WHEAT AND THE GOVERNMENT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18892, 6 January 1927, Page 9

WHEAT AND THE GOVERNMENT.

to thb rorros or ths ra«s3. Sir,—The position that has developed in the wheat market is causing the growers great anxiety. The Government—which is responsible lor the increasing cost of production, through enactments that stand on the Statute •Book, and through want of enactments in the Book—arc allowing Australian millers to sell flour in New Zealand cheaper than they dare sell it in their own country. Hence wo can take it that the Government's motlo is, ■'Australian farmers first, New Zealand farmers second." Oh patriotism! It is easy to see why the present Government is doing such. The Government, which should treat the wheat business as a national problem, are making it an insular and provincial problem. They are acting in the interests of the North Island, and directly against the interests of Canterbury and Otago. They pretend that they are helping the wheat-grower in the duties imposed on wheat and Hour, in order to encourage wheat-growing, whereas they nullify all ■the duties, and cut the ground completely from under the wheat-growers' feet by the preference they give to Australian wheat-growers. The position is of great moment to every person in Canterbury. It means that the attitude of the present Government will be responsible for £500,000 less money coming into Canterbury this year. Let Mr Owen and his disbanded Unemployment Committee take note of this. Itbehovcs every person in-Can-terbury to raise his voice against such pillage. Canterbury Parliamentarians who-arc paid to look after the interests of Canterbury fail badly when things of big moment like the wheat question come forward. They are then as silent as a tomb, with one exception, the representative of Ellesmere, whose efforts in this direction, though feeble, bear some signficance. They appear to know not one simple fact, "that the productions of the land are the basis of all trade, the source of all wealth, and if that production.is hampered in any way, trade is injured and the province made the poorer." The present Government is treading again over the same ground that the National and Massey Governments trod, both of which got into pitfalls, being fleeced on their importations, and were very anxious to go to the wheat-growers "hat in hand" and beseech them to grow wheat for New Zealand. "Day unto day uttercth speech, and night unto night giveth knowledge." Why does not the present Government make use of the knowledge gained by previous Governments. The wheat-grower for his own benefit should not look for protection, but seeing that the present wheat crops were grown under protection costs, he requires instant help. The whea,t-grower can compete, and has, without protection, competed with the Australian grower, but before he can do it successfully a bonfire will have to be made with many of the enactments ou the Statute Book, and many Acts remodelled. Failing any redress from the Government cither in protection or in bonfires of some of its enactments, the wheat-growers liavo the remedy, and it is the only remedy they possess as - t minority, to counter the Government- just grow enough wheat for Canterbury- alone, and leave the Government to its'fate of importing for the inhabitants of the North Island the sweepings of the Australian bams and mills, at" extortion prices, and that is what the Government will get, as Australia i„ onlv looking for a name for her tiour in the East and London.—Yours, CU ' - ' ,1. A. HUXLEY.