THE WHEAT PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 265, 29 July 1918, Page 8

THE WHEAT PROBLEM

THROUGH A FARMER'S EYES

SOME SUGGESTIONS

In an article in the Chrislchurch "Sun" Air. D. Jones, president of the North Canterbury Maimers' Union, deals with the wheat position. 110 says:— "The position of tho Dominion and its wheat aiijiply for the next two or moro vein's is causing a considerable aniuunt of discussion. Hard things are being said, ami the farmer damned generally because (he wholo situation is imuerfectly understood. Some ten _ years ago til ere was a widespread agitation thrnmrhout New - Zealand to remove altogether liio duty uji wheat and Hour. _ This was supported by the farmers of Southland and tho North Island who did not grow wheat. A few of us in Canterbury fought strenuously against tho proposal, emphasising the importanco of the. wheat industry to tho Dominion in times of peace, and the dangerous position we would bo placed in if war occurred or a drought cut oil' our Australian supplies. The duty was not removed. . . . Tho question is often ashed wlvv we cannot grow wheat as cheaply as Australia. The two main reasons are that, firstly, they have immense areas of virgin soil, and are drawing on (he stored fertility of ajjes. With tho seed well covered and a decent rainfall a good crop is a certainty. We aro past that stage. Cmland requires manure now, and,intensive cultivation. Secondly, the harvesting conditions are entirely different. The clininlic conditions oft Australia enable the farmer to use the combined harvester, which strips tho grain from' the standing corn, riddles it, and bags it in one operation, for less cost per acre than the New. Zealand farmer pay.s for binder twiuß peri acre to tio tlio sheaves.

"Tho.Australians are entirely relieved of the wholo of tho balance of labour cost that wo nave to pay, and when we remember that uiu- average thrashing nlone litis year would be 9d. pov bushel it is quite clear thai no comparison can be made bttween the two countries. It would be very unwise, however, for New Zealand to rely on Australian jvheat, because they have many periods of drought when they cannot supply themselves, and tlie war has. shown us the necessity of not relying- upon outside sources for' our food supply. Is the Farmer to Blame? "The farmer has been" almost universally condemned because during the war thero has been a shortage oi wheat. Tlie public forget that before tho war there were moro serious shortages, but outside supplies were plentiful, and the consumer was happy. . . . The puttiug-in and harvesting of 270,000 acres of wheat last year almost wholly in Canterbury nnd North Otago, after the country Jiaa been so severely combed of labour, waß a, teat that has no parallel in tho Dominion since the outbreak of war, and under average conditions the farmer would have supplied our needs. Unfortunately we need to import over one million bushels of wheat.

"The outlook for tho future is nut bright, and tho following are the reasons :—

"(t) The Government were late' in announcing the price, and a considerable area was sdwn in autumn grass that would have boon reserved for wheat if tho grower had been notified early of the guarantee of Gs. id. per bushel and a free market, which means practically a certainty of "s. per bushel or more.

"(2) We were about one month later than usual in clearing our harvest up, and consequently our time for autumn sowing was shortened, and spring sowing of wheat is a gamble, especially in North Canterbury.

"(;)) Many teams were running idle in the paddocks for lack of teamsters. In my own district—an area seven miles by four—Gs First Division men have gono to war out of a total of 72. Tin's may be above tho average, but tho healthy country life assists development and leaves us■ with fow rejects, nnd the result is that we have been driven to recast our methods of farming iu the direction of more stock and less grain. The price obtained for wheat is not the main question in many cases. The farmers must tako a broad view of the whole position, and act accordingly. "(4) The Government will not adopt a settled policy in connootion with wheal? growing. Tho farmer has his rotation crops, and! must lay his plans in the main two or tlireo years ahead. In July or August of one year he is ploughing np ground to grow his rape for tho summer and feed for tho following winter twelve months hence. Early in the year he buys tho stock that lie estimates his land will carry for tho year, and in February and March ho must sow the grain or grass to provide feed for his lambs in tho following spring, probably grassing down at the same lime the paddocks, which will remain then in grass for somo years, to carry his stock. It should be appnrcnl; to the Government and the consumer that it is most unreasonable and unbusinesslike to expect tho farmer to completely change his system year by year, and throw out of gear his whole operations. \Vhat the farmer wants is a settled policy, so that wo can farm our land instead of prnotically submitting our farming operations every year to public opinion. The average man outside the farming community appears to think that the wheat-grower has a wide area of land' waiting for tho plough immediately the call conies to grow moro wheat, which is a fallacy. The public must be made to realise that if they want an assured wheat supply they must in return be prepared to give the grower some certainty for the future. ... Supplies Should be Conserved. "We should immediately begin to conserve our present supply. IVance compels the miller to make & per cent, of (he wheat into flour; Britain, 80 per cent. The New Zealand miller, I believe, gives from 6V to 70 per cent, in Hour. An additional 5 per cent, would make a material difference. Daylight baking should' }>o made compulsory, so that all bread when delivered should be at least twelve hours old, delivery of bread to the householder should be reduced to three days per week (country people rarely get more than two days per week at any time); this would mean a big saving in consumption, probably equal to 15,00(1 acres of wheat.

"What is tho beat course to pursue lo ensure sufficient wheat being sown next year?

"The first essential is Hint Hie Minister of Agriculture should .lie made responsible for-seeing that a sufficient; area is grown, ami bo given extended powers. "1 am, convinced that the ITon. W. I). 8. JfacDonald understands the, position, nnil could deal with tlio matter satisfactorily if given control, hut if lie has to Hubmit everything lo the present unwieldy Cabinet, composed of men whose minds are filled with their own Departmental affairs, then we shall have delay, confusion, and finally sorao desperate phiiiffti with their eyes shut. AVo must follow the British Government and put Hie responsibility on one man, and to be effectivo it must be done at once." IJU-V Willi CA'tt JI.OR.K CHKAI.'LY/. Those' motorists who use "Xovo-ko" testily to its economy. In many instil lives, an increase of 25 to ll.'l 1-11 per cent, in milcaso is recorded, where this wonderful fuel econoiniser is used. Without "i\ovo-ko" every explosion in the cylinder does not Rivo the lull charge of power that it should. Combustion is nut complete, so Hint not only is petrol power being lost, but the engine becomes dirty because of iiubtirnt carbon wiu-h settles .as each explosion occurs. Add "Xoyo-ko" anil complete combustion is secured, producing more power and u cleaner sweeter-running engine. I'lic; experience of Mr. J. Poster, of tiisbornc, is typical. Ho writes:—"Wo gave 'Novo-I:o' :i thorough trial in one of our motorbuses, and find that it made a saving m benzino of 40 per cent.., and also increased the power of the. engine. "NovoJco" is now being produced in a clarified form—is guaranteed notio harm the engine, and leaves no deposit in Hie carburettor. In appearance it; reseinbbs refined olive oil and contains no cut or stickiness. Try it-all garages hell it as follows:—."13. 1 pint tin, sufficient for 2(1 »nllons; 17e. fid. i gallon tin, sufiicipnl for Kfl callous; 325. (id. 1 gallon tin, sufficient for lfifl gallons. Write for frpe booklet, N.Z. Fuel liiconomisers, Ltd.. Wanganui. -Advt.