WHEAT SACKS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 8

WHEAT SACKS.

TEMPORARY SHORTAGE-' IN- THE SOUTH.Now that the harvest is in full swing farmers and merchants are, says, the Dunedin "Star" hoconiiiiff concerned about tho supply of corn sacks, for they arc extremely scarce. This is quite a reverse of the position that has obtained in New Zealand during the past couple of years, as in that period Canterbury merchants particularly have had enormous supplies on hand. The wheat crops of the last two seasons did not boar out their early promise, and did not fill the.,sacks .that had Vieen imported for them. Consequently thero -was an unusually large carryover of sacks from last season. Bearing in mind past miscalculations, merchants were inclined to rely jnrgely on these old stocks, and their disinclination on this account to purchase new sacks from Calcutta was heightened by the. extremely high price of jute goods. Two years ago the price per dozen bags was about ss. 2d.,i as against 7s. ild. to-day. Juto is notoriously one of the most speculative lines of commerce in the world, and when tho last corn-sack boat left Calcutta for ■New Zealand at the end of November they were averse to shipping at high prices enough sacks to bag a big harvest, remembering how low tho actual yield was from the crops that promised so splendidly in December, 11)10. But this season's harvest has turned out to be a big ono, consequently the shortage. In former times when New Zealand and Australia used the same sack a shortage here could be speedily remedied by importation from the Commonwealth. Now, however, tho Australian, sack is totally different from ours. Importation of any wheat sack larger than 41in. by 23in. is prohibited in Australia, whereas the New Zealand pack is 44in. by 2(Uin., and cannot now be purchased in Australia. "We shall probably struggle through," said one merchant. He pointed out that another steamer loaves Calcutta this month, and the siipplies she will land here early in May will suffice to carry tho harvest.