276 WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND 



price limit fixed by the Government from 4s. 9d. to 

 5s. 3d. in October, and subsequently to 5s. 9d. in January, 

 showed the futility of the Government's action. The 

 experiment thus ended in failure, the reasons for which 

 are apparent. 



In the first place, the indecision of the Govern- 

 ment when the gravity of the situation was realised in 

 the middle of August is not excusable. In referring the 

 matter to a Commission Parliament was probably right; 

 for a " reasonable" price must be arrived at before 

 control commences. But why wait a whole month 

 for the Commission to report ? The practical knowledge 

 of our politicians could easily have been brought to bear 

 on the question, and a reasonable temporary measure 

 brought in. When the Commission did report the price 

 had reached 5s. per bushel and over. Consequently our 

 farmers did not like "backing" down. By much 

 agitation, however, they, along with the millers, got 

 a new scale of prices fixed, and the price of wheat was 

 to be a maximum at 5s. 3d. per bushel.* This shows 

 clearly that the Government had sacrificed its primary 

 object keeping price low to the wishes of an influential 

 section of the community. Later, when in January the 

 price was fixed at 5s. 9d. per bushel, the vacillation was 

 again apparent; for in order to dispose of supplies of 

 Canadian wheat without too serious a loss to the tax- 

 payers, the Government again raised the price. Finally, 

 just at a period when the new season's supplies were 

 about to come in, all attempts at control were abandoned, 

 and the market opened for the harvest at an exorbitant 

 price of 7s. per bushel. Indeed, it may be said that the 

 action of our Legislature was worse than futile, for the 



*A critic has suggested that this price was lower than that 

 at which the Government could purchase wheat from abroad. 

 This did not enter into the question at the moment. A low price 

 was aimed at. 



