EATING UP OUR MAIZE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 155, 15 September 1941, Page 4

EATING UP OUR MAIZE

Sir, —I notice in the BEACON 1 that the market for maize is said to be 1 "slow," and not much maize is being sold. This is just too bad for maizegrowers with big supplies of maize in the crib, and doubtless big overdrafts at the bank. Apparently there are not enough pigs and hens in New Zealand to eat up the Bay af Plenty's record maize crop. Very well then, has anyone thought of setting the iy 2 million New Zealand people to work to eat up this surplus maize, and thus put some pep, life or ginger into the "slow" maize market? Per. haps the BEACON can encourage 3 new local industry, namely the grinding up of maize to make maize flours It ought to be all; right to eat. We eat oatmeal and wheatmeal, so why not maize meal? That is all the Red Indians had to eat in the way of cereals, I believe. • Perhaps our local Chamber of Commerce (having decided on its motto) ca.n 'boost" the Bay's maize meal—"lts a-maisc-ing to eat." Yours etc., A. MAZED. (In response to the above query we have to state 1 that our correspondent is unduly alarmed about the maize position. At the present time the market is admittedly 'slow,' 1 but this is quite seasonal and it will quicken as the spring advances. New season's maize crop is calculated merely to meet Dominion needs and the increased area sown last year was not to stimulate export trade but rather to overcome the necessity of augmenting New Zealand's requirements from overseas. It will be seen therefore that the Dominion is quite capable, of assimulatingi all its own maize crop without the assistance of overseas consumption. Ed.)