The matter was "a very difficult one, but he did not doubt there would be a satisfactory solution. The Commission would have to be kept alive, as prices would have jto be adjusted from time to time. Ar- ! rangeniei'its were being made to have (evidence taken immediately.