The Chronicle LEVIN. x TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1916. THE TWO MR LAIDLEYS ON THE GROWING OF WHEAT.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 March 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN. x TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1916. THE TWO MR LAIDLEYS ON THE GROWING OF WHEAT.

*asfc Evidence -was given before The Cost of Living Commission in 191*2-13, by a Canterbury farmer, that unless 3s (xl per bushel was realized for •wheat the grower would lose money. The giver of this evidence, Mr G. W. Laidley, was appearing on_ behalf of the Canterbury farmers, so it is a fair infer-' enee that he allowed a safe margin in making his estimates of cost. In +he light of this estimate 4s per bushel (should yield a small profit, at least, even when allowance is made for the slightly increased cost of harvesting this year's crop. Yet a representative of the Canterbury Planners 7 Union, By i name 'Mr G. W. Laidley, told quite another story at the union's meeting held last week. Following on the ternaries of a complainant who alleged that "it did not pay to grow wheat at 4s 6d per bus hoi," Mr Laidley expresed his disgust witli the Government because the "cost of ploughing and sowing this year was the heaviest he had ever known," and "the cost of threshing was greater." He said lie would advise all farmers he knew to cut down their wheat lands to half of what they had last year." The remarks of Mr Sheat, another member of the , union, were equally malcontent in tone. He complained that "Mr Mas6ey had come round and urged them, for .patriotic reasons, to put in as much of their ground in wheat as possible," and had then "failed to give them a 'square deal, " because, while they had paid 8s per bushel for seed wheat, the bad yieldi had not paid them, and they now had to accept from 4b 3d to 4s (3d per busbei, at which price it did not pay to grow it. Mr. Sheat declared that the farmers would not grow wheat again, because the Government had done nothing to assist tlioni, although he said Mr Massey had promised them a reasonable price which they wer not getting, andi on behalf of his fellow farmers he declared, "We are going out of wheat, and will turn our wheat fields into sheep country. !Mr Sheat asked till© union to pass a motion declaring that "wheat should not be allowed to go under 5s per bushel,' \md was supported by Mr till who declared that "the low price -of wheat was the result of the weakness ol the Government." In this, however. he was flatly contradicted by Mr Horrell, who said: "We put the wheat in ourselves with the prospect of getting 7s a bushel for it, and we fell in," Mr D. Jones agreeing with that view. Other members of the Union took a more patriotic view ol the position, and contended thfft the termers had to grow wheat for tne sake of the Empire, and eventually • Mr Sheat's motion was withdrawn.