WHEAT PRICE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24907, 21 June 1946, Page 4

WHEAT PRICE

OPEN LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER Suggesting that the Government pay a famine bonus of 5s a bushel on all wheat of milling quality grown this season. Mr C. A. Campion (Highbank) has sent the following open letter to the Prime Minister (the Rt, Hon. P. Fraser):— “I take the liberty • of addressing a few lines to you, as head of the Government, on the wheat question in relation to the famine in Europe. The first law of the universe is self-pre-servation, therefore farmers, in common with, the rest of the community, work at, or grow, what pays best. Now, obviously, that is not wheat, otherwise there would be no need to appeal for more to be grown. Therefore, I appeal to the Government through you, sir, to make wheat the most attractive crop to grow. • “I suggest a famine bonus of 5s a bushel on all wheat of milling quality grown this season. Why I suggest so high a bonus, and it is a high one, is that it has to be sufficient to make farmers change their cropping programme and put land that has been prepared for other crops into wheat. I think that even though it is late in the season the result of such a bonus would be the production of possibly up to 12,000,000 bushels of wheat. The bonus -on 12,000,000 bushels would be £3,000.000, and I estimate that the Government would collect 50 per cent, of this bonus in taxation; therefore the cost to the taxpayer would be £1,500,000, or £1 a head for every New Zealander. x

“Now, sir, the recent war has cost New Zealand hundreds of millions of pounds, and I suggest £1,500,000 is a small amount for New Zealand to spend to do her part in the world’s famine and retain her place .honourably in the world’s Christian nations, rather than to take wheat from Australia and so deprive starving Europe of what they might have had.. There is also the possibility, of the Imperial Government taking all surplus Australian wheat to Europe. Also, I would suggest that hunger does not beget peace and harmony, and that £1,500,000 is a comparatively small amount for New Zealand to spend in doing her part to help prevent a future war.

“If the Government is concerned about the effect on their vote of such a bold, statesmanlike action, such as I advocate, I respectfully suggest that the reverse effect would be the case. I feel that the great majority of New Zealanders want to do their part honourably in the world’s desperation, namely, famine.” •

Telegraphic Chess.— The annual intarprovincial telegraphic chess match between Otago and Canterbury will start this afternoon, and play will continue into the evening. Each team will comprise 20 players.

Parent-Teacher Association.'—Members of the newly-formed Fendalton School Parent-Teacher Association, at the invitation of the headmaster, Mr A. R. Blank, recently visited the school and saw at first hand the school programme, under routine conditions. The president of the association, Mr G. A. G. Connal, thanked Mr Blank for the invitation, and expressed appreciation of the successful inauguration of the Parent-Teifeher Association.

Reformative Detention— ln the Supreme Court, Auckland, yesterday, a sentence of four years’ reformative detention was imposed by Mr Justice Callan on George Richard Tohu, aged 18, one of three youths who lured a taxi-driver to a lonely place and robbed him with violence. His Honour said Tohu’s performance showed he waa precocious in crime, and it would not be right to send him to Boratal—(P.A.) The following have been admitted to membership of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, as students (Student 1.E.E.): S. D. Joy and H. L. Williams (Christchurch).