NEWS AND NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1 October 1918, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES

[WHEAT POSITION j v THE GOVERNIiipNT OFFER f FARMERS'VIEW

• lie, position of the wheat-growers in Sspeot to the still ungazetted offer of s.4d.per bushel witn a free market s commented on as follows by the Farmers' Union Advocate":—''With--into the pros and cons of be suggested amendment of the tariff etween New Zealand and Australia, i must ■be "evident that with the imprtatiops' inade' by ' the Government, mounting to four million bushels, a •ee market is practically an imposibility,.and while no one can question Sβ necessity which drove the (Jovernfent to the Australian wheat market Vensure a, full supply of grain for the jominion's requirements, tliis very cirfinistance must operate adversely on jie local values of the commodity the inner has to sell. It is evident that he Minister: has recognised- the pbsijon, and is in a quandary as to how to jeep'-his promise of a free market and 6 the same time-to distribute the imported wheat. He 'las indicated that imay be possible before the harvest to übmit a scheme -which, will be accegtble'.to tie farmers, and this is taken i> mean that the Minister's intention i to strike an averago of the antieiated rises and fix a.straight-out price ir tie crop. If that is so, there should jot be any necessity for delaying the filer much longer. The farmers have* Siamated the value of the wheat at 7s. er bushel, taking into consideration lie increased costs of productioij! and aere is little doubt that apart from imbrtations from Australia that estimate ia. very moderate one. -The farmers ocepted. the risks of growing wheat at s. 4d. in the full belief that an open iarket would give thorn a decent profit, early half of which would go back to he Government in the shapo of taxajbn, and in tho. belief- that.under.tha ery.best climatic conditions tho 65." 4d. •buld only cover the bare costs of prouc'tion. They knew the possibilities t'private importations under the prejrential tariff favourable to Australia, lit they could hardly have been exscted to calculate^that the..Govern? ient would import a margin of over tree million hnshels to compete against jem in the local markets. Wo quite jcognise that that was no part of the overnraent's intention in securing the hantity it did, but. having done so, it rust in common fairness see ihat the aported grain 'does not. reduce the ilue.of the, local product on the marfe." To do so now would.have a very tjious effect upon this, in war time, jost important industry,. and would sstro'y the confidence of the farmers t an extent that, would be disastrous iom'a production point of view. There In be.no question as to the patriotism t the'wheatgrowers of this country. V- , three successive years they have jken the risks and lost; and they even jw cannot be sure of. a profit in tho lowing crop. , '- "'"■ ■■•■