WHEAT GROWING

Southland Times, Issue 18842, 7 June 1920, Page 7

WHEAT GROWING

INCREASE OF PRODUCTION. REPRESENTATIONS TO OTAGO FARMERS. (Per United Press Association.) DUNEDIN, June 5. Mr J. B. Waters waited on the Farmers’ Union on behalf of the Wheat Trade Committee, and expressed the regret of Mr MacDonald (Wheat Controller) and the Hon. W. Nosworthy (Minister of Agriculture) that they were unable to be present. He had been asked to do all he could to emphasise the absolute necessity for increasing wheat production. For the first tune since the wheat control was inaugurated the Government had given farmers sufficient inducement to encourage them to grow wheat. The Minister had pointed out that it had been decided to accept 7s 3d for Tuscan, 7s 6d for Hunters, and is 9d for Pearl. This was the minimum f.o.b. price and did not necessarily mean the maximum. If the world price of wheat was higher then the New Zealand farmer would get that. Nothing had been definitely settled as to prices for under-milling wheat, but there were excellent grounds for believing that the maximum price for it would be 2d less than the good milling price. That was a point that should appeal to fanners growing wheat south of Dunedin, where sometimes the percentage was below milling quality. The price of eggs was largely due to the area put under wheat steadily decreasing. In 1914-15 there were 229.000 acres, but last vear there were only 142,000 acres under wheat, and it had been necessary to buy 4.000.000 bushels in Australia. In July next the last of that would have been shipped, and it was highly probable that Australia would refuse to sell any more except at exorbitant rates. It was going to be a serious problem whether they could supply millers with sufficient wheat to carry on with until the new season’s crop was available.

The Union resolved that the president and Mr Waters be empowered to visit the wheat-growing districts and urge farmers to grow wheat.