RELATED TOPICS 277 
existing excitement at the anticipated shortage was 
intensified by its action, which at times tended to promote 
a panic. 
But not only was hesitation responsible for failure. 
The conditions of marketing were such that rigid 
administration of the law was impossible, and the 
openings for fraud and evasion were at a maximum. 
Moreover, the Government trusted to the integrity of 
the dealers themselves, and made no attempt to enforce 
the law. The natural consequence was almost universal 
breaking of the law. The farmers took the highest price 
they could get, while the millers desired high prices so 
that the price of flour would be kept up, and they would 
be able to secure large profits on their stocks of wheat 
which they had purchased at 3s. 6d. per bushel, and 
under, before August. 
By selling equal quantities of wheat and oats at the 
same time, it was an easy matter to evade the regulations. 
Nominally, the wheat was sold at the regulation price, 
but by selling the oats at a figure much in excess of 
their market value, an Wlicit addition was made to the 
price of wheat. Then, again, in selling wheat, exorbitant 
figures were paid for the sacks. The custom is to allow 
1d. lower than cost price for these; that: is, the miller 
pays 7d. or 8d. for each sack, and he afterwards has 
the use of an almost new sack in which to distribute 
his flour. By selling the sacks at prices ranging from 
2s. to 3s. each the farmer easily evaded the law, and 
as much as 9d. or 10d. per bushel was added to the 
regulation price of wheat, for each sack contains only 
34 bushels. 
Furthermore, secret dealings were made with very 
little trouble, so that the law was evaded on all sides. 
In short, the wheat industry, as organised in New 
Zealand, was the last one in which price control should 
have been attempted. It was easy to fix a ‘‘reasonable”’ 
