WHY EGGS ARE DEAR
POULTRYMEN AND THE WHEAT SHORTAGE ' <v ■ DEPUTATION TO MINISTER 1 Yesterday afternoon a deputation from 1 the New Zealand Poultry Association 1 Executive waited, on tho' Minister of 1 Agriculture (Hon. W. Nosworthy). The : deputation, consisted of Messrs., S.. H. ■ Scott (Auckland), J. B. Me'rrett (Christchurch), A. Gallichan (Wellington), and ; H.M. Boddington (Masterton). Dr. C. ; J.'Peakes.(Director of Agriculture) was ; prosent. Mr. J. P. Luko introduced the deputa--1 tion. :., Mr.. Scott said that the chief matters ', withwhicli-the deputation was concerned were connected with-bran, pollard, and wheat. He referred to the vote of £500 to the Auckland Poultry Association, in reference to which a deputation had waited on the Minister recently in Auckland. Mr. Merrett spoke on the wheat question. He congratulated the Government on the policy it had adopted. That policy had proved of great assistance to poultrymen throughout the .Dominion. : The intervention of middlemen did not benefit the"poultry industry. The grant by the Government of 6000 sacks had helped the poultjymen, but more wheat was urgently needed. Unless further supplies were forthcoming the poultrymen would have to sacrifice .their biros by killing them off. . It was absolutely necessary that there should be a 'guaranteed ' source' of supply. Mr. Massey had stated recently that [750,000 bushels had been put aside for the poultry: industry, but of this amount warrants for only 20,000 bushels had been issued. He thought that the poultrymen should get all the wheat which had been rejected for milling purposes. ' This would*mean .that fowl feed would be cheaper,' and would have the effect of redncing the cost of eggs. It was only the high price of wheat and fowl-feed that was keeping the price of eggs up. Towards the end of the year,' unless wheat was forthcoming, eggs would leap up in price to 6s. or 75.. Dearer Here, Than in Paris. / , In New Zealand eggs were.dearer than in any other country::; In Prance, where the,ravages of war had upset'industries, the poultry industry had been so reconstructed that eggs were cheaper in Paris than in, Wellington. It seemed strange that New Zealand;,had to import Asiatic eggs to keep up the supply.' He thought that New Zealand'should be able to produce eggs cheaper, and so reduce tho cost of living'.' '■■■■'~ ; The Minister said sthat he did-not contemplate continuing to, fix the prices of wheat, bran, and pollard indefinitely. Jt was only a way to get .over a stile. iMr. Merrett:/Well, the-Government may, be'congratulated on one thing in which there is no'profiteering, and that is wheat. . . The Minister i There is nothing to profiteer on. '.'';-.■ . ■■' ! Mr. Gallichan said that unless the poultrymen were helped'they would havo b give up the industry. : The price of wheat was 'keeping up .the price of eggs. The Minister said that in. the long run it was the importation of cheap Australian wheat which was. responsible for this. Mr. Gallichan eaid that the'association had taken tip 'that question, and nlodged • itself to back up tho farmers. The appointment of a Wheat Controller had been approved by the association; He thought that it was the only way out of- the' difficulty: If a board ot poultry experts would prove a help the Minister had only 'to 6peak to., the association.' ~■.-■-•' Mr. Love and Mr. Boddington spoke on the adulteration.of pollard. Thero was a large amount of good pollard l being sold, but thero was also a quantity of. adulterated pollard. Minister's Reply, The Minister,, in reply, said that at the moment he could not say what could bo done outside the precaution's already taken. • He would Bee the Wheat Controller, and whatever stocks were available for the poultry industry would be' evenly distributed. . With regard to. the adulteration of. pollard, he knew it was going on, but it was a very_ diffi- ■■ cult question to settle. The scarcity of ' fowl-feed was responsible for some people i taking whatever they -could get, 1 The whole poultry industry—it iwas no ] use deluding them—hinged on the coun- ■ try's ability to produce wheat, not only i enough to feed the*people, but enough ( to feed the poultry also. The policy of 1 buying cheap Australian wheat, had de- 1 nressed the wheat grower in New. Zea- ] land, and when ■ there was a shortage i outside the people of New Zealand- would i suffer, because Hhe growers have not I thought it worth while to grow wheat ( against cheap imports. When the ] growers could produce wheat, i the jaw of supply aneP demand would- l work'without a Wheat Controller. Ho 1 assured the deputation that ho would I look into the whole matter,' and givo a ] reply as early as possible. . \ i
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 178, 23 April 1920, Page 8
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774WHY EGGS ARE DEAR Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 178, 23 April 1920, Page 8
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