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226. Wheat turnover was 3,386,689 bushels less than the previous year's figure of 10,760,112 bushels. Including sales of Australian flour, the flour trade showed a slight decrease on last year's figure of 171,122 tons. Because of the advent of 80 per cent, extraction flour during the course of the year, sales of bran and pollard each showed a recession on the previous year, when sales were : bran, 21,272 tons, and pollard, 29,824 tons. Stockmeal gristed locally increased slightly on the previous year's figure of 995 tons. The cash turnover was : £ Wheat Section .. .. ... 3,548,276 Flour Section .. .. .. 2,624,261 £6,172,537 227. The above represented a recession on the previous year's figure by £388,530 The wheat figures are based on landed cost of Australian wheat and grower's price of New Zealand wheat. (g) Administration 228. Administration costs show an increase over all of £4,759 on last year because of restored services, salary increases, and the inauguration of a staff superannuation scheme. The numerical strength of the present staff is nine less than before the war. 229. The Flour Section administration costs, which cover all the charges arising from collecting orders, ordering out from mills, invoicing, collecting accounts, paying proceeds to mills, del credere risk, &c., amounted to 1-328 per cent., in comparison with 1-205 per cent, last year. Millers pay the Wheat Committee 1J per cent, commission for this work. (h) 80 per Cent. Extraction Flour 230. By virtue of the Flour Extraction Control Notice 1946, gazetted in May, 1946> the extraction rate of flour was compulsorily raised to 80 per cent, as a means of conserving supplies of wheat. Formerly the extraction rate varied, but was generally about 73 per cent. The attainment of the required extraction was not achieved without much effort on the part of the millers and bakers. The mills co-operated fully in their usual manner, and it is to their credit, as well as to the credit of the bakers, that the change-over to the high-extraction flour was accomplished smoothly, under the general guidance of the Wheat Research Institute. This measure enables a saving of over 750,000 bushels per annum to be made. (&) Standard Poultry Mash 231. During the course of the year certain of the Wheat and Flour Controller's powers in regard to pollard and bran for the feeding of poultry or other stock were delegated to the Primary Industries Controller. This enabled the Primary Industries Controller to license manufacturers and to prescribe a standard poultry mash, with the object of making the restricted supplies of bran and pollard go as far as possible to meet the needs of the poultry industry. (j) Bread-baking Industry 232. The Breadmaking Industry Control Revocation Notice was gazetted on 4th April, 1946, and bread bakeries may now be operated by any person wherever desired. Control became effective on 27th June, 1940, as a war measure, and resulted in the closing of 170 redundant and unhygienic units. This assisted materially with tire and petrol conservation during the war period. Control Orders dealing with the weights and shapes of loaves, however, are still in force. On 31st January, 1947, there were 560 bread-baking units, a decrease of 7 during the year under review. This is due to a number of bakers concentrating solely on the manufacture of pastrycook lines and acting as bread resellers.

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