WHEAT.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16854, 7 June 1920, Page 3

WHEAT.

e_ INCREASED PRODUCTION NECESSARY. (FKKBS ASSOCIATION" , TELEGRAM.) DUXEJMX, J tin.. O. Mr J. B. Waters waited on the Farmers' Lnion Conference, an behalf of the Wheat Trade Committee, and expressed the regret of 33 r W. G. McDonald (Wheat Controller) aiid the Hon. W. Xosworthy (Minister of Agriculture) that they were unable to bo present. He had been asked to do all could ■to emphasise the absolute uecesaiiv of increasing wheat production. For" the first time since the wheat control was' inaugurated, the Government had given farriers sufficient inducement to" encourage them to grow wheat. The Minister had pointed out that it had been decided to accept 7s Otl for Tuscan, 7s Gd.for Hunters, and 7 s 9d for Pearl. This was the minimum f.o.b. price—it | did not necessarily mean the inaxi-1 mum. If the world price of wheat were higher, then tho ISew Zealand farmer would get that. Nothing had been definitely settled as ir> the price of wheat under milling quality, but there were excellent grounds for believing that the maximum price for it would bo 2d less than gcod milling price. That was a point that should appeal to farmers growing wheat south of Dunedin, where sometimes the percentage was below milling quality! The area put under wheat in ttie Dominion was steadily decreasing. In 1914-15, there were 22{.',000 acres, but last year there were only 142,000 acres under wheat, and it had been necessary to buy 4,1)00,000. bushels in Australia. By July next, the last of that would have been shipped, and it was highly probable that Australia would refuse to sell any more, except at exorbitant rates. It was going to be a serious problem whether they could supply millers with sufficient wheat to carry on with until the new seasonV» crop was available. The union resolved that the president and Sir Waters be empowered to visit the wheat-growing districts and urge farmer?? to grow wheat,