THE WHEAT BOUNTY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 401, 9 December 1932, Page 2

THE WHEAT BOUNTY

A CHRISTMAS BOX HOW AUSTRALIA PROPOSES TO HELP HER FARMERS. NECESSITOUS CASES. Sydney, Saturday, A welcome and substantial Chl'istmas box is in store for New South Wales. wheat-g'rowers from tbe Sfcate Government. Six thousands of them are in debt. The form it will taka depends upon the final attitude of the Federal Government on the wheat bounty sc'heme. The Premier (Mr. Stevens) favours a straight-out State bounty to all the New South W'ales wheat farmers, but constitutional difficulties would probahly preelude effect being given to that course. The Federal Government's schenie contemplates payment of the bounty only to necesitous wheat-growers. i At the recent Premiers' Conference, ! Mr. Stevens .strongly urged that the [ bounty should be paid to every growi er, and the resolution passed hy the ! conference, it is claimed, agreed with i that view. j The bill providing for the bounty, ; which p'assed the second reading on | Friday in the Federal House, prohibits i the States from paying bounties. J But it is -stated or^ high authority ' that the measure would not have passj ed had not Country members of the U.A.P. and members of the U.C.P. rcceived a promise that the prohibitive clauses would be taltered in committee to enable the States tof make payments to the farmers as a body. May Ease Freights. It is suggested! that the State Government will assist the wheat farmers in New South W'ales by a substantial all-round reduction in wheat freights for this year. Rehates of this nature would not, of course, benefit all growers, hut it would provide material relief for most of them. If the Federal bill when finally passed prohibits the payment of a bounty, the State Government will explore all possible avenues of making compensatory payments to the growers. "No Wealthy Growers." It is known that the Premier regards the matter as a very urgent one, and that he intends meeting it befor>e Christmas. He has sevenal times indieated( that he does not believe the stories of wealthy wheatgrowers. In his view every wheat-grower must be making a heavy loss with prices at their present level. Share for N.S.W. About £600,000 (roughly one-third) of the £2,000,000 to be granted hy the Commonwealth Government to necessitous wheatgrowers should come to New South Wales. It depends, however, upon wh'ai} is considered a "necessitous grower." The States will he asked for an undertaking that the money will he given only to farmers in need. New South Wales has more than 16,000 wheatgrowers, of whom nearly 6000 are in debt to the Depsrtment of Agriculture. The department had liens over 2130 farms, and the remainder owe money to the Government in other directions, including those who secured advances under the unemployed relief ischeme. This is only part of their indebtedli'ess. Other creditors are the storekeepers, machinery companies, and fertiliser firms. A Government official said yesterd'ay that the whole of the farmers on the Government's books could be classed as "necessitous." The nuniber of Government liens this year is not so larga as was expected. The burden has 'eased, because, in a large number of cases, country storekeepers have taken the liens.