AN ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY

Waikato Times, Volume 88, Issue 13488, 19 May 1917, Page 5

AN ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY

POSITION OF FLOUR-MILLING

OMISSION AN OVERSIGHT

The Christehurch Sun states:— Readers of the Sun will have noticed in recent issues advertisements by Mr P. Virtue, flourmiller, of Auckland, in which reference is made to the fact that the National Efficiency Boaid has not included flourmiiling in the list of essential industries. The matter was brought under the noti. e of Mr F. Cooper secretary to Mr J. F. Frostick, the Canterbury Commissioner, who was asked to answer the following questions :

(1) If it is not an oversight that milling is not included in the essential industries ?

(2) If it would not be disastrous to the milling industry in New Zealand to import flour, even though it involved a saving of space as compared with importing wheat ?

(3) It' millers will be given the opportunity of tendering evidence before the Board on the subject? Regarding question No. 1, Mr Cooper said that the omission of milling from the list of e.sential industries was an oversight, as might be gathered from the fact that the industry did not appear in any other of the published classifications. As far as he understood the position, the only question that came before the Board at its meeting was not whether the industry was essential, but whether it should be classed "essential" cr "n:ost e sential." The intervention of some'exceedingly urgent busines. claiming the Board's attention, the matter became lost sight of tor the 'moment, hub would be deal tuitii, he presumed, at the next board meeting. Question No .2, sail Mr Cooper, hinged on No. 1, but it had never come before the Board for consideration.

In regard to No. 3, the fact was that the rnilers had hvl an opportunity, ulri h they avai'ed themselves of, of giving evidence on the essential characic • of 111 > Indus'ry.