STAPLE FOODS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3097, 30 May 1917, Page 6

STAPLE FOODS

POSITION OF THE PRODUCERS

WHEAT AND POTATO

GROWING

JBy Telegraph—Special Reporter. Marton, Jlaj 29. ■ When a nation engages in the primitive h.tzanl of war it soon awakes to the fact that there is a great dual in the primitive idea that the possession of staple 'foods is important,. Bread and potatoes aro staple foods here, and the subject of their production was discusscd at to-day's sitting of the Wellington Provincial Conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union. .Mr. A. Stuart (Marton) moved: That the Government see that all owners of wheat-growing land be asked Ho grow wheat in proportion .to the acreage they own, whether they

produced wheat last year or not, and the Government fix a minimum price

instead of a maximum,price.

jir. aiuun aiwu uiui. inu.i ..inner* got a nuu liaiiu ini-.y woum hoc oow gieai.tr areas oi wneiu. Wnne uieie was a price restriction on the Kroner, Uieru was none on ihc biiKtr, auu ne thougut bread was ii«uvr iiuw imin when wntml was iiu. iu is. 3d. per nusnei. lUany had railed to realise that me cost «t' producing wheat uud mure than doubled. Mr. K Law (SLuuiioiiJ'Siuu time it tlio (.-ioveriimtml hail lixed the price at t>3. od. tnere would have been no need for other iHicourageiiiMit -to grow wheat.

. .Mr. R. Uaysh (ilartinborougn) thought the recent wheal purchase in .Australia by the New Zealand -Minister of Agriculture was a wise move by the government.

-Mr. P. Beard (Marton) thought that the fanners should grow wheat. They had not only to consider the Question of personal profit, but also the country's position. He thoimlit, however, there should he some balance between the man who grew wheat and eold at about cost price, and the man who fatltened stock at a bie profit. •

Mr. IT. A. Nevins (Tinui) said that if the farmers weiv to grjiw x wheat the Government must guarantee the labour.

Mr. G. Sykes, J1.1 , . (Mastertqni said the, Government at this critical juncture appealed to the farmers to grow wheat. He pointed out that, to the price (ss. 10d.) fixed for wheat should be added the cost of carriage. This would assist the farmers who were far from railways. Although wheat-growing might not be highly remunerative immediately, it might pay exceedingly well' after the war, when the devastated .European countries would need food.

Mr. Cameron replied that land far from railways would hardly be called wheat-growing country , . If everyone who could- grew about thirty acres of wheat we would have ample. , Mr. J. Balsillie (Palmerston Xorth) eaid North Island wheat did not make good bread Hour. • Eventually, on the suggestion of Mr. .T. H.Perretf (Feilding), thejnotion was amended as follows, and carried:— That the Government see that , all owners of wheat-growing land be asked to grow wheat in proportion (o the acreage they own, whether . they produced wheat last year or. not. The following was moved by Mr. P. Beard (.Marion) and seconded by Ai<\ U. Daysh (Martiuboroiigh):—"That crops of wheat and potatoes jjrown this season be exempted from income tax ami from excess profits tax in.order to sthnulate the growing of these crops." Mr. \V. B. Macheson' (Kketahuna) asked where the sense of (he conference could be in first saying there would be uo caiu on wheat and then asking for remission of a tax on it. He hoped the motion would be rejected.' Mr. Perrett said he would have nothing to do with such a motion; it would make, the conference look ridiculous. Mr. G. L. Marshall (Marton) said, in reply to Mr. Matheson's point, that wheat s ond potato-growing were hazardous, and growers might experience bad seasons. The good seasons should be allowed to make up for the bad, and not be reduced by the tases. The motion was lost, by 23 Totes to 16. The following remit, moved by the Gladstone delegate, lapsed because it was not seconded:— "To ' ensure wheat-growing, the Government be requested to import agricultural motors and sell them at cost to nien .willing to take on contract ploughing, returned soldiers for preference."