WHEAT QUESTION

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 20 December 1926, Page 9

WHEAT QUESTION

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER INCREASED DUTY WILL BE CONSIDERED. The deputation appointed at the recent Ashburton Conference of wheatgrowers to wait upon the Minister of Agriculture to ask for an embargo on imported flour till New Zealand wheat had been consumed, or, failing that, an additional duty of 25/- per ton, interviewed the Minister when he was in Ashburton on Saturday. The proceedings were taken in committee. Later, the Minister stated that in regard tp the first request, the Gov eminent could not place an embargo on Australian flour as it was the only protection the New Zealand consumer had concerning the price of bread. If an embargo were imposed the Government would have to regulate the price of flour, which was against its policy. In regard to the second request, the Minister pointed out that only Parliament could impose, such u duty, but, if the interests concerned could prove that a dumping duty on Australian flour could be justified by the circumstances governing the sales of Australian flour for local use and for export, then the speaker had no doubt that the Minister of Customs would take the matter into consideration.