WHEAT PRICES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 171, 9 April 1918, Page 8

WHEAT PRICES

■''■ FAEMERS OEITIOISE THE , GOVERNMENT. - At the last meeting of the executive - of the North Canterbury district of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, the Hon. W, D. S. Mao Donald, Minister of Agri- '" culture, forwarded the f.o.b. prices '■• which had been fixed for the 1913-19 wheat crop, viz., Tuscan, ss. lid. per ■bushel; Hunters, 65.; and Pearl and Velvet, 6s. Id. Referring to .this message the ohairinan, Mr. D. Jones, said that since the - last meeting the Government had fixed • the'price s for next season's wheat crop, ■ but this increase had been deliberately ' filched from the producer by the Gov- " ernment The Government, for political " reasons, : had refused \o increase the 7 price of flour beyond £15 10s. per ton, ' being an increase of 10s. per ton, ro ~. part of the increase going 'to the . grower, it being accounted for by the cost of the Government administration - of the.! scheme and millers' increased •■ cost of manufacture. The whole of ■■■ the additional price paid for the wheat ' over the previous, year was added 10 the price of pollard and bran, which • the producers had to purchase again' ' from the miller for feed purposes, or, in other words, the Government had ".. robbed the producers of the increase ;... promised. If a similar method was -- adopted by a private firm they would '' have a- legal remedy, but in these days ~ of government by war regulations the ' .Government coyld treat an agreement '.' ■as a scrap of paper. In his opinion v he thought the executive should enter a strong, protest against the breach of faith, and demand an adjustment. If the Government refused to honourably carry out this,-.year's agreement, then the growers would have to discount next year's.prices, because theyhad no guarantee that they would ac- • ,tually -receive them. The representatives of the union had pointed out to the Ministar that • growing of next year's.erop;woulcl be a purely business proposition.; Mr. Macdonnld said he, did not expect wheat to he grown at ■ a loss, and the farmer must decide whether the fixed . price was good enough or not., Personally he thought that -next' year, there would he. a'substantial reduction in the area sown. The small farmer would grow the lisual quantity, but. the big man would probably go in for more profitable branches of farming. Apparently the Government was careless as to whether sufficient wheat was'grown or not, end considered-that the necessary wheat oould be obtained from Australia—which ■was decidedly doubtful. The Government was afraid of the cost-of-!iving_ cry, and was gambling with the Dominion's food supplies. The farmers had placed the position hefore- the Government, and resnonsibility now rested upon it. The chairman then moved that the union write to the Minister, point out j the breach of faith that had taken place, and asked that the matter be adjusted.' The motion was carried.