WHEAT GROWING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 143, 6 March 1918, Page 8

WHEAT GROWING

PRICE: OF NEXT SEASON'S CROP

FARMERS URGE EARLY ACTION

•'■•■ :: At a meeting of delegates at the ;;!Aii!ii'iirteii District Committee of the '.Efficiency Board, Mr. H. F. Nicoll presiding, iho question of wheat-growing ■; . -ior the ensuing "season, ivas. discussed • : at considerable length.' ■' V The 'chairman 'read; a" letter ho had sent, to Mr. X A. Frostick, Efficiency '. Commissioner, in which tho writer ■pointed out that ho had'.been waiting .'for the past few weeks for some pro- . iiouncement'froin the Minister of Agriculture concerning uost season's wheat, and from the sile_nce in the matter it . appeared that neither the Government : nor the Minister was cognisant of the seriousness of tho • position. There '.were salient'matters in this connection ■-; :requiring- immediate;'attention if the wished sufficient wheat to - ' ; be grown, in the-Dominion for its own ;. '; requirements.' The present harvest in .;the Canterbury district was.a most disappointing one and farmers as 'a ; ." "''body were. satisfied that wheat at ss.' '~ v'lOd. f.o.h. was not a payable proposi- -. .-t-ion. They had wheat at tht ; . request of - the Minister, with the rc- , 'suit that-the yields were most unsatis- j factory to'themselves. The Dominion '. ■ /.would, be in serious trouble next , year : , tram a wheat .shortage unless steps iwere immediately taken to ensure a '.Sufficient- quantity.- being sown this -au> ;tumni '•■ There were three essentials' '!which_ required immediate attention— ; satisfactory Ministerial pronounce- '<■? tfneht on the 1918-19• wheat crop; -ey- ; • 'emption of teamsters.; 'exemption; of en- : gine-driyers. on thrashing machines.v The Efficiency' Commissioner's: reply was also read. ( ' In this he stated that he was not unconscious of the position and that he had done his'best in m'akj ing representations on the wheat-grow- . -ing problem;:■■ He hoped the farmers , in the Ashburteri district would do all 'they could in the interest of food production.. , ■'.. : . / The .chairman remarked , that the 'Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald had stated : ._ was plenty of wheat in, the ; country. The reason was that in 1916 , large quantities of wheat were imported from Canada, and last v year large quantities . were import- \ ed from Australia * at;'prices higher . :' ■ than were paid to .the farmers .in New ;< Zealand,; and our good- 1 gold had Koneout to pay in excess.'of. what could be ; done by tW wheat-growers here.•' The '. cost of :producirig-wheat ..bad' gone up ':, ehprmously'and the'farmer should not be tied down'to prices in which he had ■-. no; say in' , the 'making. The' farmers ; were just, as -willing.;to make sacrifices is.i'anyohe, .but. they should not be • ■ ! bound down,by restrictions, and--the- 1 farmer'was "now,, the most restricted j and heavily taxed man in the country. ; It' would not,pay -farmers ■to grow ' wheat,at ,65. , per'.bushel,--and,, this he .would', prove:, by.. returns.-.', f roni' - ■'~ wellknown farmers; who each showed a loss . ..-. on:last year's..wheat-growing. .'. ■-. " :-;Mr.'.'John Grigg'said. that all 'the .: ,' live sfodk we could produpo was wantI ed on.the'other; side.of.the world, and ; . it. would ,pay farmgrs; tetter , tfl grow i : „ biee'fj .mutton,,' and ■wool -than to grow j .wheat. The crops,-which had at first v promised;.well,. to the ab- : ..normal season;;turned-out badly: The ;. ; taking of the. duty off-flour-and wheat :'-- gave .the farmer^'an-uncertain /feeling, ;.-. and restricted '.'th'e'-butpiit of■ 'grain. lie '■■ considered -a' : ra'istake to take

Gl men off. the land, as these men

'-.■'' would bo better left-at homo to assist > sn.;keepingup the;]>r6du'Qtiyenes3 of tlie \: country. Very few. realised the heavy .'■ tax the farmer was now bearing, and ■■ ;• the money the farmer had in his business, was taxed proportionately more : 'ithan that in any 'otner.business. If ;. . ■ wheat was to-be grdwiVthjs season i ■ ■ ■•' action-would have to be taken quickly, instead of waiting-till the.lasfc moment. '.. JHe doubted very nuich whether, thero

■ was , sufficient wheat in tho country-to / last .till the end,of the year.. The 'Government should use common sense

. and exempt the necessary men to work 'on 'the land. .;■ -,-/. ;i ~. ~ ? 1 Mr. W. No'swbrthy, M.P., said he ■'.. iwas:oppbsed:,to;,the : -;f.p; ; b. price for wheat, and considered, the farmer ' should Ve paid for hiswh'eat on trucks, - and the Government would have to fix ;. a fair prico to induce farmers to grow

.; jwheat.;■*;■?-;- ; •■W'-'v'- '•' ." '■■ *l)uririg : 'corisiderable-'Jurther discus- "> eion Colonel M'Kenzie .remarked that

I if the Government offered 7s. "6d/-and r> said" 'to the" farmer.- ; who had wheatcrotvirig land Wat he must/grow wheat, ho Felt sure the farmer would respond. It was resolved/to, writes to the Prime 'HDnister pointing" out-that representa- '< Vtives of, wheat-growers in the Ashbur■'ton distrKt had piet, i\nd that it would. the necessary'for the Government- to ; , take immediate action'in regard to the , price to be paid for wheat, otherwise tho needed would not be grown this year. r '.i It-was also decided to strongly urge tho exemption of teamsters and enginedrivers.