"GROW MORE WHEAT”

Southland Times, Issue 18824, 18 May 1920, Page 7

"GROW MORE WHEAT”

AGRICULTURE MINISTER’S APPEAL

Tm* Hon. V*. Nosworthy, Minister of Agriculture, has issued to farmers a ‘‘grow more wucut” appeal, a copy of which has just been received by the local secretary of the I'armors Union. The circular shows that a steady cieciiue in the production of | ’.hit- cereal hat taken place from 1909-10 j J ;> 1919-20, the acreage for the former year bomg 311,000 and the total bushels S, 001,100 as against corresponding totals of 142,960 and 4,145,840 for the last-men-tioned year. I'cr this year the circular (which is based on an interview given by the Minister to a Press representative) pass on. the official estimate of laud sown m wheat is 142.960 acres, which is the lowest, since 1876, and with an estimated yield of 29 bushels per acre, only -1,145,800 will be produced. This will not ; sufarient for the Dominion’s requirej merits, but, with about 2.000,000 bushels o; Australian wneat on hand, with the | small carry-over from last harvest, it is (nought that the .-ripply for the next twelve months will :>:■ sodicieut to meet internal demands. hho cirru’ar sets out that the last step the Go-,crnniaiit wishes to take is to have to resort to outside markets to supplement locciiy grrjv. ji wheat. The Government is fully alive fey l.’w fret that there are other branches of farming more profitable, but, once th.o Dominion proves that it is selfsupporting, the j«dicy of the Government v.iil bp to :na:.';r..'iu the- industry on a satisfactory bw-us. ii-t- Munster further ;<ays that, it js not necessarily the case that the prices growers n, rcce-nt conference decided to accent for the 1920-21 crop (7/3 ior Tuscan, 7r. f. ?r Hunter-, and 7/9 for qCar! I the rv.ac.run;, tlv-se prices being the guarante-ed 1 '•.mimuiti J.C..S. rates which will be adjust-: - .! according to the market rates ruling c: the time. In addition there is an i.wr-ir.ont. of three fanming;? per month per bn do! for «ix montl-.n on and after May Ito caver storage. Thr- interview closes with a strongty-w-ivi.-.d appeal pi farmers to grow its much vr.dc.A they can. and, in the course of r c>..»v, line- letter. the Minister refers to the h'.cri-.ir of the shortage of foodstuffs in Er:v-.-' on the position, indicating that, conddedny the I demands likely to be made on Ausrrahr. from J tins «ourcv. New Zealand might have difficulty in getting supplies from (he Commonwealth. H? adds that it is not possible to yet disclose the prices to ho offered for the 1920-21 crop.