SUPPLY OF OATS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2451, 3 May 1915, Page 7

SUPPLY OF OATS

SERIOUS SHORTAGE POSSIBLE. THE IMPORT DUTY. < . In reply to an inquiry about the prospeots of tie oat harvest and as to whether the available supplies would suffice for the country's requirements, the Prime Minister informed a reporter on Saturday that there was likely to be a shortage of oats in the Dominion this year. . . "The information which the RegistrarGeneral has. been able to obtain," Mr. Massey said, "goes to show that the shortage is likely to be more serious than at first indicated, though as against this our information is to tho effect that the Southland prop, which has only just come in,' is a very ®ood one. The position roughly is this — Southland will have a surplus of oats, Canterbury and Otago will have very little, if any, more than enough for their own requirements, and all the other .districts in the Dominion will be short. In several of them the oat- crop has been a complete failure, so that it appears that much tho greater part of New Zealand must look to Southland for its supply. I don't expect to have all tho threshing-machine returns ffom the oat-growing districts for a month or six weeks, and. until they come in it is quite impossible accurately to ascertain what the position is. This, however, should be borne in mind: The normal production of oats in New Zealand is not greatly in excess of requirements,' and in the' North Island this year the supply will be very much short of requirements. Even now merchants are asking me to have the duty on oats removed, so that we may be able to import from the United States and Chile. I don't think it is either necessary or desirable to comply with this request."