COMMANDEERING WHEAT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1415, 24 June 1915, Page 2

COMMANDEERING WHEAT.

The “wisdom” displayed by the Labour Government of New South Wales in commandeering foodstuffs, and in taking possession of the new season’s wheat harvest at the flat rate of 5s per bushel was greatly applauded in Labour circles in this country. The fact that it cost the New South Wales’ farmer an average of 30s per acre to cultivate and grow his crop, and that the average yield, owing to the drought, only worked out at 3.74 bushels to the acre (earlier figures placed it at something over 4 bushels per acre), so that he only received something over xßs 6d per acre, and then had to pay the cost of harvesting, was conveniently ignored; nor was any

attempt made to estimate the possible effect of the Labour Government’s action upon next season’s harvest. On the authority of the Australian Worker (which is quoted by The Maoriland Worker of Wednesday) we now learn that the New South Wales Government “as a result of the complaint of poultry farmers that owing to the restrictions placed on the sale of wheat, which is needed for human consumption, they have been unable to obtain feed for their poultry,” has arranged to import wheat for poultry at about 73 6d per bushel. “The Government,” Mr Hall says, with a touch of sardonic humour, “will prevent the poultry farmers from being exploited by controlling the handling themselves !” Mr Hall has no thought apparently for the other farmers who were previously “exploited” by the Government. Next year he and his colleagues will probably be heartily abusing them, because they .have (ailed to make provision for the wheal crop so urgently required for the sustenance of the people. By all accounts a much smaller area is being sown with wheat in New South Wales this year as the direct result of the Labour Government’s action. The latter claims that it has saved the pockets of the people of New South Wales from a million to a million and a half sterling. But in doing that it has deprived the farmers of a still larger sum, and has made them produce their crops at a loss, and yet the Labour Socialist persist in telling us that the farming class are better off under a Labour Administration, than they are under a Liberal or Reform Government.